As we approach the festive period of Christmas across Europe, it may seem churlish to highlight alcohol as a potential ‘headache’ for many member states. But it is a good example of a societal issue where we can learn greatly from each other.
This was the thinking behind the European Alcohol and Health Forum, and for the last four years I have chaired the Science Group that provides the forum with scientific opinions. Previously we have, for example, looked at the evidence on the impact of alcohol marketing and concluded that it may influence both the age at which young people start drinking and the amount they imbibe when they do start.
Our most recent report has been on the crucial topic of alcohol and the workplace in Europe. The place of work provides both a threat and opportunity. The threat to employers is of a major loss of productivity through accidents, absenteeism and ‘presenteeism’ (staff at work but not functioning well because of alcohol problems). The impact is not just on the worker him or herself but on those around them.
The opportunity is to use the workplace to identify workers with problems arising from their drinking (even if this drinking is not at work) and intervene early to support them with management strategies that have been shown to be effective. The report highlighted what works, but also the gaps in evidence so that future work programmes can be more effectively and prospectively evaluated. We need to be aspiring not to an alcohol-free continent but to a continent free of alcohol-related harm.
