5 free articles on the impact of alcohol

The season of excess is over and many of us are saying ‘cheers’ to booze – at least for the month of ‘Dry January‘ – whether to save pounds, lbs or our livers.

In terms of health, new guidelines issued by the Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies suggests there is no such thing as a ‘safe’ level of drinking and that we should look to replace a glass of wine or beer after work with an alternative such as tea.

Alcohol consumption continues to be a much debated subject both at a policy level and within the media. Concerns over industry lobbying in UK alcohol policy, how alcohol is priced and the extent to which evidence is used (and how) in forming policy and practice are items that have been discussed in our journals.

From a more personal perspective how do you talk to your children about grandparents or other close relatives who have a problem with alcohol? And how does our experience of alcohol in our environment as children affect us as we become adults and parents ourselves? Fascinating research on both those topics is covered in Families, Relationships and Societies.

So, with a cuppa in hand, we invite you to read some sobering research on the wider political and personal impacts of alcohol in our society…

‘Water dripping on stone’? Industry lobbying and UK alcohol policy – investigates the means by which alcohol industry actors gain access to policy makers and the strategies used to influence policy (Policy & Politics, Vol 42, 1 By Ben Hawkins and Chris Holden)
The role of the Sheffield model on the minimum unit pricing of alcohol debate: the importance of a rhetorical perspective – explores the Sheffield model’s influences on the policy debate by drawing on 36 semi-structured interviews with policy actors who were involved in the policy debate (Evidence and Policy By Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi;Shona Hilton and Lyndal Bond)
Perceptions on the role of evidence: an English alcohol policy case study – draws on a recent English alcohol policy case study to assess the role of evidence in informing policy and practice (Evidence and Policy Vol 10, 1 By Paul Toner; Charlie Lloyd; Betsy Thom; Susanne MacGregor; Christine Godfrey; Rachel Herring; Jordan Tchilingirian)
“How do I tell my children about what my mum’s like?” Conflict and dilemma in experiences of adult family members caring for a problem-drinking parent – explores the experiences of adults with children who were also providing care for a problem-drinking parent (Families, Relationships and Societies, Vol 4, 1 By Mandi Hodges and Alex Copello)
“Drinking definitely wasn’t something that we’d seen anybody do”: the relevance of childhood experiences of family drinking for parenting strategies of alcohol socialisation – based on an analysis of 21 biographical interviews with parents of teenage children and considers how their childhood experiences of alcohol and drinking influence their own parental strategies when regulating their children’s exposure to alcohol (Families, Relationships and Societies By Clare Holdsworth; Louise Laverty and Jude Robinson)

#NewYearNewYou #DryJanuary

If you want to find out more about Dry January you can check out their website here or follow them on Twitter @dryjanuary

To find out more about our journals, check out our website here and why not look at the individual journal pages to find out more about our institutional free trials…