Cochrane

Review question We reviewed the evidence about the effect of motivational interviewing (MI), a way of counselling to bring out and strengthen reasons for changing behaviour, for preventingalcohol misuse in young people. Background Alcohol misuse results in about 3.3 million deaths each year worldwide. Around 9% of deaths that occur in people aged ...

Background: Drinking is influenced by youth perceptions of how their peers drink. These perceptions are often incorrect, overestimating peer drinking norms. If inaccurate perceptions can be corrected, with social norms information or feedback, young people may drink less. Search date: To July 2015. Study characteristics: 70 studies were included ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence to establish by how much the amounts of food, alcohol or tobacco adults and children select or consume change in response to being presented with larger or smaller-sized (or differently shaped) portions or packages of these products, or of items of tableware (such as plates or glasses) used to consume them. Study ...

Review question This review attempted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of baclofen as a therapy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Background In recent years, baclofen has demonstrated potential to reduce symptoms of severe AWS in people with alcoholism. Treatment with baclofen is easy to manage, without producing any obvious side effects. ...

Who may be interested in this review? People with anxiety disorders and alcohol use problems, as well as their healthcare providers. Why is this review important? People with anxiety disorders often also abuse alcohol or have alcohol dependence. All anxiety disorders involve long-lasting and excessive fear, and can be classified according to the ...

Review question We wanted to determine whether talking therapies have an impact on alcohol problems in adult users of illicit drugs (mainly opiates and stimulants) and whether one type of therapy is more effective than another. Background Problematic use of alcohol (that is drinking above the recommended safe drinking limits) can lead to serious ...

Review question In this review we ask the question whether banning or restricting the advertising of alcohol in any form will lead to people drinking less alcohol. The form of the ban could include banning alcohol advertisements on television, the internet or billboards, or in magazines. We were also interested in the harms that banning advertisements ...

Review question This review looked at evidence on the efficacy and acceptability of anticonvulsants alone or in combination with another medication or a psychosocial intervention for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Background Alcohol dependence is a major public health problem characterised by recidivism and a host of medical and psychosocial ...

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a set of symptoms experienced when one reduces or stops alcohol consumption after prolonged periods of alcohol intake. Some studies show that AWS coincides with low levels of magnesium in the blood. Since magnesium may play a role in dampening the excitability of the central nervous system, some researchers believe ...

Managed alcohol programmes (MAPs) are harm reduction initiatives that treat the alcohol abuse of vulnerable people by serving controlled amounts of alcohol on a daily schedule, with the goal of ensuring individuals consume safe alcoholic beverages in an environment that has been shown to retain vulnerable people in treatment programmes, decrease alcohol ...