Alcoholism: The Public Health Approach. A New Look from the Viewpoint of Human Ecology

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Abstract
Understanding of alcoholism rests on a more careful integration and understanding of the multifactored interplay of man and his environment. These multiple factors determine the mode and the choice of alcohol as a device for coping with psychological, social or even biological problems. This is truly a problem of human ecology. Alcohol programs should include broad medical and mental health programs and should be concerned with the spectrum of needs embracing personnel shortages, training opportunities, broad-gauge research, and changes in patterns of services now available. High priority areas of alcohol research are: study of total pattern of alcohol usage; ecology of alcoholism; community studies; human biology; evaluation of old programs and instituting new ones; nomenclature; communication and health education; and review of information now available. The federal alcoholism program includes services to the States in the form of grants-in-aid and technical and consultative assistance provided by the Bureau of State Services and the National Institute of Mental Health, Public Health Service. The Institute also has the major responsibility for research and the preventive aspects. In addition, multidisciplinary research is supported through the Institute''s research grants program. The Institute supports training of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers and mental health nurses to work with the alcoholic. People, organizations and agencies are urged to use the services of the Public Health Service and other Federal agencies concerned with this problem.
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