BOOK REVIEWS

book it would be irresponsible of any national government to believe that it can adopt a laissez-faire policy concerning alcohol. This book is published to coincide with WHO'S Alcohol Action Plan in Europe. Despite the presence of 17 authors the work flows interestingly and readably under skilled editorship. The first section sets the scene with reviews of global trends in alcohol consumption, followed by a chapter on drinking and individual risk. This topic is of crucial interest in the UK where guidelines for sensible drinking are being reconsidered. Thebook acknowledges that for adults "we now have evidence for the potential health benefitsfrom drinking in small amounts". This, however, is balanced by the evidence tha