Research update on alcohol's impact on individuals, families, and society

The recent special issue of Alcohol Research: Current Reviews is called "Measuring the Burden—Alcohol’s Evolving Impact on Individuals, Families, and Society." The editors, Jürgen Rehm and Ralph Hingson, point out in the editorial that "Alcohol use is associated with tremendous costs to the drinker, those around him or her, and society as a whole. These costs result from the increased health risks (both physical and mental) associated with alcohol consumption as well as from the social harms caused by alcohol. This issue of Alcohol Research: Current Reviews examines the public health impact of alcohol consumption, looking at the full burden of disease that can be attributed to drinking."

Among the scientific articles in the journal issue are some that give and overview of the history of alcohol’s burden of disease; describe how the use of Disability Adjusted Live Years (DALYs) have contributed to greater understanding of the real impact of alcohol; and discuss alcohol’s role in the global burden of mortality. The issue has several "Focus on" articles covering such topics as Trauma and Emergency Outcomes; Chronic Diseases and Conditions Related to Alcohol Use; Alcohol and Mortality; Children and Preadolescents; Women and the Costs of Alcohol Use; and Ethnicity and the Social and Health Harms From Drinking.