Table of Contents

Introduction
1: Alcohol in Britain
2: Drinking habits: recent patterns and trends
3: The consequences of drinking: the good, the bad and the ugly
4: Alcohol policy in the United Kingdom
5: Bar wars: media frenzy and licensing chaos
6: Lessons from the past
7: Future directions?

About the Author

Martin Plant, a social scientist, is Professor of Addiction Studies in the University of the West of England, Bristol. He is also Director of the Alcohol & Health Research Trust, a charity. His publications include the books Drugtakers in an English Town, Drugs in Perspective, Risktakers: Alcohol, Drugs, Sex and Youth, Alcohol: Minimising the Harm and the Alcohol Report. His work has focused on social, behavioural and policy aspects of alcohol and other
psychoactive drugs as well as HIV/AIDS and risk taking behaviours. He is Director of the UK part of the 35 country European School Survey Project on Alcohol & other Drugs (ESPAD). Martin Plant is a frequent
broadcaster and has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization. He has organised many scientific meetings related to alcohol, drugs and other topics. Moira Plant, a social scientist, is Professor of Alcohol Studies in the University of the West of England, Bristol. She is also Director of the Alcohol & Health Research Trust, a charity. Her publications include the books Women, Drinking and Pregnancy, Risktakers: Alcohol, Drugs, Sex and Youth and Women and Alcohol:
Contemporary and Historical Perspectives. She has a longstanding interesting issues related to alcohol and gender and the effects of maternal drinking during pregnancy. She chaired the working group on drinking and
pregnancy of the International Life Sciences Institute. She is Director of the UK and Isle of Man components of Gender, Alcohol & Culture: an International Study (GENACIS). The latter includes over 30 countries. Moira was recently President of the international Kettil Bruun Society for Social & Epidemiological Research on Alcohol. She is a frequent broadcaster and has served as a temporary advisor to the World Health Organization.

Reviews

...if you are looking for a summary of Britain's obsession with alcohol over the ages, including more recent trends and political policies, Binge Britain is a worthwhile read. British Journal of Psychiatry, This book is an easy "good read". It is up to date, informative and broad-based, indeed substantially more broad than the title Binge Britain suggests. The historical perspectives are particularly illuminating. BMA Medical Book Competition 2007 This book by two of our national experts on alcohol misuse provides a thoroughly good read that can be tackled cover to cover or dipped into for its wealth of data and references. It is certainly timely, as binge drinking is rarely out of the media spotlight. Clinical Medicine, Vol 7, No 1 ...a valuable resource for anyone intending to work in the [alcohol field]. The Psychologist The harm caused to individuals and to society by binge drinking is forcefully laid out in Binge Britain: Alcohol and the National Response. Moira and Martin Plant are clear about the way forward: health education messages are largely futile and often misinterpreted. They argue that we need to stem the cheap supply of alcohol and to increase taxes on alcoholic drinks. Lancet With our dependence on alcohol laid bare by this book, it is hard to feel optimistic that the future will bring any moderation of our habits. Drink impinges on the lives of almost all of us and for that reason nurses in all settings will learn something from these provocative pages. Cheers. Nursing Standard