Alcohol consumption is an integral part of the social fabric in most societies. Yet the role occupied by drinking is quite different across countries and cultures, and is reflected in local customs, patterns, and attitudes. Since many of the major publications that provide the evidence base most commonly used in international alcohol policy discussions are in English and primarily feature work from developed countries, much of the research published in other languages and reflecting different cultural contexts and approaches escapes broader notice.

The ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture is an electronic publication that seeks to give wider attention to regions often underserved in research literature. Its key objectives are as follows:

• to give greater exposure to research not currently published or widely available in English;
• to broaden the range of cultural perspectives and the evidence base used in the crafting of policy and prevention.

Each issue of the Periodic Review presents English translations of work published in language areas currently underrepresented in major English-language research databases. Coverage of the Periodic Review is limited to psychosocial and socio-cultural research, to focus on drinking culture, behavior, patterns, and psychosocial outcomes. The featured content is grouped by topic and country.

Identification and selection of key research to be featured and all editorial decisions are carried out by an Editorial Group, consisting of experts from diverse geographic, linguistic, and disciplinary areas.

Relevant materials:

• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 7
  The seventh issue of the Periodic Review collects 22 abstracts from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that cover topics including alcohol policy, drink driving, consumption patterns in adults, pregnancy, and young people and drinking. This issue also features English translations of two articles in full text: an analysis of alcohol policy and consumption trends in Belarus from 1980–2009 and a discussion of changing motivations related to social drinking in China during the country’s transition to a market economy since the late 1970s.
• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 6
  The sixth issue of the Periodic Review features summaries of recent journal articles and reports from 11 central, eastern, and southern European countries, covering some of the following topics: alcohol policy, extreme/“binge” drinking, noncommercial alcohol, road safety, and young people. This issue also includes a translation of a full-text article on alcohol-related mortality in Ukraine and Russia.
• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 5
  The fifth issue of the Periodic Review features work from 13 central, eastern, and southern European countries, covering some of the following topics: alcohol and pregnancy, alcohol policy, early identification and brief intervention, extreme/"binge" drinking, noncommercial alcohol, road safety, and young people. In addition to translating abstracts, this issue also offers translations of two full articles—from France and Spain—identified by Editorial Group members as presenting particularly interesting findings that were not thoroughly captured in the papers' abstracts. These articles were translated and reproduced with permission from their publishers and authors.
• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 4
  The fourth issue of the Periodic Review features summaries of recent journal articles, books, and reports from 9 central, southern, and eastern European countries, covering the following topics: alcohol and the workplace, drinking and violence, drinking patterns in adult population, early identification and brief intervention, extreme/"binge" drinking, motivations and expectancies, road safety, and drinking among young people.
• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 3
  The third issue of the Periodic Review features abstracts of journal articles published in late 2008 and 2009. It covers 9 central, southern, and eastern European countries and 8 languages. The featured abstracts focus on the following topics: alcohol and the workplace, drinking and violence, extreme/"binge" drinking, inequalities in health, road safety, and drinking among young people. The abstracts are grouped by topic and country.
• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 2
  The second issue of the Periodic Review features abstracts of journal articles published between 2007 and 2009. It covers 11 central, southern, and eastern European countries and 8 languages. The featured abstracts focus on the following topics: alcohol and pregnancy, alcohol and the workplace, drinking and violence, drinking patterns in adult population, extreme/"binge" drinking, motivations and expectancies, road safety, and drinking among young people. The abstracts are grouped by topic and country.
• ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture: ISSUE 1
  The first issue of the Periodic Review features abstracts of journal articles published between 2003 and 2008 in 15 central, southern, and eastern European countries, representing 11 languages. The featured abstracts focus on the following topics: alcohol and pregnancy, alcohol and the workplace, cardiovascular effects, drinking and violence, drinking patterns in adult population, extreme/"binge" drinking, motivations and expectancies, and drinking among young people. The abstracts are grouped by topic and country.
• What is the ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture?
  Background, objectives, and features
• Members of the Editorial Group
• Guidelines for Editorial Group of ICAP Periodic Review on Drinking and Culture