New perspective on alcohol related harm

Last year in Malmø participants at the passive drinking session decided to form a section within NordAN. At the session we were presented for an Australian report indicating that 50% of all alcohol related harm and costs was borne by others than the drinking persons – and the idea of an international passive drinking network to keep the issues on the agenda. It seems that there is still an alarming gap between the common populations experience with alcohol related harm as a social and behaviour problem as seen through the frame of general population surveys and the frame of most research literature and the ordinary the public social-, health- and law agencies response and the national and international political attention.

The passive drinking perspective on alcohol related harm challenges the narrow scope embedded in the “individual harms approach” concentrated on risks and pathologies of the individual drinker. The perspective also puts the finger of the shortcomings within the “public health approach” which likewise does not focus on the interactions between drinkers and his and her environment, only emphasis the correlations between health statues of a particular populations and aggregate amount of alcohol consumed by that population. It even provides a critical compliment to the “community approach” which is highlighted in this years NordAN conference. The “local community approach” to alcohol harms is mostly preoccupied within the social dynamic operations by different public and private agencies and bodies within the local community.

This year we invite everybody interested in the passive drinking perspective on alcohol related harm, to come and give their opinion on how best to organise our future cooperation. We need to further expanding the evidence base, argue that social relations are added to all social-, health and law agencies, set up demonstration projects. And not the least we need to discuss how the passive drinking perspective can change the overall alcohol policy arguments.

Organizers:

Hasse Schneidermann & Lauri Beekmann, NordAN Passive Drinking Section

& Passive Drinking International Network http://passivedrinking.wordpress.com/