Measuring alcohol consumption

Most alcohol studies have focused on the issues of alcohol dependence and the harmful effects of drinking, rather than on the level of alcohol consumption itself. In Measuring Alcohol Consumption, Raye Litten and John Allen - renowned authorities in the field of alcohol studies - and their panel of experts demonstrate how the accurate assessment of alcohol usage is important in its own right. This is especially true in at least four contexts: evaluating the effectiveness of alcoholism and alcohol abuse treatment and prevention efforts; assessing the level of alcohol consumption in screening for future alcohol-related behavioral and medical problems; determining alcohol consumption - with or without collateral alcoholism - as a risk factor for many serious medical conditions; and the importance of monitoring alcohol use in ensuring public safety. Measuring Alcohol Consumption discusses a variety of techniques and approaches, including direct verbal and collateral accounts of drinking, complex and innovative biochemical indicators, methods of measuring drinking over an extended period of time, and procedures that measure relatively recent consumption. Timely and thought-provoking, Litten and Allen's Measuring Alcohol Consumption constitutes the first comprehensive source on these new techniques. It is an invaluable guide for all concerned with the problems associated with alcohol use and abuse, at both the clinical and research levels.