ICAP Reports

ICAP Reports are distributed periodically on topical issues concerned with alcohol. They are intended to summarize current scientific information on a given topic or present issues which may require further study.

The summaries of all ICAP Reports are available in French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.

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ICAP Reports 20. Informing Consumers About Beverage Alcohol January 2008   Summary: Consumer information about beverage alcohol consists of two distinct but interrelated elements—namely, the provision of factual information about beverages and directional information, including advice and recommendations about drinking patterns and levels, behavior, and practices.  This issue of ICAP Reports focuses exclusively on factual information about alcohol beverages and how it is currently provided in different countries.  Where appropriate, practices of wine, spirits, and beer producers, comprising the companies that sponsor the International Center for Alcohol Policies, are given as examples.  This ICAP Report is intended as a companion document to the table reviewing the general information required for on-product labeling in 43 nations and the European Union, available here.     ICAP Reports 19. Lower Alcohol Beverages April 2007   Summary: Drinks with “lower” alcohol content are produced in each of the major beverage alcohol categories (beer, wine, and spirits).  The existence of such drinks points toward an interest on the part of the beverage alcohol producers to provide an expanded range of choices reflecting consumers’ lifestyles, health-consciousness, price sensitivities, as well as tastes. This report examines lower alcohol beverage (LABs) from the perspectives of the beverage alcohol producers, governments, and consumers.  It provides an overview of the types of LABs available, identifies trends, and reviews relevant research.   353 KB                     115 KB   ICAP Reports 18. Alcohol Taxation May 2006   Summary: Like many other commodities, beverage alcohol is subject to taxation.  This issue of ICAP Reports explores the concept of an excise tax on beverage alcohol.  The excise taxes are indirect taxes on the sale or use of specific products or transactions.  These taxes are levied by national, state, or local (county or city) governments, often in combination with each other.  The actual costs of excise taxes are generally passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices, putting downward pressure on consumer demand.  The main purpose of taxation is to generate government revenue.  However, governments also use taxes on beverage alcohol for several other purposes: to attempt to reduce abuse and harm by making alcohol less accessible; to create trade barriers; and to encourage the purchase of domestic over imported products.  The effectiveness of taxation and pricing policies as public health and social tools for reducing consumption, abuse, and problems has been much debated and can be considered from several perspectives.  In establishing alcohol policies, governments must weigh commercial freedoms and consumers’ rights of access to a product against protecting their citizens. This includes determining levels of taxation that do not impose an undue burden on consumers and restrict their choices or penalize producers by restricting fair trade practices.                                                        207 KB

ICAP Reports 17. The Structure of the Beverage Alcohol Industry March 2006   Summary: This issue of ICAP Reports provides a summary description of the beverage alcohol industry, its nature, and scope and identifies a range of industry bodies and industry-supported bodies, such as trade associations and social aspects organizations, which contribute to addressing social and public health aspects of alcohol.  There have been considerable changes in the beverage alcohol industry over the past 25 years, particularly with developments in commercial versus non-branded local production, in the internationalization of brands, and the consolidation of several multinational producers.  These trends are not unique to the beverage alcohol industry, but have significantly affected all areas of domestic and international trade throughout this period. Yet, despite these changes, most of the alcohol that is produced and consumed around the world continues to be noncommercial and largely unrecorded.  While this overview of the beverage alcohol industry and its structure may help in understanding the commercial sector, it is important to bear in mind the huge diversity of the market when addressing public health, social, and trade issues around the world.   466 KB   ICAP Reports 16. Alcohol Education and Its Effectiveness December 2004   Summary:  Education is a much-used tool in the prevention of alcohol problems.  It exists in a variety of forms and contexts, targets a broad range of audiences, and involves formal educational measures, as well as informal influences.  Considerable debate exists over whether alcohol education is an effective approach to preventing problems that may arise from certain drinking patterns and whether it can be viewed in isolation from other policy and prevention measures.  