Of the Programs on Reducing Addictive Alcohol - Literature review Example

Reducing Addictive Drinking Introduction This report is a critical review programs and issues that have the potential of reducing the levels of alcohol addiction in young adults. The paper will discuss the potentiality of the proposed measures and give recommendations for improvement. It is necessary that the concerned stakeholders in the healthcare sector work are association with the government agencies to find the best approaches to solving the problem (Alberta Health Services 2010). Such moves will help to reduce the current worrying levels of alcohol abuse among young adults in the UK. About fifty years ago, the UK was one of the countries with the lowest standards of drinking in Europe (HSSPS 2011). However, the trend reversed over the same years to levels, where there are cultures that promote excess drinking and causing of nuisance in public. Background Information In moderation, the consumption of alcohol may yield desirable results especially in adults especially where it encourages sociability. Well-operated pubs and other forms of businesses form a critical part of the neighborhood fabric because they provide social venues and employment for communities in the country. In the same line of thought, a profitable alcohol industry is helpful to the economy of the UK (HM Government 2012). A majority of the drinking population in the country does so in a decent and responsible manner, but there are those who have the habit of excessive drinking. There are definite effects of such irresponsible drinking on health, crime, communities; and children and young adults. A combined effect of ignorance, irresponsibility, and poor habits-whether by parents, individuals, or businesses resulted in about one million crimes related to alcohol and about 1.2 million admissions in hospitals. The effects are even more severe among the young adults because of the tendencies of such individuals to engage in peer activities such as partying and others. It is necessary to understand some of the causes of the trend among the population in the country before discussing the corrective measures (McCambridge & Holden 2014). The first is because of the availability of cheap alcohol and the preference of industrial and commercial advantages over community interests. Such a factor is the cause of behavioral transformations, with more people drinking excessively from their homes. The second is the fact that there are no strict legislative approaches to curbing the problem such a discriminative licensing among other measures (BMA 2012). The last problem is because of little challenges to the people who drink and cause harm to the rest who do not drink. As it emerges, the issue of heavy drinking among the citizens of the UK and especially the youth requires a way of tackling (Institute of Alcohol Studies 2013). Literature Review on the Methods of Reducing Alcoholism among the Youth The first measure will entail a reduction of the availability of cheap alcohol. There are indicators that in 2013, the drinking population of England and the UK spent about £ 42.1 billion on drinking and associated luxuries. There are so many discounts on alcohol that it is possible to purchase a can of larger for as low as 20p or still have a choice of a two-liter of cinder wine for £ 1.69 (HM Government 2012) . Increasing the prices of alcohol has remarkable effects on the reduction of the levels of drinking because it reduces the demand levels. In 200, the review by the government of taxation of alcoholic products indicated that a majority of the youth drink irresponsibly. There remains a concern about the harm, which alcohol causes the youthful generation. Consequently, there are already measures, which the government instituted to regulate the pricing of alcohol. The steps taken so far in line with solving the problem are the increment in the alcohol duty by 2% beyond the retail inflation (RPI) for consecutive years from 2014-15 (Maclean 2015). The second step for the same category of problem solutions is the introduction of a minimum Justice rule on cinder to reduce the consumption of the white strong cinder. Thirdly, there was the introduction of rates of duty on beer stronger than 7.5 % ABV and for the lower rated beer. The net effect of such moves a reduction in the consumption of alcohol because it makes alcohol more expensive than before their institution. The second measure is reducing or just regulating the rates of advertisements on alcoholic products. There is an established linkage between marketing strategies and the levels of drinking of alcohol especially for the people of the youthful age bracket (Maclean & Mallet 2013). There are some nations such as Norway, which do not permit nay forms of advertising alcoholic drink while some others such as France have bans on Television advertisements. The measures mentioned in this paragraph have considerable effects on the popularity of alcohol and associated beverages among the youth. As much as there is not enough evidence to support the measure, there are assumptions that adverts are a direct way of marketing even the cheap alcoholic drinks discusses previously (Department of Justice 2011). Resultantly, there are already measures instituted in the UK, which prevent advertising appeal to the young people (Liu, Keyes & Guohua 2014). Such regulations involve broadcast print as well as online advertisements. The existing rules have the effect of controlling the problems associated with problems of excessive drinking. However, the success of such a measure relies on the levels of mass information about their responsibilities in the case. The third approach is the development of a system, which addresses the emerging issues related to alcoholism and constituted regulatory mechanisms. Such problems may include matters such as crimes associated with fraud of alcohol duty, related problems of health, and the growing availability of counterfeit alcohol. Such measures include legal measures, which tackle the violation of laws instituted against alcohol. As much as a prosecution is not one of the best alternatives for this case, there is a consideration for its ability to teach those with similar tendencies. The best approach for the prosecution is heavy fining of defaulters. The fourth measure against excessive drinking for the young adults is sensitization of the community about the risks related to heavy drinking especially for the youthful stages of life (Stigler & Perry 2011). Such a move is one of the most practical approaches to the problem because it creates long-lasting effects on the targeted groups. The local communities businesses and community services form some of the alternatives for this channel of problem-solving. The chosen approach focuses on the behavior reformation at the local level. For this case, parents are the most challenged because they spend much time with their children and learn their habits with time. Therefore, the parents take active roles in leading the campaign for the reformation of character using the accrued effects of excessive drinking. Another channel of public education is the media (Rosario 2014). For this case, the media channels have the ability to reach a large number of people simultaneously and to save on the government expenses for such issues. The media also creates repetitive appeals to the target group while functioning as an educative tool. Conclusion This work has analyzed the existent data on the effects of alcoholism on the youths in the UK. However, it is necessary that stakeholders develop an understanding that the problem is not only rampant in the UK, but also the entire world. There has also been a review of four elaborate measures of curbing youthful alcoholism. First, there is a need to consider the measures that govern the availability and distribution of alcohol to the vulnerable groups. Such measures include those that deal with the production of alcohol, as well as the marketing strategies. The rationale for such a move is to curb the availability to the youth and the subsequent knowledge of cheap alcohol. The second measure reviewed in this work is the regulation of advertisements of alcohol and related drinks to the vulnerable age of individuals. The rationale for such an idea is to minimize the knowledge of the youth concerning availability of cheap alcohol. The method has profound effects on the reductions of drinking tendencies of the youth. The third aspect of this work is the creation of processes that ensure the government monitors emerging issues related to violation of alcohol laws. The fourth solution involves sensitization of the public concerning the effects associated with heavy drinking. Such a method has far reaching effects because they provide moral backgrounds for the youth. Recommendations There are a number of considerable recommendations that, if implemented, will discourage excessive consumption of alcohol. The first is setting minimum prices of alcohol to levels that the juveniles and young adults cannot afford comfortably (UK Focal Point on Drugs 2013). The next is running government monopolies that will ensure that there are no private entities that will flood the alcohol market with cheap products and methods of selling that target the youth. The government should also limit densities of outlets and limit alcohol availability in both the morning and the late nights. The government also needs to implement priorities for implementation of legislative measures concerned with sanctioning, licensing, and remedial lessons for players in the industry (Windle & Robert 2010). The last recommendation is an implementation of a program that will send constant messages to the alcohol marketers concerning the repercussions of violation of the ethics of advertising. The government should also devise a system that will monitor and report cases of violation of the instituted regulatory measures as well as reporting on the levels of alcohol abuse (Zajdow & MacLean 2014) References Alberta Health Services (2010). 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