Health authority policies for the prevention of alcohol problems.

Although national policy has a major influence in preventing alcohol problems, much can be done at a local level. In addition national policy can either be made or at least influenced from the local level, and local communities are well placed to change attitudes and influence key processes, thus creating a climate for appropriate national debates and policy developments. This paper addresses why a local policy is needed for the prevention of alcohol problems, and then considers a number of the components of such a policy, how such a policy might be implemented, and how such a policy might be evaluated.