This issue of ICAP Reports describes the debate and provides an overview of various approaches to alcohol education that target the general public, particular groups (young people and other at-risk populations), and certain behaviors (drinking and driving and sale or service of beverage alcohol).     188 KB   ICAP Reports 15. Drinking Patterns: From Theory to Practice April 2004   Summary: In 1998, the International Center for Alcohol Policies published Drinking Patterns and Their Consequences.  The book laid out supporting evidence for what was then a relatively novel concept—that when it comes to outcomes, both positive and negative, how people drink is at least as important as how much they drink.  Since then, the patterns approach has gradually become an orthodox concept in the field, applied not only to alcohol research, but increasingly to prevention and policy development.  This issue of ICAP Reports revisits drinking patterns five years after the publication of the book and attempts to provide a brief overview of the field and of the trends that have emerged, both in alcohol research and in policy applications.  Due to the breadth of available research, this report is by no means comprehensive.  Its purpose is to offer a glimpse of how the patterns approach has exposed the richness of drinking behaviors the world over and how theory is being translated into practice.   175 KB   ICAP Reports 14. International Drinking Guidelines December 2003   (Click here for the most up-to-date version of the table featured in this report.)   Summary: An understanding of the risks and benefits potentially associated with alcohol consumption is an important tool for preventing harm.  In an effort to provide such information, governments and quasi-governmental organizations in a number of countries offer their adult citizens (those above the mandated legal drinking age) guidelines about alcohol consumption.  This issue of ICAP Reports examines the rationale behind such recommendations on drinking and offers a comparison of existing drinking guidelines in different countries.   500 KB   ICAP Reports 13. Alcohol and the Workplace August 2003   Summary: Once quite commonplace in the work environment, alcohol has increasingly shifted into the domain of leisure.  As the professional and skill levels required in a more complex workplace have grown, it has become apparent that the consumption of alcohol in certain venues may not be appropriate.  The effects of alcohol on performance have been extensively documented.  Under certain circumstances and for certain professions, the risks associated with drinking and the workplace may have serious consequences and potentially affect a large number of people beyond the drinker.  This issue of ICAP Reports examines three industries in which beverage alcohol plays a special role, either because of its salience or because of its potential impact—the transportation industry, the beverage alcohol industry, and the hospitality industry.  The report examines how the issue of alcohol and the workplace has been addressed in each and the approaches that have been used to ensure the safety both of employees and others who may be affected.   221 KB   ICAP Reports 12. Violence and Licensed Premises November 2002   Summary: Over the past decade, increased attention has been directed toward the prediction, management, and containment of violence in and around licensed premises, such as bars and other drinking venues.  This issue of ICAP Reports examines some of the prevention strategies used to combat this violence, as well as some of the theories that underpin them.  Two broad contextual issues—the density of retail alcohol outlets and the permitted hours and days of sale for beverage alcohol—are beyond the scope of this report. The focus, rather, is on the responsible operations of licensed premises, irrespective of the contextual situation within which they are operating.  This report reviews the elements conducive to safe drinking environments, such as awareness of accepted serving practices, attention to the physical design of an establishment, and the proper training of servers and door staff, illustrating the importance of broad-based community partnerships.  It should be noted that the vast majority of the research literature in this area relates to Anglo-Saxon drinking cultures.  Nevertheless, there may be lessons relevant to other cultures as well.   35 KB   ICAP Reports 11. Blood Alcohol Concentration Limits Worldwide May 2002   (Click here for the most up-to-date version of the table featured in this report.)   Summary: Many countries agree on the need to establish regulations that prohibit alcohol-impaired driving, particularly as it applies to the operation of automobiles on public roads.  The setting of maximum allowable blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels for motor vehicle operators is a valuable tool for enforcement and prevention.   Although many countries have legislated maximum permissible BAC levels, the threshold at which each country draws its line varies considerably.  This issue of ICAP Reports provides an overview of BAC limits worldwide and explores the rationale and recent history behind the setting of these limits and the systems of enforcement and sanctioning that support them.  