The Alcohol Action Network (AAN), supported by the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Section of the American Public Health Association, created an Alcohol Availability Observational Tool as a resource to support immediate action for monitoring alcohol availability through home delivery, curbside pickup, and drinks to-go. We hope that the tool allows community-based organizations to highlight areas for improvement in reducing alcohol-related harms, including eliminating access to minors. The tool allows persons who order alcohol through home delivery, curbside pickup, or drinks-to-go to collect information about compliance and other factors using this Observational Tool. 

ChangeLab Solutions brings useable infographics and guides to excessive alcohol use through the lens of CDC’s Prevention Status Reports. Three primary regulatory strategies are alcohol taxes, commercial host liability, and reduced alcohol outlet density. Alcohol taxes reduce consumption through price increases, resulting in fewer motor vehicle crashes and lower rates of crime and violence. Commercial host liability laws hold retailers legally responsible for injuries or harms caused by illegally serving intoxicated or underage customers. Reductions in alcohol outlet density decrease the availability of alcohol and lessen opportunities for drinkers to interact with one another, which reduces excessive alcohol consumption and related harms, including violence and public nuisance issues. To learn more about these and other approaches, explore ChangeLab Solutions resources to prevent alcohol-related harm.

While most people know that drinking too much alcohol can lead to injuries and deaths in car crashes, many people do not know that drinking too much alcohol also can increase the chances of cancer, suicide, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and other negative health outcomes. CDC provides for the common defense of the country and, as such, has a significant role in fighting excessive alcohol use through the use of science, tracking, and service to the countless Americans and their families affected by drinking too much. The alcohol portal provides information on excessive drinking which includes binge drinking, drinking and driving, underage drinking, and alcohol and pregnancy.

The toolkit was developed by CDC’s Alcohol Program in partnership with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and provides steps for using several alcohol outlet density indicators for surveillance in states and local jurisdictions. It is a companion to the CDC Guide for Measuring Alcohol Outlet Density and provides analytic code, screenshots, and guiding questions to help teams accomplish the six steps outlined in the guide. It also adds a seventh step on visualization, reporting, and communication.

This guide discusses the importance of measuring alcohol outlet density and different approaches for doing so, along with their pros and cons. Contents include key issues that need to be considered before measuring alcohol outlet density, the steps involved in performing this public health surveillance activity, various approaches to measuring alcohol outlet density, and general guidance from CDC for measuring alcohol outlet density.

This NLLEA guidance document can serve as a tool for communities addressing alcohol access through third-party delivery of alcohol. The guidance document is intended to provide direction on best practices for the delivery of alcohol by common carriers to ensure that alcohol is being delivered in compliance with specific state laws and statutes. The National Liquor Law Enforcement Association recommends that common carriers review and adhere to each policy, practice or protocol as it relates to the state in which its employees deliver alcohol. Common carriers should discuss and follow any internal company policies that may be more restrictive than a specific state law or statute.