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Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is one of the most harmful conditions associated with consumption. Despite a high level of consumption and an elevated number of people living with an AUD, evidence from help-seeking processes in Latin America is scarce and absent in Argentina. This paper aims to describe reasons for delaying and starting help-seeking, the process of problem awareness, and the years elapsed between drinking initiation, problem awareness, and help-seeking, as perceived by a clinical, non-random sample of people with AUD (n = 51). The most frequent reason for delaying help-seeking was not believing there was a problem. The most frequent motivators for seeking help were having physical or psychological problems due to use and repeated attempts to reduce or stop use. The outcomes of this study can be useful for designing interventions to reduce help-seeking barriers and facilitate access to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol consumption is the leading risk factor for morbi‐mortality in many Latin American Countries. However, epidemiologic studies are relatively scarce. Among factors such as limited research capacity, disciplinary traditions and an emphasis on psychopathology within the field of psychology, have been postulated to account for this. The aim of this article is to review epidemiologic research on alcohol in Spanish Speaking Latin American Countries, and to measure the contribution of psychology to the field. A systematic search was performed in English and Spanish using regional and international data bases. We identified 269 articles. Most focused on consumption patterns in youth, with samples from a single school and using a variety of measures. With the exception of multinational efforts like Emergency Room Collaborative Alcohol Analysis Project or those supported by World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization, studies reviewed reflected little cross country collaboration. Mexico accounted for most of the productivity, while many countries had very few or no articles. Most research was performed by health science researchers with a small contribution from psychology, but which increased significantly over time. The results of this review provide a broad identification of patterns regarding epidemiologic research on alcohol, and demonstrate the need for national scientific policies to promote research on public health topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: Research on corporate behaviour can contribute to the understanding of the possible adverse impacts of alcohol-industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and their potential influence on policymaking. This study explores the association between alcohol-industry CSR activities and selected country features in Latin America and the Caribbean., Design and Methods: Nine health experts evaluated 148 CSR activities using a standardised protocol; activities were classified into the categories risk management CSR (rmCSR), that is, to avoid/rectify externalities (n = 67), and strategic CSR, that is, to fulfill philanthropic responsibilities (n = 81). We evaluated the associations, separately, between the number of rmCSR and of strategic CSR actions in each country with threats from public health measures (specifically, the level of research into alcohol consumption and harms, the existence of an alcohol surveillance system and the number of governmental alcohol policy actions) and per capita alcohol consumption; we adjusted by economic indices (country income level and the gross domestic product) and population size., Results: Multivariate analyses showed that the higher the level of alcohol research within a country and its per capita consumption, the more likely rmSCR activities were to occur, independently of the country's economic development or population., Discussion and Conclusions: Results suggest rmSCR actions could be implemented as a way to preserve markets by counteracting scientific evidence about alcohol related harms. This evidence could serve as a starting point to future research, contributing to the understanding of alcohol industry behaviour and the advancement of effective public policies., (© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)