Alcohol Consumption: From Risk Behaviors to Prevention Strategies

Alcohol consumption is a major global public health concern, contributing to more than three million deaths annually and representing a key modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases, injuries, and mental health disorders. Despite regulatory and educational efforts, harmful drinking patterns remain widespread, particularly among young adults and university students, where early initiation and binge drinking behaviors are common. The social normalization of alcohol use, reinforced by cultural and marketing influences, often blurs the perception of risk and hampers prevention efforts. In recent years, emerging research has emphasized the complex interplay between individual, environmental, and policy determinants of alcohol use, highlighting the urgent need for multidisciplinary strategies that integrate epidemiological, behavioral, and community-based approaches to reduce alcohol-related harm and promote healthier lifestyles.

The goal of this Research Topic is to advance knowledge on how alcohol consumption impacts health outcomes and social well-being across populations and contexts. We aim to identify effective interventions, public policies, and educational programs that can reduce risky drinking behaviors and promote healthier lifestyles. By gathering research from multiple disciplines — including epidemiology, nursing, psychology, health promotion, and health policy — this collection seeks to integrate scientific evidence with practical insights to inform decision-making and improve prevention strategies globally.

Topics of interest include:
• Trends and determinants of alcohol use among youth and adults;
• Preventive interventions and public health campaigns;
• Alcohol-related comorbidities and mental health outcomes;
• Socio-cultural and policy influences on drinking behavior;
• Educational and clinical approaches to harm reduction;
• Comparative safety of cannabis as an alcohol substitute;
• Novel applications and telemedicine in alcohol use disorder pharmacotherapy;
• Alcohol consumption patterns and health outcomes, specifically examining no drinking versus low-dose drinking;
• Underutilization of medication-assisted treatments (e.g. Naltrexone, Acamprostate, Disulfiram) for alcohol use disorder.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: alcohol consumption, public health, risk behaviors, prevention, health promotion, young adults, university students, addiction, health policy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.