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The Research Community and the Private Sector: A Hands-On or Hands-Off Relationship?
This article summarizes a symposium held at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) in Montreal, Canada, and was prepared on behalf of the symposium participants. The discussion focused the relationship between research and the private sector, addressing whether such a relationship is possible or even desirable, and how concerns regarding the implementation of any such arrangement can be met. While participants represented a range of views, there was general agreement on two issues - the need to keep the source of funding separate from the research itself, and the requirement for disclosure and complete transparency.
Martinic, M. The research community and the private sector: a hands-on or hands-off relationship? Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 25(12): 1801-1804, 2001.
Is "Hazardous" Drinking a Useful Concept for Public Health Recommendations?
Educating the public about the potential harms and benefits that may result from alcohol consumption is a valuable tool in the prevention of harm. Recommendations are often couched in definitions of what constitutes "safe" and what falls under "risky" drinking. While meaningful and practical concepts and balanced definitions are surely needed, the usefulness of summarizing research on the relationship between drinking and potential risk into one-size-fits-all packages is questionable. This paper will examine one such concept, that of "hazardous" drinking, and will attempt to address the way in which this concept is derived and used in both the scientific literature and in recommendations for the public. The paper will address the implications of providing such definitions for the purposes of policy and will propose ways in which recommendations on hazardous drinking can be made more meaningful to the public.
Martinic, M. Is "hazardous" drinking a useful concept for public health recommendations? Contemporary Drug Problems,26: 653-672, Winter 1999.
Concept of Alcohol Dependence
The concept of alcohol dependence has attained considerable status in the alcohol literature. Described by some as perhaps the "master diagnosis," it has been criticized by some as a modest statistical phenomenon of little theoretical "coherence." In this review, we examine how the dependence concept achieved its celebrated status in the main diagnostic systems and to what extent it measures up against criticism from a wide range of theoretical perspectives. We review firstly the ways in which alcohol consumption, drinking behavior and their concomitants have been described and conceptualized over the past century. We then examine the key components of dependence and the extent to which they form a coherent syndrome or merely one of an array of alcohol-related symptoms.
Saunders, J.B. & Grant, M. The concept of alcohol dependence: Linking pathology to patterns of dependence. Opinions in Narcology, 1: 25-31, 1999.
A Comparative Analysis of Alcohol Education Programs Sponsored by the Beverage Alcohol Industry
This paper is a comparison of alcohol education programs sponsored by the alcohol beverage industry at two points in time: 1984 and 1996. It shows (1) that trade associations and so called "social aspects organizations" have increased their level of activity regarding alcohol education programs; (2) that independent evaluation of these program activities is being taken more seriously, although there is still room for improvement; (3) that drinking/driving and youth issues continue to dominate program activities; (4) that the message of moderation in alcohol consumption is still a prevalent one, but that individual responsibility is gaining currency for a number of social aspects organizations; and (5) that the gap between industry funded bodies and public health funding agents is not as great as it once was. The development of partnerships between social aspects organizations and public sector bodies illustrate the alcohol beverage industry's increased interest in preventing the misuse of their products.
Houghton, E. Comparative analysis of alcohol education programs sponsored by the beverage alcohol industry. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education (JADE), 43(3): 15-33, 1998.
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