Authors: Pedersen B, Oppedal K, Egund L, Tønnesen H.

In the everyday surgical life, staff may experience that patients with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) seem reluctant to participate in alcohol intervention programs. The objective was therefore to assess acceptance of screening and intervention as well as adherence to the intervention program among emergency department (ED) and surgical patients with AUDs.

Authors: Jürgen Rehm, Kevin D. Shield, Maximilien X. Rehm, Gerrit Gmel and Ulrich Frick

This report provides a timely and comprehensive review of the relationship between alcohol consumption and harm in Europe. While European alcohol strategies have typically focused on reducing alcohol misuse through controls on availability, marketing and price, and drunk‐driving countermeasures, this report highlights the considerable potential to reduce alcohol‐related harm through wider implementation of individually directed interventions for people with alcohol dependence. There is now a considerable evidence base which supports the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of brief interventions, and a range of specialist treatment for people with alcohol use disorders. However, this report highlights the current gap between evidence and practice. Less than 10% of people with alcohol dependence receive treatment in Europe; and yet alcohol dependence accounts for a substantial proportion of all harm associated with alcohol.

Authors: Peter Anderson, Lars Møller and Gauden Galea (WHO Regional Office for Europe)

Alcohol is one of the world’s top three priority areas in public health. Even though only half the global population drinks alcohol, it is the world’s third leading cause of ill health and premature death, after low birth weight and unsafe sex, and greater than tobacco. In Europe, alcohol is also the third leading risk factor for disease and mortality after tobacco and high blood pressure. This report presents the latest literature overview of effective alcohol policies, and includes data from the European Union, Norway and Switzerland in the areas of alcohol consumption, harm and policy approaches. The data presented were collected from a survey in 2011.

Author: Irmgard Eisenbach-Stangl (European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research)

On the search for factors explaining the changes of alcohol consumption in European countries one quickly comes across preventive activities to reduce alcohol-related problems and/or alcohol consumption mostly taken by the state and occasionally also by other stakeholders such as e.g. the economy or social movements. Looking at them it becomes as quickly clear that the impact of prevention measures on consumption is everything else but simple.

The great diversity of preventive measures offers inspiration and orientation as well as an excellent occasion to evaluate, reconsider and improve interventions. Unfortunately the interesting research field is underdeveloped and until today misses a common reference frame that allows and facilitates comparisons. The Policy Brief intends to contribute to the development of such a frame.

Author: WHO Regional Office for Europe
The action plan was endorsed by 53 European Member States at the Regional Committee for Europe in September 2011 in Baku, Azerbaijan. It includes a wide range of policies and programmes that are relatively easy and cheap to implement, can reduce the harmful use of alcohol, promote health and well-being, improve productivity, and enhance human, health and social capital across the life course from birth to old age. This action plan proposes a range of options for the 10 action areas of the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol that all European Member States can engage in.