The project aims to develop standardized comparative survey methodology on heavy drinking, binge drinking (episodic heavy drinking), drunkenness, context of drinking, alcohol dependence and unrecorded consumption, as well as public support for alcohol policy measures, and to develop standardized methodology of cost-benefit analyses of alcohol policies to evaluate the economic impact of existing alcohol policies in the EU.

Alcohol is a major health determinant in the EU. It is estimated that 53 million EU adults do not drink alcohol at all, and some 58 million are heavy drinkers, of whom some 23 million are dependent on alcohol. Currently, there are no standardised methodologies of patterns of drinking and of cost-benefit analyses of alcohol policies across the EU and EU Member States.

Standardization will be based on systematic reviews and the views of expert panels, taking into account the differences in alcohol use, patterns of drinking and alcohol policy responses in the different cultures and countries of Europe, and appropriate for different age, gender and socioeconomic groups.

A dissemination and communication strategy will be developed to promote the use of the standardized methodologies by scientists, survey personnel, economists and public health specialists, to better use of standardized approaches across Europe that will lead to more informed and evidence-based policy making to reduce health and economic burden of alcohol to Europe.