Drugs and Alcohol Today: Volume 5 Issue 4

Editorial: Genetics and the future of addiction

Between the sheets: Today's drug and alcohol news

Parliamentarian: Keeping an eye on government

Journal juicer: Squeezing the best out of the journals

Inside out: Short stories from around the world

Legal eye

World view: Rudderless and adrift ‐ moral directions in drug policy

Drinking across China: lessons from a complex culture

China is the one of the biggest producers and consumers of alcohol in the world. With as many secrets as there are languages, we take a unique look at the drinking habits of a…

Teaching temperance ‐ lessons for today's drinking culture

Society and government policy currently demonstrate contradictory tendencies in relation to alcohol. Government policy promotes longer opening hours, but also more stringent…

Institute of Alcohol Studies: the modern face of temperance

Temperance has moved on since the 1800s, though its aims to reduce consumption and related harm haven't. Its biggest influence is in the form of the Institute of Alcohol Studies…

Determining addiction ‐ genes and substance use

Does having alcoholic parents make you more susceptible to alcohol problems? Why do some people develop drink or drug problems while others in the same family do not? How much can…

Between genes and addiction: a critique of genetic determinism

The quest for a genetic component to addiction is promising and its evidence irresistible. But just how resistible? What does it tell us about the condition of heroin addiction or…

Forces of habit ‐ why it is time to reduce the harm of drug prohibition

Continuing our look at drug policy and crime, we ask just how damaging our current drug laws are? With the ever increasing and expensive fight to stop drug use by force, are we…

Drugs and alcohol ‐ understanding the perceptions of young people

How confused are young people about cannabis reclassification? Who do they really trust when talking about drink and drugs? Do they believe the health warnings and ‘the messages’…

Alcohol and pregnancy: Experts warn that inconsistent messages are causing harm

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders is the term for the range of complications that can arise when alcohol and pregnancy mix. As Alexandra Constantinou reports, women are receiving…

Book review

Reviews at a glance: Books and reports