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Monday, October 26, 2009

Alcohol News - week 43/2009

NEWS.com.au - Alcohol consumption increasing cancer threat to women

FOUR out of 10 women who drink are drinking enough to increase their risk of cancer, the Cancer Council South Australia has found.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26264400-2682,00.html?from=public_rss

Irish Times (Ireland) - Drink-drive penalty points may be reduced

THE NUMBER of penalty points to be issued for lower-level breaches of the proposed new drink-driving legislation is expected to be lower than originally envisaged, in order to persuade Fianna Fáil backbenchers to back the Road Traffic Bill.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1026/1224257458085.html

Irish Times (Ireland) - 25% jump in cross-Border shopping – survey

SOME 250,000 households in the Republic are now regularly doing their grocery shopping in the North, up 25 per cent since the end of last year, according to new figures.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1026/1224257456822.html

Healthcare Republic (UK) - Public health directors demand minimum alcohol price per unit

A minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol should be introduced, according to directors of public health in the north west of England.
http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/news/947998/Public-health-directors-demand-minimum-alcohol-price-per-unit/

United Press International - Childhood risk factors, adult alcoholism

U.S. researchers say neurobiological variables measured as a child may be linked to risk of adult alcohol dependence.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/10/26/Childhood-risk-factors-adult-alcoholism/UPI-55391256571557/

United Press International - A few drinks have negative health impact

Swedish researchers are calling into question the assumption that low alcohol consumption is good for health.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/10/26/A-few-drinks-have-negative-health-impact/UPI-19141256573692/

Detroit Free Press - Rethink that drink to health

Just about every month a study emerges touting the health benefits to be gained from a daily glass of wine or pint of dark beer.
http://www.freep.com/article/20091025/FEATURES08/910250309/1025/FEATURES/Rethink-that-drink-to-health

Nunatsiaq News (Canada) - Kugluktuk’s alcohol controls make for lower crime rate

Nearly two years to the day have passed since people in Kugluktuk voted in favour of an alcohol education committee, just about everyone says the most westerly community in Nunavut is doing much better than before.
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/615_kugluktuks_alcohol_controls_make_for_lower_crime_rate/

ScienceAlert (Australia) - Alcohol problems most treated

Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of concern for Australians seeking treatment for drug or alcohol issues, according to a report released 21 October by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20092610-20084.html

Science Daily - Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Consumption Impairs Neurogenesis

A new study found that chronic alcohol consumption reduces the number of new brain cells that form in the hippocampus of adolescent rhesus monkeys.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023102314.htm

Gov Monitor (Scotland) - Scotland’s Health Secretary Responds To Minimum Pricing of Alcohol

Responding to a news release claiming that minimum pricing for alcohol is “illegal”, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is entirely inappropriate and irrelevant to translate an opinion on tobacco to the totally different issue of minimum pricing of alcoholic products per unit of alcohol for public health reasons.
http://thegovmonitor.com/world_news/britain/scotlands-health-secretary-responds-to-minimum-pricing-of-alcohol-11953.html

The press and journal (Scotland) - Legal blow to SNP’s plan for minimum pricing on alcohol

Scottish Government plans to introduce minimum prices for alcohol suffered a major blow after Europe’s top legal adviser, the advocate general, decided it was not legal.
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1451240/?UserKey=

TestCountry.com (UK) - UK’s Alcohol Abuse Rate Causes a Need for Fines at Schools

Alcohol abuse has become a particularly hard to treat problem in the UK prompting drastic measures by the federal and local government to help prevent abuse of the substance and other products that contain it.
http://hometestingblog.testcountry.com/?p=4102

The Australian (Australia) - Alcohol biggest problem for addicts

Some 44 per cent of people seeking treatment in 2007/08 wanted to tackle their drinking problem, according to an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26248631-12377,00.html

Science Daily - Even Low Alcohol Consumption Has A Negative Impact On Overall Health, Researchers Argue

Low alcohol consumption is bad for your health in general. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation studied the relationship between alcohol consumption and health to test the current theory which suggests improved health is responsible for the link found between low alcohol consumption and increased wages.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022202717.htm

guardian.co.uk - Alcohol hinders having a baby through IVF, couples warned

Couples who share a bottle of wine a week reduce their chances of having a baby through IVF by more than a quarter, according to a study by American fertility specialists.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/20/alcohol-hinders-baby-ivf

Wall Street Journal (EU) - Fighting Downturn, East Europe Boosts Alcohol, Cigarette Taxes

Cash-strapped Central and Eastern European governments are turning to a time-tested strategy of raising taxes on cigarettes and alcohol as the recession takes its toll on the region's public finances.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125599061198095083.html

YLE News (Finland) - Booze, Drugs Ingredient in Most Homicides

Alcohol plays a role in 80 percent of the homicides in Finland. Meanwhile, drugs or a mix of drugs and alcohol are involved in 20 percent of the cases. The National Research Institute of Legal Policy reports there were 132 homicides in Finland last year.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/booze_drugs_ingredient_in_most_homicides_1101035.html

Monday, October 19, 2009

Alcohol-related deaths

Alcohol News - week 42/2009

BBC News (UK) - Calls for minimum alcohol price

Doctors in the North West of England have called for the introduction of a minimum price for alcohol.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8314497.stm

guardian.co.uk (UK) - Alcohol death toll to reach 9,080 a year, study predicts

Alcohol will claim more than 90,000 lives over the next decade without urgent action to tackle the country's increasingly ruinous relationship with drinking, experts warn today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/oct/19/alcohol-death-toll-rising