The use of drink-driving limits is perhaps most effective as one aspect of a more comprehensive solution, which also includes increased public education on the risks associated with drink-driving, enforcement of related laws, training of staff at licensed premises to recognize intoxication among patrons, and the availability of alternatives to driving, such as free taxi service.   162 KB   ICAP Reports 10. Alcohol and “Special Populations”: Biological Vulnerability November 2001   Summary: Most people who drink responsibly derive pleasure from their drinking and experience few adverse effects.  For some, moderate alcohol consumption may even confer health benefits.  However, for certain individuals or in certain circumstances, even low or moderate levels of alcohol may be problematic.  This issue of ICAP Reports provides a brief overview of the biological factors that make some individuals more vulnerable than others to the effects of alcohol.  Addressed are factors that make these individuals particularly susceptible (for example, genetics, health status, gender, and age), as well as the implications of such vulnerability for policy recommendations.   66 KB   ICAP Reports 9. Self-Regulation of Beverage Alcohol Advertising January 2001   Summary: An important element of public policy is developing standards regarding how the private sector communicates information about its products.  Some form of industry self-regulation of advertising is widely practiced in many countries.  This issue of ICAP Reports explores the concept of self-regulation in relation to the advertising of alcohol beverages.  Most countries that have self-regulation have specific codes concerning alcohol beverages and usually operate within some sort of legal framework.  This report reviews the elements of different codes and how they are applied in practice and presents country and regional case studies from Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the USA, and the European Union.  It is recognized that advertising is one of several forms of commercial communication, including sponsorship, promotion, and the Internet.   391 KB   ICAP Reports 8. Who are the Abstainers? June 2000   Summary: Much attention has been devoted to describing what people drink, why they drink, and their drinking patterns, yet comparably little interest has been awarded the other side of the drinking equation—namely those individuals who, for a variety of reasons, do not drink.  The proportions of drinkers and abstainers vary from one culture to the next and may change even within a given population, driven by social, economic, and political factors. This issue of ICAP Reports provides a cross-cultural overview of abstainers, their demographics, similarities and differences, and their many reasons for abstaining from alcohol.  The data presented in this report also reflect preliminary results obtained through an international survey conducted among selected experts in the alcohol field.   398 KB   ICAP Reports 7. Estimating Costs Associated with Alcohol Abuse: Towards a Patterns Approach August 1999   Summary: Social policy debates, including those regarding alcohol, are often framed in economic terms.  Economic analysis can usefully inform policymakers, helping them design programs to reduce the negative health and social consequences of alcohol abuse.  Interest in economic interpretation remains strong, especially as it relates to taxation levels.  Social costs have traditionally formed the focus of alcohol-related economic studies.  This issue of ICAP Reports briefly explores how social cost estimates for alcohol have been developed, outlines some of the challenges that remain, and discusses the policy implications.  As epidemiological, cultural, and biomedical understanding of alcohol use in society develops towards a patterns-based approach, economic studies specifying and differentiating among consumers will be increasingly useful.     390 KB   ICAP Reports 6. Government Policies on Alcohol and Pregnancy January 1999   Summary: This report compares government guidelines about drinking and pregnancy. Over the past decade this issue has received increased attention, largely due to the association between excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy and fetal alcohol effects (FAE) or fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).  The sixteen countries included in this report are those that responded to ICAP’s request for information.  They are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.  Some countries have no official recommendations on the use of alcohol by women who are pregnant or are trying to become pregnant. Among those countries that do have a clearly stated policy, most recommend that women do not consume alcohol during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester.   379 KB   ICAP Reports 5. What is a “Standard Drink”? September 1998   Summary: The practice of standardizing drinks has long been implemented in commercial settings in which alcohol is available.  Drink measures poured in licensed premises are used to standardize the volume of a given beverage sold to patrons and are controlled by licensing authorities.  From the public health perspective, the concept of a “standard drink” was introduced as a means of advising the public whether they are drinking within reasonable thresholds for avoiding potential harm and whether they are likely to experience the health benefits of alcohol.  