Abstract

Alcohol is a leading cause of drug-related harm and is a driver of socio-economic inequalities. ‘Harm reduction’ is one approach that may be useful to address this. Harm reduction includes a set of practical strategies and ethical principles that focus on reducing the harms from drugs – which often emerge through prohibition and stigma – without necessarily decreasing consumption. However, alcohol is a unique drug due to its commercial nature and cultural normalisation. This presentation explores how we might conceptualise and ‘do’ alcohol harm reduction from theoretical, policy and practical perspectives.

Short Bio

Gabriel is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University. His work aims to understand how drug and alcohol practices are informed by sociocultural context. Gabriel works on projects looking at young people in drug and alcohol services, structural factors influencing women’s drinking, alcohol consumption and harm among different socioeconomic status groups, and an evaluation of pilot projects to address gender-based violence. He is interested in theoretical and policy-relevant research on alcohol and drugs.

What is an AIAS Seminar?

The AIAS Seminar Series is a session of seminars held by the AIAS fellows, AIAS Visiting or Tandem Fellows or by other speakers proposed by the fellows. In each seminar, a fellow will present and discuss her/his current research and work-in-progress to an interdisciplinary audience for 30 minutes, closing off with 30 minutes for questions, comments and discussion.

All seminars are in-person and held in English. To attend online, please contact Sofia Bentsen at sofia@aias.au.dk by 9:00am on the day of the semimar as the latest to request a link.