ABC of Alcohol

For those of you who have just committed to a ‘dry January’ as an attempt to offset any festive excesses, you have demonstrated a commendable self-control which many people are not so fortunate to be able to master. Any clinician working in the health service will be acutely aware of the impact that alcoholism has on general health, or indeed, specific medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, liver and renal pathologies.

This text addresses both of the above categories but starts with a few select facts and figures in relation to alcohol consumption and related costs. The parallel discussion outlined within the text on the wider societal and political perspectives does little more than set the scene and stimulate further thought, but further reading is offered and is contemporary and relevant to the topic in hand.

The ruinous consequences of alcohol has many origins but it has an equally wide-ranging impact on a multitude of medical conditions. This offering does little more than identify such conditions, and similarly, the briefest of overviews of interventions is offered. That being said, the contributors have done so succinctly, the accompanying illustrations and photographic content are effective, and as an introductory text, fits the bill.