2011

A Bottle of Beer, a Glass of Wine, or a Shot of Whiskey? Can the Rate of Alcohol-Induced Harm be Affected by Altering the Population’s Beverage Choices?

This article summarizes and puts into context the findings from thefive articles contained in this thematic issue. The question ofinterest has been the connection between different beverage typesand alcohol-induced harm. The key question is whether policymakers can affect rates of harm by affecting beverage choice. In thediscussion, four different potential pathways for such an effect aredifferentiated. The first is the direct effect of the beverage over andabove the effect of the ethanol it contains. The review of resultssuggests that the size of this effect may be modest, and it is clearlyovermatched by cultural factors relating to who chooses to drinkwhich beverage and how. However, even more relevant than thedirect effect may be the other three mechanisms, which potentiallyaffect the amounts of alcohol drunk or allow the influencing ofdrinker groups of interest.

Additional Info

  • Authors

    Mäkelä P
  • Issue

    Contemporary Drug Problems, pages 599-619, volume 38
  • Published Date

    2011