Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

• Studies that consider the economic costs of alcohol or social cost of alcohol

• Non-English Language

• English language

• Conference abstract

• Published during 1990 -- 2007

• No costs quoted in the result section

• Conducted in specific population sub-groups such as pregnant women or adolescents

• Not enough information to identify methodologies used in the study

• Unable to retrieve full description of the publication

• Not an original research article (i.e. review articles, systematic review articles, and editorials)

• Further publications of single studies