The launch of the AERC Alcohol Academy took place last month in London with a one day event of workshops and presentations. The event was set up to pilot and deliver the academy’s objectives of facilitating networking and developing skills and learning for alcohol coordinators and strategic leads.
The Academy will be delivering a series of free events across the country to continue development and support of strategic alcohol harm reduction. For further details and to enquire about a seminar in your region see the ‘What we do’ page on the website.
AERC Alcohol Academy – launch event sessions
The launch event included the following sessions focusing on some of the key strategic issues facing alcohol coordinators and strategic leads.
1- ‘Alcohol harms: trends and issues’ Dr Rachel Seabrook, Institute of Alcohol Studies
This presentation (ppt.) gave an in-depth exploration of alcohol-harm and what we know about trends in use. Key issues covered include:
- Types of harm e.g. health vs social and short term vs long term
- Consumption data – what we know and the limitations of the data
- Alcohol-related admissions – breakdown of all causes
- Trends in alcohol sales – affordability, price and consumption
- Poly-drug and alcohol use issues
2- 'Partnership as a mechanism for delivering local alcohol policy’ Rachel Herring, University of Middlesex (Workshop 1, followed by structured group discussion)
This presentation (ppt.) explored the role of partnerships in delivering local alcohol strategy and covers key issues including:
- The local frameworks for alcohol strategy delivery
- The role of alcohol in cross-cutting partnership agendas
- What is ‘partnership’ and why is it important?
- Multi-component approaches
- Key issues and challenges to partnerships
- Evaluating LSPs – governance and delivery issues
- Successful partnerships and lessons from other fields
3- 'Research and evaluation: strengthening the evidence base' Professor Betsy Thom, University of Middlesex
This presentation (ppt.) explores important considerations for setting up alcohol interventions and evaluating projects covering key issues including:
- What kinds of alcohol-related research/evaluation evidence do we have?
- Examining population level studies, socio-cultural studies and policy-impact studies
- What are the most and least effective alcohol interventions?
- Why does research evidence often fail to influence policy & practice?
- What are the challenges for research & evaluation?
- How can the Academy facilitate a critical understanding of research and evaluation?
4- ‘Alcohol problems in the elderly’ Dr Karim Dar, Consultant Psychiatrist in Addictions (Workshop 2, followed by structured group discussion)
This presentation (ppt.) gives a highly comprehensive assessment of alcohol problems in the elderly and examines the treatment responses available, despite numerous socio-political barriers. The general structure of the presentation addresses:
- Introduction-beliefs about addictions and its treatment
- Epidemiology
- Risk factors & signs/symptoms
- Diagnostic issues
- Screening
- Medical and psychiatric co-morbidity (including dementia)
- Treatments
The final presentation was given by John Everlsy, Director of ppre, a senior lecturer at several universities and expert in the field of public policy and management. The presentation gave a fascinating and thought-provoking insight into how we think and understand policy and research and its relevance for the academy. A video of the presentation will be published shortly.
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