Alcohol and Society'

1
Alcohol and Society.

• John B.Davies
• Centre for Applied Social Psychology
• University of Strathclyde

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Alcohol its a drug.

• Its a pharmacologically active substance. that
  affects neurotransmitters in the brain.
• Thats what drugs do.
• Its a CNS depressant. So is heroin.
• Socially, some people think of it as notreally
  a drug. (why is that?).
• In the middle East, its a banned substance.

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Fatalities (Scotland, 2000).

• All illicit use of drugs 292
• heroin 196
• benzodiazepines 185
• methadone 55
• ecstasy 11
• cocaine 4
• NB. Totals exceed 292 deaths, as more than one
  drug
• involved in certain fatalities

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Fatalities (Scotland 1999)

• Alcohol-attributable deaths 1600
• In Scotland, 1 in 40 deaths alcohol related.
• Highest death rate (alcohol related) in those
  aged 40 to 60 years.
• Highest consumption, and highest rate of problems
  in males aged (roughly) 25-35.

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Other interesting fatality rates

• UK deaths directly attributable to alcohol, 4718
• Alcohol related, 33,000
• Smoking-related, 100,000
• Road traffic 3,000

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Prevalence of alcohol dependence in Scotland.

• 23,700, of whom 7830 seek help.

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Other alcohol-related statistics.

• 53 of suicides in Scotland contacted an alcohol
  agency within a year of death.
• 78,900 hospital admissions with alcohol-related
  mental or behavioural disorder.
• 33,000 accidents in the home.
• One in 7 road-traffic deaths
• Six out of 10 A E patients

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(continued)

• 40 of violent crimes
• 60 of men who assault partners
• 71 of sales to girls 16 or under and 60 to boys
  go unchallenged
• Cost 2-5 of GNP (10.8 billion)

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Expenditure on prevention and treatment
(2000-2001)

• Alcohol 1.1 million
• Tobacco 33.75 million
• Illicit drugs 91.45 million
• Possible exam question Expenditure on tackling
  different drug problems is inversely proportional
  to the social and economic costs of the problem
  concerned. Discuss

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Costs of providing treatment/help

• Data from HTBS Report HTA on
• Relapse Prevention, 2002
• acamprosate 520 per person
• disulfiram 307 per person
• certain psycho-social treatments 120

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What psycho-social treatments?

• Coping/social skills training
• Behavioural self-control therapy
• Motivational enhancement
• Marital/family therapy.
• Notable absentees from this list AA/twelve step
  cognitive behavioural.

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Why?

• The reason why the psycho-social therapies emerge
  as the most effective at the community level is
  because
• a) the problem is so widespread and
• b) the psycho-social therapies make a small
  difference, but to a very large group of people.
• Conclusion More expensive therapies are not cost
  effective at the community level as they do not
  help enough people, regardless of their efficacy
  at the individual level.

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Perception of alcohol, and drinking culture.

• Amongst young people (teenagers) associated with
  maturity (being cool), sexual awareness and
  sociability.
• Widespread belief in two kinds of people .social
  drinkers and helpless alcoholics.
• Also seen as a cause of anti-social behaviour
  (It was the drink that made me do it, guvnor)

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The need to challenge the drinking culture
eg.Drinkwise

• NOT information.
• NOT fear arousal.
• NOT didactics.
• Ambiguous requires interpretation.
• People draw their OWN conclusion (i.e. requires
  some cognitive work).
• Central theme personal responsibility

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Challenge the disease model.

• The world is not divided into alcoholics
  and non-alcoholics. We can all do it.
• Most of the problems caused to society by
  alcohol
• are not caused by alcoholic drinking.
• Drinking is something you DO not something
  that happens to you.

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We are all part of the drinking culture