January 30, 2013
Stanton A. Glantz, PhD
The alcohol industry is using the same tricks to try and shape science and public policy as tobacco
The American Journal of Public Health just published an excellent paper, "Public Health, Academic Medicine, and the Alcohol Industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility Activities," by Thomas Babor and Katherine Robaina that is well worth reading.
Here is the abstract:
We explored the emerging relationships among the alcohol industry, academic medicine, and the public health community in the context of public health theory dealing with corporate social responsibility. We reviewed sponsorship of scientific research, efforts to influence public perceptions of research, dissemination of scientific information, and industry-funded policy initiatives.
To the extent that the scientific evidence supports the reduction of alcohol consumption through regulatory and legal measures, the academic community has come into increasing conflict with the views of the alcohol industry.
We concluded that the alcohol industry has intensified its scientific and policy-related activities under the general framework of corporate social responsibility initiatives, most of which can be described as instrumental to the industry’s economic interests.
The paper is available at http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300847
Comments
Tobacco, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse Treatment
I am keenly aware of the high smoking rates of clients in substance abuse treatment programs. I've found that clients, and colleagues, perk up their ears when I talk about cross-tolerance, or cross-addiction as it is often called. I continue to search for literature that supports the idea that tobacco dependence, and return to substance abuse post-treatment, are correlated. When I was a student in the 1980's, part of our substance abuse counseling curriculum included information about cross-tolerance, but not to tobacco. I have found some literature from the NIAAA regarding alcohol and tobacco, and some that describes how the tobacco industry took pains to understand how smoking and drinking go together so nicely to increase profits.
Health and death statistics don't seem to impact clients or counselors as much as the relapse information does, so I am trying to meet them where they are. I would be grateful for any resources or ideas that help me build my library.
Thank you,
Wendy Croze, MA CADC
mailto:[email protected]";wjcroze@gmail.com
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