International Review Series: Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Research 6. India

Indian society, which was once a model for abstinence is gradually becoming modernised. As a result of this, synthetic alcoholic beverage production and consumption have increased. However, if one sieves through current research activities from both a medical and sociological viewpoint a very dismal picture emerges. With the exception of the prohibition movement, very few scientific studies have been undertaken. On reviewing the research policies of Government and funding agencies, no consistent theme emerges. Training programmes are conspicuous by their absence, as are treatment facilities. Similarly, work on alcohol in the voluntary sector has a long history focused primarily on prohibition. However, in the 1980s some positive steps are being considered. These include the establishment of the ‘Working Group on Alcohol and Drugs’ and the policy to establish ‘Advanced Centres’.