Drug and alcohol review
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Drug and alcohol review · Mar 2012
Clear criteria based on absolute risk: reforming the basis of guidelines on low-risk drinking.
The paper discusses the approach behind the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking of 2009. The Guidelines involved a new approach to the central conundrum of low-risk drinking guidelines: how to set a guideline threshold on smooth risk curves. ⋯ The approach described brings alcohol guidelines within a general analytical frame of guidelines and standards for hazards to health. At the level of 1 in 100 lifetime risk, there is little justification for different guidelines for men and women. On grounds of differential risk, separate guidelines for young adults might be considered, but could not be based on lifetime risk.
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Drug and alcohol review · Jan 2012
Factors associated with continued solvent use in Indigenous petrol sniffers following treatment.
While petrol sniffing afflicts several isolated Indigenous groups internationally, few studies have examined the factors contributing to continued sniffing following treatment.This study aims to describe those factors in a group of Aboriginal Australian users. ⋯ This study identified psychosocial factors that may be associated with continued petrol sniffing among Aboriginal Australians post treatment. Future research, interventions and policy relating to petrol sniffing should consider these factors.
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Drug and alcohol review · Jan 2012
Cost of privatisation versus government alcohol retailing systems: Canadian example.
Alcohol retail monopolies have been established in many countries to restrict alcohol availability and thus, minimise alcohol-related harm.The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of the privatisation of alcohol sales on the burden and direct health-care, law enforcement costs and indirect costs (lost productivity due to disability or premature mortality) in Canada. ⋯ Alcohol-attributable burden and associated costs will increase markedly if all Canadian provinces and territories gave up the government alcohol retailing systems.For public health and economic reasons, governments should continue to have a strong role in alcohol retailing.