Concepts of Addictive Substances and Behaviours across Time and Place

Concepts of Addictive Substances and Behaviours across Time and Place presents fascinating new research in European addiction studies which examines the temporal and spatial variations of addiction behaviours in European societies. The work centres on the relationship between local and global trends in behaviours, and sets out a framework for understanding the roles played by different social actors.

The expert team of authors have assembled findings from three main research areas: the regionally-bound language-use tied to addiction problems, localised concepts and ideas about addictive behaviour, and the relationship between global and regional trends in addictive behaviour. The work develops a framework for understanding the roles played by the various stakeholders in European societies when addressing and solving the problems associated with addiction, and the perception of addiction problems is discussed as part of an integrated system of knowledge-based governance.

Concepts of Addictive Substances and Behaviours across Time and Place is based on research from ALICE RAP, a multidisciplinary European study of addictive substances and behaviours in contemporary society. This is an essential resource for public health professionals, stakeholders influencing policy for addictive substances and behaviours, students, and academics looking to better understand the historical and geographical variations of addictive behaviours across in Europe and the role of stakeholder involvement in the construction of addiction prevention policy.

Matilda Hellman, Adjunct Professor and Research Coordinator, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland,Virginia Berridge, Professor of History and Director, Centre for History in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK,Karen Duke, Associate Professor in Criminology, Department of Criminology and Sociology, Middlesex University, London, UK,Alex Mold, Senior Lecturer in History, Centre for History in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK

Matilda Hellman, PhD, adjunct professor in sociology, is an internationally recognized scholar specializing in concepts of and societal reactions to addictive behaviours. She has successfully managed and coordinated international studies since 2005, and has developed comparative designs for the study of cultural aspects of lifestyle and health. She is director of the Center for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance (CEACG) at the University of Helsinki and in 2015-2016 she holds a university lectureship at the University of Tampere. Hellman has published extensively, edited anthologies and worked as editor for several scientific journals. She works as a consultant for the Finnish National Institute for Welfare and Health.

Virginia Berridge is Professor of History and Director of the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. She has published widely on the history of illicit drugs, smoking, and alcohol and has worked in both historical and non-historical settings. She is senior editor for History for Addiction and President of the Alcohol and Drug History Society. She has managed programmes of research funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council and other funding bodies. Virginia is also the author of Demons: Our changing attitudes to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs (OUP, 2013).

Karen Duke is Associate Professor at Middlesex University, UK. She is a criminologist and policy analyst specialising in research on the development of drugs and alcohol policy and the interfaces with the criminal justice system. She has conducted drugs related research and consultancy for the Home Office, Department of Health, the former Central Drugs Co-ordination Unit (Cabinet Office), and the Royal Society for the Arts. She is one of the Editors in Chief of the journal, Drugs: education, prevention, and policy.

Alex Mold is a historian with research interests in post-war British public health. She has worked on the history of heroin addiction treatment, the role of voluntary organisations around illegal drugs and the development of patient consumerism. Alex currently holds a Wellcome Trust Medical Humanities New Investigator Award, which is concerned with the place of the public in public health in Britain since 1948.