title: The Weakness of Stern Alcohol Control Policies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the total consumption model claiming that alcohol-related ill health can best be diminished by a policy of severe restrictions and high price.
  
  
  METHODS
  The associations between an index measuring the severity of the alcohol policy, total alcohol consumption and number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost due to alcohol were compared in 30 OECD countries in 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant correlations were found between alcohol policy index, alcohol consumption and the number of DALYs due to alcohol use. In regression analysis, alcohol policy index and alcohol consumption were not related to alcohol-related DALYs. Excise tax rate was not related to alcohol-related DALYs (25 countries with tax rate data).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the total consumption model fails. Alcohol-related ill health seems to be mainly due to alcohol dependence, both clinical and subclinical, not to moderate drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland kari.poikolainen@bastu.net.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Poikolainen
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000191:economics; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013660:Taxes / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*