Alcohol and Public Health

Dear Colleagues,

The light and moderate consumption of alcohol (beer, wine and distilled spirits) is associated with better health and greater longevity than is either abstention from alcohol or the immoderate consumption of alcohol. However, the abusive consumption of alcoholic beverages contributes to serious health and safety problems. In addition to pain, suffering and loss of life, these problems also place an enormous and unnecessary financial burden on the victims and on society. A major problem faced in crafting public policy is to strike the optimum balance between promoting societal abstinence on one hand and the immoderate consumption of alcohol on the other.

This goal typically includes objectives such as reducing alcohol-related motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries, reducing cirrhosis deaths associated with alcohol abuse, reducing heavy episodic or binge drinking, and increasing treatment for alcohol abuse.

The proposed means of achieving such objectives are often controversial and may include raising or lowering minimum legal drinking ages, tax increases, restrictions on time and place of purchase, issuance of drinking learner permits to adults under the age of 21, promoting harm reduction, changing the content of alcohol education, and mandating vehicle interlock systems on all motor vehicles.

Prof. Dr. David J. Hanson
Guest Editor