Findings bulletins: PHE 'control policies' review, 12 step recovery effectiveness, computerised interventions and self-help

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank:

Alcohol control policies from an English perspective

An ambitious attempt to use research to understand the most effective and cost-effective set of policies for reducing alcohol-related harm in the English context, from taxation and price regulation to managing the drinking environment.

Is the worldwide popularity of the ‘12 steps’ matched by evidence of effectiveness?

The deficit in UK recovery resources combined with heightened profile of abstinence-based recovery form the backdrop to this hot topic on 12-step mutual aid fellowships such as Alcoholics Anonymous. To the extent that there is evidence of their effectiveness, can this be attributed to the more distinct components of the 12 steps, or established mechanisms of behaviour change?

The promise of computerised interventions

Computers, mobile phones and tablets have permeated everyday life and will probably take their place among culturally-accepted routes to overcoming unhealthy drinking and drug use – but do they retain the effectiveness of in-person interventions?