Alcohol policies reflect conflicting ideological, social, health, and commercial agendas. Sober Reflections describes the development of alcohol policies at the national level and in Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario between 1980 and 2000. Using qualitative research methods, the essays examine the roles of key players, including governments, NGOs, public health advocates, and representatives of the alcohol industry. The contributors base their incisive papers on interviews with representatives from public health and the government, lobbyists, researchers, media, and those in the alcohol industries, as well as on an analysis of government documents, newspaper accounts, and official statistics.

Contributors include Susan Bondy (Toronto), Andrée Demers (Montréal), Madelyn Fournier (consultant, Montreal), Norman Giesbrecht (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, CAMH), Lynn Kavanagh (Mt Sinai Hospital, Toronto), Evert Lindquist (Victoria), Bronwyn MacKenzie (CAMH), Alan Ogborne (consultant), Robin Room (Stockholm), and Gina Stoduto (CAMH).