Drug and alcohol review
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Drug and alcohol review · Mar 2012
Know your limits: awareness of the 2009 Australian alcohol guidelines among young people.
Young people are at high risk of alcohol-related harm and injury. This study assessed awareness of the 2009 Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol, understanding of alcohol-related risks and drinking behaviours among young people. ⋯ Although raising awareness of alcohol-related risks may promote reduced alcohol consumption, many young people reported consuming alcohol at harmful levels despite having an accurate understanding of alcohol-related risks. Multiple approaches to reducing alcohol-related harm in young people should be considered.
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Drug and alcohol review · Mar 2012
ReviewGuidelines for pregnancy: what's an acceptable risk, and how is the evidence (finally) shaping up?
The lack of consensus about whether low to moderate levels of prenatal alcohol exposure are a risk factor for fetal development has generated considerable debate about what advice policies and guidelines should provide. ⋯ The policy advice that 'the safest choice for pregnant women is to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy' should be maintained. However, the abstinence message needs to be presented in a balanced and rational manner to prevent unintended negative consequences.
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Drug and alcohol review · Mar 2012
Responses to risk: public submissions on Australian alcohol guidelines for low-risk drinking.
In 2007 the National Health and Medical Research Council issued the draft of the revised Australian alcohol guidelines. The document presented guidelines explicitly in terms of risk. This paper seeks to explore the public response to this document by analysing the submissions received during the 60 day period for public feedback. ⋯ The diversity of views expressed seems to have had little effect in the revision of the guidelines. Disseminating the low-risk drinking guidelines message poses many challenges.
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Drug and alcohol review · Mar 2012
ReviewDifferent guidelines for different countries? On the scientific basis of low-risk drinking guidelines and their implications.
The scientific evidence for low-risk drinking guidelines was examined in a narrative review focusing on three points: definition of exposure, the best way to select outcomes and risk relations and how to determine thresholds. With respect to exposure, at least two dimensions should be incorporated: average volume of alcohol consumption and patterns of irregular heavy drinking occasions. ⋯ Finally, our plea is for establishing a general threshold for acceptable risk on a societal level rather than ad hoc specific committees setting norms for specific risks. Acceptable thresholds will be different if the risk is to oneself or to others.