Recently from the 
drug and alcohol Bank:
New UK alcohol strategy opts for unit pricing The UK government alcohol strategy for England and Wales claims to signal a radical change to turn the tide against irresponsible drinking. After resisting the policy, headline is the new commitment from the government to setting a minimum per unit price for alcohol.
See our round up of responses to new national alcohol strategy.
No crime reduction dividend from counselling drunk arrestees UK government-funded pilot schemes found no crime reduction benefits from brief alcohol counselling for arrestees under the influence of drink, contradicting hopes that arrest referral would help quell late-night alcohol-related disorder. The schemes did however uncover many dependent drinkers.
See our recent summary of the schemes.
On-line alcohol interventions would improve health care value for money Computer simulation suggests that health would improve and/or costs be reduced if on-line brief interventions and therapy were added to or partly replaced conventional alcohol-related health care; these results for the Netherlands are based on a simulation model applicable as an aid to national policy making in other countries.
Too soon to get rid of the therapists Computers can extend their reach but not replace therapists was one message of this Dutch study, the first randomised trial to evaluate internet-based therapy for problem drinking via text-chat conversations with a real therapist; on average alcohol intake was cut by nearly two-thirds, significantly more than after an automated self-help option.
See here for a recent summary report from NHS Scotland on web-based interventions, and here for further recent and previous reviews.
Comments