Preventing Alcohol-Related Harm: Effective Strategies and the Role of Health Professionals.

Abstract

Clinicians and other health and medical professionals are increasingly dealing with the harms of alcohol consumption across the UK. Briefly charting the history of consumption, attempts to regulate drinking, and alcohol's contribution to injury and disease, this narrative review highlights that reducing overall alcohol consumption across the population is most effective in reducing alcohol-related harm. Health professionals can play a role in reducing harm across the community by advocating for effective population-level prevention policies assisting individuals in reducing alcohol-related harm. Public health measures that have been shown to have the greatest impact on alcohol consumption and related harms focus on price, marketing and accessibility, and there is evidence supporting alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment in health settings.