Alcohol policies: perspectives from the USSR and some other countries

This document presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Symposium on Alcohol Policies: Perspectives from the USSR and Some Other Countries held in Baku, USSR from 31 October to 4 November 1988.
Before the end of the symposium, the participants discussed and adopted a set of conclusions. Concerning the Soviet experience since 1985, it was noted that positive effects of the alcohol control measures were reported on many indicators of health and social damage. But negative consequences had also been observed, in particular the growth of an illegal production and distribution network with associated problems. In this context, the difficulties encountered in making reliable assessments, especially of the negative consequences, were mentioned. In contrast, several other countries were unable to report substantial effects from recent policy planning efforts. The Soviet experience in particular emphasized the importance of stimulating widespread, informed public support if policies were to be effective in the long terme. It was noted, indeed, that effective alcohol policies needed to plan for the long term and needed to integrate educational activities with efforts to control the availability of alcohol. Promoting healthy lifestyles must be at the basis of every alcohol policy. Special attention has to be paid to young people.
There are wide variations in drinking patterns and the resulting problems both between and within countries. Such variations have to be taken fully into account when general policy measures are being planned or implemented. The collection of adequate statistics and other information, geared to understanding cultural patterns of drinking and trends in alcohol problems, were regarded as a necessity for informed planning. Serious deficiencies in such data collection were noted for both the Soviet Union and other countries. It was reported that health professionals in a number of countries have played an important role in initiating alcohol policy reforme. It was considered that indeed experts had the responsibility to contribute their views to the public debate.
In discussions about economic aspects of alcohol control policy, the participants pointed to the urgent need to take health interests clearly into account. Likewise, the economic interests on the side of the production and distribution network, as well as in the form of tax revenues, must be given due recognition in the planning and implementation of alcohol policy. The employment setting, covering a large part of the population, offers an important access to promotion and rehabilitation efforts. Recent experiences in different cultures throughout the world show the potential of programmes developed in the work place and therefore national alcohol policies should include the promotion of programmes based on the working environment.