The MRC, ESRC and Alcohol Research UK wish to continue making key contributions to this field, in this case through providing authoritative evidence on the link between the specific harms caused directly by a distinct pattern, level and duration of alcohol drinking at key stages in the life-course. The hypothesis is that establishing such links will provide breakthroughs in this field and provide compelling evidence to inform public health policy and lay the groundwork for the design of interventions. The rationale for this comes in part from a MRC/ESRC workshop held in October 2012. The report of the workshop can be found at the following link.
This highlight notice focuses on research that will work towards the ultimate aim of defining harms caused by alcohol and linking these to each of the various drinking behaviours prevalent in the UK. Harm is defined broadly and comprehensively; it ranges from damage to the organs, to the health and mental wellbeing of the drinker; to social harms – for example, the impact on the psychological development of children in a family where there is a heavy drinker. As this objective is medium–term, this highlight notice seeks to provide research impetus to underpin these goals. We have therefore included a work-package approach to the research proposals so that underpinning research, scoping and methodology can be supported along-side hypothesis-driven and empirical study. > > > > Read More
