Is “Hazardous” Drinking a Useful Concept for Public Health Recommendations?

Abstract

Educating the public about the potential harms and benefits that may result from alcohol consumption is a valuable tool in the prevention of harm. Recommendations are often couched in definitions of what constitutes “safe” drinking and what falls under “risky” drinking. While meaningful and practical concepts and balanced definitions are surely needed, the usefulness of summarizing research on the relationship between drinking and potential risk into one-size-fits-all packages is questionable. This paper examines one such concept, that of “hazardous” drinking, and attempts to address the way in which this concept is derived and used both in the scientific literature and in recommendations for the public. The paper addresses the implications of providing such definitions for the purposes of policy and proposes ways in which recommendations on hazardous drinking can be made more meaningful to the public.