Improving models of alcohol policy by including people who are dependent on alcohol
Aims
Research on alcohol usually looks at two groups of people: (i) the general population and (ii) people who are dependent on alcohol. However, these are not really separate groups. Even though people who are dependent on alcohol face different health risks and might need targeted help, they are still part of the general population. This means they still contribute to public health issues, and they are still affected by public health policies.
Unfortunately, current ways of examining the effects of alcohol policies do not include people with alcohol dependence. As a result, we often do not know how policies will affect them. For example, we know that people usually buy less alcohol if we increase its price, but we do not know how increasing the price of alcohol might affect people who are dependent on alcohol.
We want to create a better model for understanding the effects of alcohol policies in England. This model will look at everyone, including those who are dependent on alcohol. By doing this, we hope to help policymakers see the full extent of alcohol use and its effects. This should help them to make better decisions and consider everyone’s needs when deciding how to tackle alcohol-related problems.
Methods
We will do this in four steps.
First, we will make a basic plan and look for the best data and research to use.
Second, we will work with a group of experts to improve that plan. This will include people with experience of alcohol dependence and people who provide services for them.
Third, we will gather the data and research and examine it carefully. We might also create a simulated (or test) dataset to help us study the whole population, including people who are dependent on alcohol.
Finally, we will set out how to build our new model based on what we have learned.
Impact
This project is important for making better decisions about alcohol policy in England. By including everyone in our model, we will be able to see how different groups of people are affected by policies. We will also be able to make policies that work for everyone and make sure that people who are dependent on alcohol feel part of the general population. We will share our findings in different ways (such as scientific papers, briefings, podcasts and blogs) so that as many people as possible can use them to make better decisions about alcohol policy.
