Transcript Thomas F. McGovern, Ed.D. Professor, Psychiatry Stephen Manning, M.D. Assistant Professor, Psychiatry Center for International/Multicultural Affairs March 2, 2011

Thomas F. McGovern, Ed.D.
Professor, Psychiatry
Stephen Manning, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Center for International/Multicultural Affairs
March 2, 2011
Vision
“To raise global awareness of the magnitude and
nature of the health, social and economic problems
caused by the harmful use of alcohol, and increased
commitment by governments to address the harmful
use of alcohol.”
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2.3 million died worldwide of alcohol related causes
(2002)
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3.7% of global mortality in all age groups
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4.4% of disability adjusted life years (Dalys)
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Dalys
< Potential years of life lost to premature death
> “Healthy life years” lost to poor health/disability
(WHO 2004)
Ranks fourth as most modifiable and preventable
risk factor for non-communicable disease
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Health burden for communicable diseases – T.B.
and HIV/Aids
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Alarm Over:
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Weakening of restrictions on production and
marketing of alcohol
Changing drink patterns
Need for governmental, medical, healthcare
interventions
(Babor, Zeigler, Chun 2010)
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Support the WHO (2010) initiatives
Treatment and early intervention
Drink-driving countermeasures
Limits on availability
Restrictions on alcohol marketing, pricing, tax
policies to discourage
Control on social contexts
(Room, Babor or Rehm 2010; Babor and Others 2010)
Raise global awareness of the magnitude and nature
of the health, social and economic problems caused by
harmful use of alcohol, and increased commitment by
governments to act to address the harmful use of
alcohol
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Strengthen the knowledge base on the magnitude
and determinants of alcohol related harm and on
effective interventions to reduce and prevent such
harm
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Increase technical support to, and enhanced
capacity of, Member States for preventing the
harmful use of alcohol and managing alcohol use
disorders and associated health conditions
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Strengthen
partnerships,
provide
better
coordination among stakeholders and increase
mobilization of resources required for appropriate
and concerted action to prevent the harmful use of
alcohol
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Improve systems for monitoring and surveillance at
different levels, and more effective dissemination
and application of information for advocacy, policy
development and evaluation
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Develop leadership with a solid base of awareness and
a strong political will and commitment
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Health services’ clinical and advocacy responses
Community mobilization for action to reduce problems
and support victims
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Drink – driving policies and countermeasures for
deterrence and the development of measures to create a
healthy driving environment
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Regulate the public and commercial availability of
alcohol
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Reducing the impact of marketing of alcoholic
beverages, especially targeted to youth
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Pricing policies to reduce underage drinking and to
halt progression towards drinking large volumes of
alcohol or episodes of heavy drinking, and no
influence consumers’ preferences
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Harm reduction approaches addressing the
negative consequences of drinking and alcohol
intoxication
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Reducing the public health impact of illegal and
informal alcohol through quality control, inspection
and taxation
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Monitoring and surveillance
Expand evidence base on harmful use of alcohol to
include developing countries where consumption is
increasing
• Use scientific research to guide the adoption of
effective alcohol policies at national levels
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(Babor, Zeigler, Chun 2010)
Organizations involved in the production,
distribution and marketing of alcohol
• Concerns raised by Global Status Report (2006),
expert committees on problems related to alcohol
consumption, Second Report (2007)
• Exercise control over marketing and promotion of
alcohol
• Not impede public health/public policy initiatives
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Efforts to influence public policy
• Maximize its profits – public health policy to
reduce harm
• Promotion/marketing in low income developing
countries
• Absence of effective policy and treatment resources
• Industry activity in Sub Saharan Africa, South East
Asia
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(Olafsdottir 2008, Bakke Endall 2010)
Initiative of NGO’s and professional societies
• Identified industry related activities to minimize
public health approach to alcohol problems
• Urges research institutes/individual researchers to
reject financial support for alcohol beverage industry
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(Babor 2009)
Advocates initiatives, industry driven, to lessen
many associated with alcohol
• Efforts to influence public policy to minimize a
public health approach to alcohol problems eg.
South East Asia, Sub Saharan Africa
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Supports the vision, objectives, target areas
identified by WHO strategy
• Identifies conflict of interest concerns in industry
sponsored alcohol research
• Need for common standard for disclosure of
conflict of interest in alcohol/addiction research
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Lacks of emphasis on coexisting medical and
psychiatric comorbidities
Biological/pharmacological interventions
Psychotherapeutic and recovery group interventions
Individual mental health evaluations
Family systems approaches
Team “recovery” does not appear in the strategy
• Mobilization of indigenous recovery resources,
impact local, community and cultural attitudes to
alcohol consumption, alcohol related disorders
• Potential of worldwide recovery advocacy
movement, mutual aid societies
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(William White, Personal Communication 2011)
Remarkable, timely, noble document in its intent
and vision
• Enormous global health burden associated with
alcohol problems
• A challenging research agenda, with outreach to
developing countries
• Blue print for evaluating national programs
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