With this project, the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) aims to identify and collect approximately 50 documents that provide the best information on the subject of alcohol harm reduction. This will create a thorough and broad information base on this topic, with papers representative of a range of sub-topics and research and papers from around the world. This project is the first major output from IHRA’s new Global Alcohol Harm Reduction Network (GAHR-Net) – a free network designed to provide a forum for researchers, advocates, practitioners, policy makers and communities to discuss practical alcohol harm reduction interventions and policy options. This is the latest in a series of “50 Best Collections” commissioned or managed by IHRA.
Harm reduction policies and interventions are those which aim to reduce the health, social and economic harms associated with the use of psychoactive substances, but which do not necessarily aim to reduce consumption (although reductions in substance use are desirable and, in many cases, achieved). Harm reduction policies and interventions explicitly target high risk behaviours, groups and contexts within a given population. These can be distinguished from (but are fully compatible with, and complementary to) population-level interventions which reduce harms by exclusively focusing on consumption. The harm reduction approach is traditionally associated with illicit drugs (through programmes such as needle exchanges, outreach or substitution treatments), but is equally as applicable to legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol.
Alcohol is no ordinary commodity. It is a drug which brings health, personal, cultural and social benefits for many people around the world – yet causes significant mental, physical and social harms for many others. To effectively tackle this dilemma, comprehensive alcohol policies must be developed that focus on targeted populations, harms and behaviours as well as the availability and accessibility of alcohol at the population level. This means policies that complement traditional interventions (such as taxation and restricted licensing hours) by generating and embracing new ideas and more focused approaches (such as server training and interventions targeted at specific risk groups such as students or binge drinkers). This also means policies that engage all of the relevant stakeholders – including people who drink alcohol and the alcohol vendors and manufacturers.
This collection aims to provide information and best practice on a range of alcohol harm reduction interventions and policies – including those that focus on particular risk behaviours (such as campaigns against drinking and driving, or sobering-up shelters for heavily intoxicated individuals), particular risk groups (such as shelters for homeless drinkers, or brief interventions and advice for problematic drinkers, pregnant women or young people) and particular drinking contexts (such as server training and risk assessments in bars and serving alcohol in shatter-proof glass to prevent injuries). These approaches are practical approaches (so much so that many people deliver alcohol harm reduction on a regular basis without realising it), realistic and can be designed and delivered by local communities and stakeholders to address specific local needs and contexts.
This set of documents is intended for a broad range of audiences – including policy makers, practitioners, communities, the alcohol industry, international organisations, researchers and alcohol users around the world. The collection is periodically reviewed, so please contact IHRA with any feedback or suggestions.
Selection Process
In an extensive search process from May 2006 to February 2008, papers were located from literature searches using a broad range of resources – including online databases (such as PubMed and the Cochrane Library), internet searches, websites and IHRA contacts and partners.
Efforts were made to achieve a balance of scientific research papers, expert commentaries, policy documents and practical guidelines. Papers were preferred if they were recent, brief, readable, accredited by an international or national organisation, published as a paper in a high impact factor journal, and/or scientifically rigorous. This was not an attempt to compile a scientific evidence base.
An International Reference Panel of experts was established to ensure that the selected documents were of a high standard and reflected global perspectives.
If You Only Read One Paper…Stimson GV (2006) Drinking in Context: A collective responsibility – ICAP Review 2. Washington DC: International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP)This is a free review of a book from the International Centre for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) entitled ‘Drinking in Context: Patterns, Interventions, and Partnerships’ – which is edited by Professor Gerry Stimson (IHRA’s Executive Director), Marcus Grant, Marie Choquet and Preston Garrison. The review outlines how alcohol policies should account for different drinking patterns within a population, by using targeted interventions that are aimed towards specific high-risk groups, drinking behaviours and drinking contexts.
Acknowledgements
This collection was put together by Jamie Bridge (IHRA’s Communications and Project Development Officer) as part of IHRA’s Alcohol Strategy, and an expanded advocacy focus from illegal drugs towards all psychoactive substances. Particular thanks must also go to the collection’s International Reference Panel for their comments and feedback – Marcus Day, Dr. Kathryn Graham, Dr. Marjana Martinic, Professor Gerry Stimson, and Professor Tim Stockwell. Thanks also to Natalya Kanaef, Hajra Mir, and Julie Neilson for their support. It was funded from IHRA’s general funds.
