Implementing Community-Level Policies to Prevent Alcohol Misuse

Publication date: 2022

Usage: Public Domain Mark 1.0

Publisher: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Collection: salis; americana

Language: English

68 pages. Evidence-Based Resource Guide Series. Approximately 70 percent of adults in the United States report drinking alcohol in the past year, as do 30 percent of youth under the age of 21. Alcohol misuse is associated with a variety of harms that include multiple health conditions, like high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases; mental health disparities; violence and crime; fatal and non-fatal motor vehicle crashes; and others, even death. As rates of alcohol use and related harms continue to remain high, it is important for communities to know the most effective options to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse. This guide provides an overview of effective prevention policies that can be implemented at the local, state, tribal, and/or territorial levels. It lays out key considerations and strategies for these policies, including the most equitable ways to implement and enforce them. The guide illustrates how three United States communities have implemented these policies and concludes with guidance on conducting policy evaluations.