"This book is about alcohol policy: why it is needed, how it is made and the impact it has on health and well-being. It is written for both policymakers and alcohol scientists, as well as the many other people interested in bridging the gap between research and policy. It begins by examining the premise that alcohol is not an ordinary commodity, and it ends with the conclusion that alcohol policies implemented within a public health agenda are capable of reducing the harm caused by ethyl alcohol, a substance that one astute observer (Edwards 2000) called the "ambiguous molecule" because of its paradoxical ability both to give pleasure and to inflict pain. This book is a journey to many places, but they all point to a final destination: a world where alcohol is the servant of humankind rather than the master of the lives of so many"-- Provided by publisher.