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Even though alcohol is not a universally
sensitive research topic, it may be
so depending on the setting and
culture, and may demand a diligent
planning of researches. Additionally,
unlike
in
smoking,
studies
of
alcohol consumption require a more
meticulous methodology as a result
of the complexity of measurement,
as well as in reaching the sample, as
the prevalence of drinking is low. The
International Alcohol Control (IAC)
Policy Evaluation Study is the first ever
international cohort study of alcohol
use and alcohol policy. The study
employs a robust methodology that
has been developed by experts, and
other countries are free to join in and
use the same methodology. The overall
objective is to measure the impacts of
national- or state-level alcohol control
policies.
Evidence indicates that alcohol control
policies such as Minimum Unit Pricing
(MUP) are effective in preventing such
harmful factors as traffic accidents
resulting from alcohol consumption.
However, a large group of low-income
countries are yet to develop national
alcohol policies.
What should be the role of civil
society in the fight against alcohol?
The role of the civil society is two-
fold: to push for the implementation
of evidence-based alcohol control
policies, and to empower and enable
communities to bring about positive
change.
Advocacy for evidence-based policies
would be possible if evidence of
the presence of both problems and
solutions is available. Literature on
alcohol use is mainly of Western
origin, and may not be generalizable
to certain contexts. Collaboration with
local academic institutions would be
required to garner locally relevant
evidence.
What are your opinions of Green
Crescent and its efforts in this
issue?
Green Crescent was founded a century
ago toprevent the spreadof alcohol use
in a society in which alcohol use was
uncommon. Green Crescent embraces
the “no safe level of drinking” policy,
which is aligned with the current
evidence on the harm associated with
alcohol consumption.
Countries with a similar epidemiology
of alcohol use to that of Turkey are
likely to face similar challenges
regarding the collection of alcohol
consumption data, the conducting
of alcohol research and sectoral
interventions that would result
in conflicts in the industry. These
countries should collaborate to
overcome these challenges by sharing
their experiences and by learning
from each other. Green Crescent is
in an appropriate position and has
the ideal network to drive any such
collaborations and to lead such
initiatives.
David Vela - Spain
According to the conducted
studies, the global disease
burden attributed to alcohol
consumption increases in
direct proportion to the
amount of consumption.
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