Despite enormous research and media interest in both the effects of alcohol consumption and the causes of violent behavior, little theoretically integrated empirical work has been published on the actual relationship between the two. Reporting on the most ambitious field study undertaken on naturally occurring anger and aggression--the first one to examine the specific contribution of alcohol consumption to different levels of everyday violence--this volume bridges a gap in the literature and provides illuminating new insights. The empirical data in ALCOHOL IN HUMAN VIOLENCE originate from a multimethod study of experiences of threats and physical violence among the general population of a Canadian city; analyses of all incoming reports of violent crime; and observations systematically carried out in local bars and taverns. The book combines quantitative analyses with qualitative reasoning to examine the processes that connect drinking and violence. Confounding conventional wisdom that assumes a straightforward cause-and-effect relationship, the book shows that there are a number of psychological and social variables that are as important as biochemical and neuropharmacological reactions. Examining these factors, abundant data is presented on the nature of violence--from pushing and slapping to the use of a weapon--and the extent of injury received when the victims are men, women, of different ages, in different locations, and in various relationships. Throughout, numerous anecdotal illustrations from the study and the news media highlight points of central theoretical concern.

Many people have experienced or witnessed situations in which people drinking alcohol get aggressive, obnoxious, and violent. Scientific research has shown evidence of a relationship between alcohol and violence, and even evidence that alcohol plays a role in causing violent and aggressive responses. The book explores a number of aspects of this relationship. If you have been drinking are you more likely to be a victim of crime? If victimized, does drinking alcohol make you more likely to be injured? How does availability of alcohol in the community influence rates of violence among Mexican American youth? Does advertising that links sex and alcohol result in higher rates of sexual assault in Latino neighborhoods? How do elementary school children react to experimentation with drugs, alcohol, and aggression? Do countries outside the United States have alcohol and violence problems, and do these impact men and women differently? We presents original research that shows the depths and conditions under which alcohol and violence are linked, further strengthening the evidence that alcohol use and availability is an important factor in violence in our cities, neighborhoods, school, and homes. The good news is that we regulate alcohol use and availability effectively, with a body of established laws and procedures. We can, therefore, find ways using this existing system to develop new ways to prevent the alcohol related violence studied here. The second half of the book begins this task by laying out the principles of environmental prevention, a strategy that has been very successful in a number of health and safety related domains. The next four chapters show just how environmental prevention strategies have worked, and worked very effectively, to lower rates of violence by reducing alcohol availability and alcohol consumption. The research reported here shows communities different approaches and mechanisms to achieve reductions in violence, and they provide a road map for communities everywhere to follow suit and reduce alcohol related violence. Reducing violence can be accomplished, everyone can do it if they work together, and the result is a safer and better society.

This book concentrates on two major topics: firstly, the molecular and neural biology of hormone actions relevant to normal social behaviors; and secondly, the clinical treatment of human patients in whom these behaviors have gone wrong.

Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Underage alcohol use is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success, as well as health risks â€" and the earlier teens start drinking, the greater the danger. Despite these serious concerns, the media continues to make drinking look attractive to youth, and it remains possible and even easy for teenagers to get access to alcohol. Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work and who is responsible for making sure it happens? Reducing Underage Drinking addresses these questions and proposes a new way to combat underage alcohol use. It explores the ways in which may different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to prevent it. Reducing Underage Drinking will serve as both a game plan and a call to arms for anyone with an investment in youth health and safety.

Alcohol is a killerâ€"1 of every 13 deaths in the United States is alcohol-related. In addition, 5 percent of the population consumes 50 percent of the alcohol. The authors take a close look at the problem in a "classy little study," as The Washington Post called this book. The Library Journal states, "...[T]his is one book that addresses solutions....And it's enjoyably readable....This is an excellent review for anyone in the alcoholism prevention business, and good background reading for the interested layperson." The Washington Post agrees: the book "...likely will wind up on the bookshelves of counselors, politicians, judges, medical professionals, and law enforcement officials throughout the country."

Every book, paper, or dissertation in the social sciences involves some element of literature review. This is the first book to systematize the practice of reviewing existing literature, and will thus be invaluable to everyone who writes in the social sciences. Those students who have some background in basic research methods and statistics will find that this book shows them how to produce a review that can be replicated, will achieve concensus, and focus debate in a constructive fashion.

Prepared for the Assistant Attorney General's National Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime.