Alcohol control policies in the South-East Asia Region: selected issues

Overview

The effects of alcohol use depend on a number of internal and external influences. At the societal level, availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability have a major influence on alcohol use. The visual and print media play a major role in terms of informing, highlighting and influencing people's values and thinking processes. The systems of law, judiciary and welfare determine what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in every society. Socio-cultural attributes of peer group influences, the status symbol attached to alcohol use and liberalized attitudes of society all have a major impact on the entry and spread of alcohol use in society. This document is intended to inform policy-makers about the status of existing alcohol control policies in the Region and to provide a baseline for monitoring progress in prevention of harm from alcohol use. It could also serve as an advocacy tool for identifying existing gaps and raising awareness about the need for additional alcohol control policies.