Modifying the drinking context: reducing harm in the licensed drinking environment and other contexts

Abstract This chapter reviews interventions intended to reduce alcohol consumption and related problems by modifying the drinking context. These interventions can focus on drinkers themselves, the environments where drinking occurs, regulations and policing of drinking contexts, or the broader community. Interventions are directed toward commercial drinking venues (bars, pubs, clubs), as well as other drinking locations such as parties or sports venues. These interventions are popular because they can target specific problems and contexts and draw on multiple approaches simultaneously. However, their effectiveness varies according to the content of the intervention, how it is implemented, countervailing forces that can weaken impact, and the situational and broader cultural context. Although generally less effective than broader policy interventions, such as higher taxation, interventions to modify the drinking context are a useful element in the mix of strategies for preventing alcohol-related problems.