Extensive feminist critique of lad culture has raised serious concerns about its role in the sexualisation and objectification of women; its association with 'pack-like' boisterous behaviour and pressured heavy drinking of alcohol; and its use of banter, irony and infantile humour to provide a protective shield for sexist and homophobic practices.…

Aims: The first aim was to explore whether university students possess the information, motivation and behavioural skills required to adhere to government guidelines for alcohol consumption expressed in "units" of alcohol. The second aim was to identify correlates of greater motivation to adhere to guidelines and greater capacity to…

There has been a considerable drive to encourage a wide range of professional groups to incorporate alcohol screening (or identification) and brief advice (IBA) into their everyday practice. This article aims to examine the role of training in promoting IBA delivery in contexts outside primary care and other health settings. The data are drawn…

From its foundation in 1847, the temperance organisation the Band of Hope addressed its young members as consumers, victims and agents. In the first two roles, they encountered the effects of drink of necessity, but in the third role, they were encouraged to seek it out, attempting to influence individuals and wider society against "Giant…

Aim: To ascertain young adults' experience of alcohol-related collateral harm (ARC harm). Methods: An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from a convenience sample of students (N = 450) aged 16-24 in Southern England. Questions and analyses focused on harms they had experienced as a result of alcohol consumption by other…

Aim: This study aimed to explore constructs in the prototype willingness model (PWM) to establish if it provides a basis for understanding and preventing alcohol misuse in teenagers in the UK. Methods: Four focus groups were carried out with 11-13 and 16-17 year olds. There were 13 males and 14 females. Transcripts of the focus groups were…

This article considers alcohol policy development in England and Wales under the coalition government after 2010. With a particular focus on minimum unit pricing, it examines why policy departures based on supply-side controls drawn from public health models were abandoned in favour of a restoration of policy equilibrium. This article adopts a…

Setting: The United Kingdom (UK) government has acknowledged that there is a problem with excess alcohol consumption, in particular amongst young people. Higher education is an important health promotion setting in which to explore not only how sensible drinking patterns can be facilitated and embedded in students' current lifestyles but also how…

Aims: To explore how service users' views of measuring addiction recovery differ from those of service providers. Methods: Five focus groups conducted in two English cities with (i) people currently using Class A drugs (n = 6); (ii) people currently using alcohol (n = 12); (iii) individuals in residential detoxification (n = 12); (iv) individuals…

Aims: To provide a general hospital training programme that enhances the likelihood of identifying and approaching patients with alcohol-related problems upon which interventions and referrals to specialist addiction in-reach nurses would impact. Delivery of training: Twenty wards were identified as having a high rate of admissions for…

Aims: Previous research has documented a clear association between drinking alcohol and engaging in criminal activity. However, it is unclear how this relationship is formed and maintained in young people. Such knowledge could be instructive in the appropriate design and effectiveness of prevention and intervention strategies. The aim of the…

Background: Alcohol use and misuse may be lower in people with intellectual disability (ID) than in the general population but may be related to offending. Method: Alcohol-related crime and history of alcohol use was recorded in 477 participants with ID referred to forensic ID services and related to offending. Results: Level of alcohol-related…

There is very limited evidence on the patterns of recreational substance use among adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) who have co-morbid mental health problems. In this study we collected clinical and socio-demographic information as well as data on substance use patterns for consecutive new referrals (N = 115) to specialist mental health…

This article briefly outlines the neglect of families within previous UK policy documents relating to drugs and alcohol, and discusses the significant progress that has been made in focusing on the family over the past decade. Although substance misuse causes major problems for many family members, this was not even recognized across the Western…

Objective: To examine the long-term effects of a personality-targeted intervention on drinking quantity and frequency (QF), problem drinking, and personality-specific motivations for alcohol use in early adolescence. Method: A randomized control trial was carried out with 364 adolescents (median age 14) recruited from 13 secondary schools with…