Authors: Edwin Horlings and Amanda Scoggins (RAND Europe)

The European Commission, Directorate-General Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) has asked RAND Europe to contribute to the Commission’s impact assessment of a proposed Communication on alcohol policy. This Communication presents a comprehensive approach to combat the harmful effects of alcohol use in the European Union. RAND Europe has focused exclusively on the economic impacts of DG SANCO’s options.
This report first examines the nature and extent of the problem posed by alcohol use in Europe, which provides the rationale and focus for the associated policy initiative. Next, it developes a conceptual approach that discusses how alcohol use is linked to macroeconomic development. This approach is then used to examine the future impacts of a successful alcohol policy on a number of macroeconomic aspects.

Author: Science Group of the European Alcohol and Health Forum

Globally, alcohol is the world’s number one risk factor for ill-health and premature death amongst the 25-59 year old age group, the core of the working age population. It is unsurprising, therefore that lost productivity costs feature as the dominant element in social costs studies arising from the harm done by alcohol (contributing to one half or more of the total social costs). There are positive opportunities afforded through work to address problems due to harmful drinking even if they may not obviously impact on productivity. Those in full-time employment – usually about two-thirds of the population of working age - spend about one-third to one half of their waking lives at work and are open to health and wellbeing influences far more frequently than in, for example, conventional healthcare settings.

Edited by Peter Anderson, Lars Møller and Gauden Galea (WHO Regional Office for Europe)

Alcohol is one of the world’s top three priority areas in public health. Even though only half the global population drinks alcohol, it is the world’s third leading cause of ill health and premature death, after low birth weight and unsafe sex, and greater than tobacco. In Europe, alcohol is also the third leading risk factor for disease and mortality after tobacco and high blood pressure. This report presents the latest literature overview of effective alcohol policies, and includes data from the European Union, Norway and Switzerland in the areas of alcohol consumption, harm and policy approaches. The data presented were collected from a survey in 2011.

Authors: Jürgen Rehm, Kevin D. Shield, Maximilien X. Rehm, Gerrit Gmel and Ulrich Frick (CAMH)

This report provides a timely and comprehensive review of the relationship between alcohol consumption and harm in Europe. While European alcohol strategies have typically focused on reducing alcohol misuse through controls on availability, marketing and price, and drunk‐driving countermeasures, this report highlights the considerable potential to reduce alcohol‐related harm through wider implementation of individually directed interventions for people with alcohol dependence. There is now a considerable evidence base which supports the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of brief interventions, and a range of specialist treatment for people with alcohol use disorders. However, this report highlights the current gap between evidence and practice. Less than 10% of people with alcohol dependence receive treatment in Europe; and yet alcohol dependence accounts for a substantial proportion of all harm associated with alcohol.