Alcohol in America : taking action to prevent abuse /

Olson has drawn from two research and policy studies sponsored by the National Research Council (Alcohol and Public Policy: Beyond the Shadow of Prohibition, CH, Apr '82, and Toward the Prevention of Alcohol Problems: Government, Business, and Community Action, 1984) for his popular presentation of this issue. He offers a number of initiatives that may reduce problems caused by drinking and identifies prevention as the major strategy likely to be most effective. The areas investigated include prevention of drunk driving, regulating the price and availability of alcohol, and the minimum purchasing age. Olson also discusses advocating informal techniques of intervention by bartenders, policies recommended for parents of adolescents and for college officials, and the impact of alcohol in advertisement and in television dramas. The advantages, disadvantages, and probable limits of effectiveness of various tactics within each policy area are discussed briefly without undue oversimplification. Readers are referred to original sources for more detail. The general conclusion appears quite sound: no single private or public initiative alone is likely to make a substantial reduction in the incidence of alcohol problems, but each preventive initiative builds on the strength of all others in a network of well-balanced measures that collectively can reduce the incidence of alcohol problems. Public and academic libraries, secondary school through undergraduate.-J.F. Rooney, Pennsylvania State University, Capitol Campus

Much has been written about the problems of alcohol abuse, but this is one book that addresses solutions. It's a distillation of a 1981 report initiated by the National Research Council and papers from a 1984 National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism conference. And it's enjoyably readable. A history of drinking anchors the later discussions, which focus on attitudes and amounts. Types of preventive measures explored include affecting availability of alcohol, education and persuasion, legal sanctions, and one not usually addressedmaking the world a safer place in which to drink. Throughout the book, conclusions are carefully qualified. This is an excellent review for anyone in the alcoholism prevention business, and good background reading for the interested layperson. Francia Schultz, formerly with Kodiak Area Native Assn., Alas. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.