Very Informative!

I recommend this book to any person that drinks or knows of anyone who drinks alcoholic beverages because it will help you make better drinking choices.

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Dangerously bad perspective

This is a book about how to drink, and about British political policy. The author’s ego is the biggest ‘message’ and the science is skimmed over.
I hoped it would be that book that finally cleared up the science about prior research, and what we finally now know to be true about what alcohol consumption does to human bodies. Instead he teaches parents how to put passed out teenagers into recovery position! And has bullet point advice we are to give our kids so they know drinking can kill. None of which any teenager can reasonable listen to with a straight face.
I get the book means well, but really, it avoids the depth and profundity of alcohol’s dangers to both drinkers and their loved ones, and the pain associated for all. There is not a single chapter about people in denial of their problem, rather it speaks to those already capable of questioning their own consumption habits!
What could be an important book falls woefully short of any real experience.

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A good overview of the effects of alcohol.

The author is the chief scientific officer of Alcarelle, a company trying to make a substitute for alcohol that has a similar drug effect on the brain but is not so dangerous. I am not sure what to think about this. This information is mentioned in the book. He does discuss in detail the benefits of alcohol, and he recommends the development of such drugs as Alcarelle.
In the book under review, the (British) author served also as the narrator. A big mistake. Like many British narrators (please note, Audible), toward the end of a sentence his words often become barely audible and also mumbled. You might call this trailing off or fading away. I have no idea why this is the case, and it probably would not matter for normal face-to-face conversation, but for an audible book it is very difficult to deal with. You can't decrease the volume on the first part of the sentence, and increase it at the end. The only solution I can see is to tell the British narrators, and particularly Dr. Nutt, not to do it, and to try their best to keep in mind that they are not just talking to themselves.

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Narration difficult to hear

The narrator’s voice continually drops making it nearly impossible to understand him at the end of sentences. He obviously knows his information, but perhaps another reader could have made it understandable. I continually had to rewind and crank up the volume.

Some good info, but probably won't help you quit

This book contains some good information about the impact of alcohol, both on the individual and on society, but if you are looking for a book to help you quit, it wouldn't be my top recommendation. If that's what you're looking for, try "Naked Mind" by Annie Grace or "Alcohol Explained" by William Porter.

I believe that Nutt hugely underestimates people's abilities to keep their drinking in check, or to moderate. Almost every drinker I know, over time, will either become a binge drinker or daily drinker. The general trend is to drink more and more. And the idea of making rules for yourself such as "no drinks after 8pm" or "I'll never have more than two" or "I'll only drink from Friday to Sunday" are nearly impossible not to break and mean that you are constantly thinking about alcohol, looking forward to your "drinking days" and undervaluing the days when you don't get to drink.

Nutt is absolutely right that the alcohol industry has far too much power and that many governments are in bed with the alcohol industry. Alcohol should definitely come with warning labels, advertising should be limited, and we should lessen the presence of alcohol in TV shows and movies. It only serves to glamorise a drug that does more harm than good.

Nutt does well at highlighting many of the problems with alcohol and I think his is an important voice in the public sphere regarding lessening the impact of alcohol on individuals and society at large. However, I think his impulse to encourage people to be moderate drinkers is not realistic when you take into account the addictive nature of the drug.

Very informative and helpful!

It was very surprising to hear the facts about alcohol that never seem to be mentioned, and the studies that have been conducted about alcohol. For those who want to know more about alcohol for themselves, or maybe for a family member or a friend, I highly recommend giving this book a listen. Professor David Nutt was a pleasure to listen to, and laid out the facts in a very informative and pleasing way!

Incredibly interesting

I normally read and watch documentaries about several,aspects of alcohol and yet I found this book extremely helpful.

Amazing book and a must

This is a must for everyone to read, very educational and very accurate. Easy to understand.

Awesome facts, a little hard to hear at times.

As a bartender, I think everyone who drinks should consider reading this book! It is a great way to learn to about the consequences of drinking: the good and bad. Also, it is great to know all these facts to share while bartending. Thank you Professor Nut!

One thing: it was hard to hear at times. The narrator would start a point clearly, and finish off in a whisper. I think I missed out on a lot of conclusions because of this.