The magazine The Psychologist, the official monthly publication of The British Psychological Society, has released a special alcohol edition.
The feature includes a series of articles written by a range of alcohol specialists, researchers and clinicians and an introduction in which authors explore why 'everyone has something to add to this conversation'.
Feature articles include:
In 'Challenging the language of alcohol problems' [pdf here], James Morris and Claire Melia, both PhD students exploring aspects of the framing of alcohol problems, explore how terminology shapes ideas of 'problem drinking' and 'recovery'. The piece identifies the practice of 'othering', whereby heavy drinkers often point to others as the problem in order to contrast their own use as safe or normal, exploring the Adrian Chiles 'Drinkers like me' documentary as providing multiple examples also found in the research literature. The piece calls on readers to resist "easy but problematic simplifications such as ‘alcoholics’ or ‘addicts’ in our conversations, and instead recognise that people and the problems they experience are more complex".
In 'Your number one substance is alcohol' [pdf here], Michael Kelleher, a consultant addictions psychiatrist, provides an interview in which he highlights some of his key experiences of providing alcohol treatment interventions, and challenges facing the field in a climate of ongoing cuts and reduction in services. Kelleher argues that harm reduction for those with severe problems relies on being able to provide timely support in order to 'catch people at their point of motivation', but also cautions against believing single models of addiction or support are enough. Kellher argues it is necessary to "offer this range of options, because stigma runs many ways. There are alcohol clients who don’t want to come to a drugs service and drug clients who don’t want to be characterised as alcoholics. It is not that one setting is better than another; it is that individuals prefer different settings to meet their unique needs."
In 'Finding moderation online' [pdf here], Emma Davies, Claire Garnett, Olga Perski and Zarnie Khadjesari offer a comprehensive assessment of the evidence and role for digital interventions in supporting alcohol-related behaviour change. The authors highlight a recent systematic review, concluding people receiving digital interventions drank 22.8g (almost three units) of alcohol a week less than those receiving a control, providing 'tentative support for the role that digital alcohol interventions can play'. However, the article explores a range of potential limitations and areas for further research, including where heavy drinkers may have co-existing issues or engagement barriers. As such, the authors encourage continued robust evaluation to assess their potential, but suggest we "must be cautious of transitioning to a norm of ‘technological utopianism’, which risks alienating certain groups, or trivialising issues that require deeper investment and human interaction."
In 'A threadbare patchwork of support' [pdf here], Will Haydock, a visiting fellow at Bournemouth University and commissioner, explores the issue of alcohol treatment provision in the context of not only cuts but also other pressures and recent shifts affecting services and their delivery. Haydock identifies "an adversarial culture where people and organisations seem to pit themselves against each other", but aims to provide "both a warning and encouragement for people working in different roles" to help improve services. Recognising the fractions in both services and their commissioning structures, as well as in ideas about treatment and recovery, Haydock argues that the response to these divisions we need to be to "become less defensive. More open to criticism and the change it might produce. More open to working with different people, with different aims and life philosophies." Although genuine partnership and public debate and scrutiny is rare, Haydock makes a "general call for us to stop hiding in the corner with our piece of cake, and come out into the spotlight to openly say what we’re doing and why."
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