The standard drink has been a central feature in some alcohol education campaigns and has been used as a practical way of implementing government recommendations and guidelines on drinking.  Whereas the premise underlying the standard drink is straightforward, the manner in which it is applied can be confusing.  International comparisons are made difficult by a wide range of definitions.  This disparity is often not taken into consideration when information on drinking guidelines from different countries is interpreted and compared.  The lack of uniformly accepted standard measure also creates some difficulty for the purposes of research.   407 KB   ICAP Reports 4. Drinking Age Limits March 1998    Due to changes in international law since 1998, this ICAP Report is no longer current. Please see the table on minimum age limits for the most up-to-date information on the topic.   If you wish to obtain the printed copy of the ICAP Report 4, please contact us.       ICAP Reports 3. Health Warning Labels September 1997   Summary: Governments, research institutions, special interest groups, and the beverage alcohol industry have put substantial effort into reminding citizens of the commonly known fact that problems may result from excessive drinking.  One warning tool that has been legislated at the national level in several countries is the placement of health warning labels on beverage alcohol containers. This issue of ICAP Reports looks at which countries are using health warning labels on beverage alcohol containers, what those labels say, and, to the extent possible, the reasons behind their use.  The Report also reviews the literature on the efficacy of such labels.   372 KB   ICAP Reports 2. The Limits of Binge Drinking April 1997   Summary:  This issue of ICAP Reports focuses on a drinking pattern that has received considerable media attention around the world—binge drinking, generally characterized by the consumption of alcohol to intoxication within a short period of time. Attempts have been made by the scientific and public health communities to arrive at more formal and quantitative definitions. Yet, definitions of binge drinking currently vary widely from country to country and even within the scientific literature.  While achieving a worldwide standard definition is likely to be impractical, clear definitions in each instance would at least allow after-the-fact standardization and more adequate comparisons. On the other hand, perhaps it is time to move away from nebulous terms such as “binge” and towards a more clear distinction between responsible and reckless drinking behavior.  The development of a typology of drinking patterns using unequivocal definitions may be a necessary first step.   374 KB   ICAP Reports 1 (Supplement). A Comparison of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Sensible Drinking June 1998    (Click here for the most up-to-date table on sensible drinking guidelines from various countries, including the U.K. and the USA.)   Summary:  Following the publication of the ICAP Reports 1 (“Safe Alcohol Consumption: A Comparison of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Sensible Drinking”), it was made available to a wide audience that included members of the public health and research communities, the beverage alcohol industry and related trade and social aspects organizations, government agencies worldwide, inter-governmental organizations such as the World Health Organization and the World Bank, as well as selected media in the United States and the United Kingdom. The response to the publication has been overwhelmingly positive. However, a number of issues have been raised that merited further discussion. This Supplement to the ICAP Reports 1 offers additional background on the health recommendations contained in the UK and US guidelines and discusses the topic of standard drink size. The Supplement also provides recommendations on drinking levels published by governments of other countries around the world.   31 KB   ICAP Reports 1. Safe Alcohol Consumption: A Comparison of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Sensible Drinking February 1996   (Click here for the most up-to-date table on sensible drinking guidelines from various countries, including the U.K. and the USA.)   Summary: In December 1995, the governments of the United Kingdom and United States independently published guidelines on alcohol consumption. This report summarizes the similarities and differences between these two documents. On the whole, the interpretations offered in the US guidelines (Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans) are more general, and the recommendations more conservative, while the UK guidelines (Sensible Drinking) attempt to evaluate the evidence one issue at a time. Both sets of guidelines reflect changes in the policies of the respective governments. The UK guidelines for the first time include alcohol as a positive dietary factor and acknowledge that “alcoholic beverages have been used to enhance the enjoyment of meals by many societies throughout human history.” More significantly, for the first time both the UK and the US guidelines draw attention to the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. 326 KB