New trends in the alcohol problem in Finland

Abstract

A Finn's drinking is rather infrequent but it consists of large quantities at a time, with intoxication usually resulting. Consumption of alcohol by women is slight. — The first referendum ever held in Finland was on prohibition. Prohibition was lifted and a new legislation in 1932 legalized the consumption of alcohol but regulated it by the foundation of the State Alcohol Monopoly. According to the liquor law of 1968 the sale of alcoholic beverages could be extended even to centres of population in rural communities. The main problem of Finnish alcohol policies is how to direct the consumption of alcohol beverages, and particularly drinking habits and moral conceptions, so as to make them consume milder forms than at present. Since 1962, the care of alcoholics has been based on a law providing for the treatment of misusers of intoxicants. — The central institution of the homes for alcoholics is the Jarvenpaa Social Hospital, with 70 beds, which is under the direction of a psychiatrist. Its functions have been prescribed by statute; it is mostly for consultation and examination. — At present there are A-clinics in the largest cities in Finland, and they serve the needs not only of the municipalities but also the extensive countryside. — In 1961 a special home was founded for the purpose of helping skid-row alcoholics. In 1963 a halfway house or home for the after-care of alcoholics, opened its doors in Helsinki. — The number of alcohol studies have been rising, but equally important is the variety of methods employed in research and the expansion of objectives.