Assessment 1(c): Policy Brief Policy Brief: A policy brief is a concise summary of a particular issue, the policy options to deal with it, and some recommendations on the best option. It is aimed at...

Alcohol-related harm as a Public health issue
Table of Contents
Introduction    3
Public health issue- Alcohol-related harm    3
Alcohol-related harm and inequality    4
The key stakeholders    4
What has been done (policy) or suggested to address the issue    5
Recommendations to address alcohol-abuse and related harm    6
Critical analysis of Recommendations    7
Roles that each stakeholder can play    8
Other stakeholders that can help    9
Conclusion    10
References    11
Introduction
Public health issues arise as a major cause of to the entire public and not to just individuals. These issues need to be handled in order to reduce their harm on the entire society. When an issue impacts the general public at a large scale, that issue is considered as a public health issue. While many issues have been recognized as important public health issues, alcohol-related harm is one of the most pressing public health issues of all times.
This is because alcohol related harm has not only been recognized to cause illnesses and increase chances of illnesses, it has been directly related to inequality in the population and has direct impact on lives of those addicted and their families. This paper analyses alcohol-related harm as a public health issue, its contribution to inequality in society, suggested solutions to the problem and a critical evaluation to those solutions.
Public health issue- Alcohol-related harm
The WHO has recognized alcohol related harm as a public health issues for many years now. Specifically, in 1983, the World Health Assembly stated that alcohol-related problems were one of the major challenges of public health. Studies conducted by WHO showed that about 4% of global burden of disease was associated with alcohol use while about 9.2% accounted for all disability-adjusted life-years. On the one hand, uncontrolled use of alcohol increases risk of fatal diseases like cancer, stroke, liver damage, epilepsy and hypertension, on the other hand it causes even heavier burden on families, communities and the society (WHO, 2002)
Alcohol-related harm and inequality
Inequality in a population is determined by various factors such as birth, conditions of living, age, employment and even habits. Inequality not only leads to difference in the way individuals live, it also has a significant impact on their health and wellbeing. The standard of living in developed countries have been found to improve greatly with the passage of years; however, disparities have increased greatly and are projected to increase too. So great are the disparities that people with disadvantaged living conditions have been found to be more likely to become seriously ill and die prematurely (Bleich et al., 2012).
Inequality in living conditions makes those with poor living conditions more vulnerable and exposed to health-damaging behaviours (CSDH, 2008). This includes uncontrolled alcohol use. Studies have shown that harms associated with alcohol-abuse are unevenly distributed in the society (Schmidt et al., 2010). As an important public health issue, it is important to observe alcohol-related policies and interventions and their effectiveness, especially in a country like Australia where alcohol consumption is particularly high.
The key stakeholders
Stakeholders are individuals who are greatly affected by a particular issue. These individuals are not just affected, they also hold the power to take action when it comes to that issue. It is therefore important to recognize the key stakeholders when it comes to alcohol-related harm.
The key stakeholders of alcohol-related harm are alcohol-abusers, families of alcohol-abusers, medical professionals, social care workers, psychologists, specialist treatment workers, treatment communities, officers, trade and industry groups, researchers, the media, government departments, civil authorities, religious groups and institutions, philanthropists (Frank et al., 2015).
Role of stakeholders in addressing alcohol-abuse
Stake holders can play a major role in reducing alcohol-related abuse. From reducing sales of alcohol, spreading awareness in the community, providing support to alcohol-abusers and giving financial aid, stake holders like the government can directly and substantially...