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Hangovers May Be Tougher for Migraine Sufferers

As if migraine sufferers didn't already have enough pain, new research has found that they may also be more prone to hangover headaches.
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/alco/632059.html

PsychCentral.com (USA) - Help Young Adults Manage Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has awarded Saint Louis University a grant to develop and test a new program to help older children and young adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/10/19/help-young-adults-manage-fetal-alcohol-syndrome/9040.html

Times Online (UK) - Homebuyers face questions on alcohol and smoking under new mortgage rules
Homebuyers could be forced to provide detailed information about the amount of money they spend on alcohol each month to qualify for a new mortgage under a new clampdown on reckless lending.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article6880612.ece

Examiner.com - Science questions if moderate alcohol intake is beneficial

In the first study of it's kind, researchers have examined whether the moderate consumption of alcohol played a part in the mobility of people aged 70-79.
http://www.examiner.com/x-3011-Atlanta-Wellness-Examiner~y2009m10d19-Science-questions-if-moderate-alcohol-intake-is-beneficial

NEWS.com.au (Australia) - Mums who drink warned they risk serious long-term damage

BUSY mums who enjoy a wine to ease the stress of daily living have been warned they risk serious long-term damage.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26234400-36398,00.html

Thaindian.com - Alcohol, drug abuse test can predict risky teenage sexual behaviour
Alcohol and drug use are known contributors to teenagers engaging in dangerous practices like unprotected sex, multiple partners, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and drug overdose.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/lifestyle/alcohol-drug-abuse-test-can-predict-risky-teenage-sexual-behaviour_100262495.html

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Drinking Your Way to Health? Perhaps Not

Just about every month -- if not every week -- a new study emerges touting the health benefits to be gained from a daily glass of wine or a pint of dark beer.
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/alco/629696.html

BBC News (UK) - Teenage drink crackdown 'success'

Thousands of teenagers had a total of 5,171 litres of alcohol confiscated in a summer crackdown on binge drinking, the government has said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8309827.stm

Nursing in Practice (UK) - Drinking "down to regional causes"

People in different areas of the country binge drink for different reasons and a regional approach is necessary to tackle the problem, according to new research.
http://www.nursinginpractice.com/default.asp?title=Drinking%22downtoregionalcauses%22&page=article.display&article.id=18938

Daily Nation (WHO/Kenya) - WHO plan to rein in drinking

The Kenyan Government might soon be asked to put in place measures to reduce access to alcohol. In a global effort to reduce the availability and consumption of alcohol, the World Health Organisation is drafting a strategy that calls for higher taxation of beer, fewer drinking hours and fewer outlets.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/674098/-/uo1ken/-/

Jerusalem Post (Israel) - 'Raising alcohol prices would reduce youth crime'

Welfare and Social Services Ministry Director-General Nahum Itzkovitz called on the Treasury Wednesday to increase taxes on alcoholic beverages in an attempt to fight rising levels of violence.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1255547719768&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

ABC News (Australia) - Alcohol and Co-Sleeping Affect Risk for SIDS

Dave Taylor, a Boulder, Colo. father of three school-age kids, is one of the growing number of people who ignored pediatricians' warnings against bed-sharing as a way to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/alcohol-affects-sids-risk-sleeping-baby/story?id=8824926

Ireland Online (Ireland) - Govt 'must reduce VAT and tax on alcohol'
Retail Ireland has said that new CSO retail sales figures show the sector remains under serious pressure.
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/business/govt-must-reduce-vat-and-tax-on-alcohol-430478.html

Novinite.com (Serbia) - Serbia President Faces Charges over Stadium Alcohol Consumption
Tadic is facing charges for drinking champagne at the Belgrade’s Red Star football stadium last Saturday.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=108993

BBC News (UK) - How alcohol affects the brain (Video)

If alcohol were invented today, it would be classified as a drug and restricted, according to Professor David Nutt, a government adviser who chairs the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8304655.stm

YLE News (Finland/Estonia) - Higher Alcohol Taxes Have Not Caused Rush to Estonia

Private alcohol imports by Finns travelling abroad have been on the rise this year. However, a 10% increase in alcohol taxes in Finland has not led to a surge of travel to Estonia to buy cheaper booze.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/higher_alcohol_taxes_have_not_caused_rush_to_estonia_1071976.html

University Observer Online - Alcohol dependency linked to ‘bad’ gene

In modern day Ireland, it is often difficult to personally realise the boundary between a few hearty drinks, and full-blown alcohol abuse.
http://www.universityobserver.ie/2009/10/13/alcohol-dependency-linked-to-‘bad’-gene/

YLE News (Finland) - New Face of Child Abuse: Drunk Moms

Police statistics show that child abuse has a new face: drunken mothers. Police say they get around 400 reports of domestic violence against children each year; these days around two-thirds of the cases point to intoxicated mothers.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/new_face_of_child_abuse_drunk_moms_1078406.html

Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (Sweden) - Striking results from the Swedish Risk Drinking Project: Talking about alcohol is becoming routine practice in Swedish health car

The proportion of health care personnel reporting that they always or often queried their patients regarding alcohol use has increased significantly. This is particularly notable with nurses, where the proportion has doubled to 60 per cent, and midwives, where 92 per cent estimate their capacity to identify risk consumption as good or very good.
http://www.idw-online.de/pages/de/news338510

Monday, October 12, 2009

Alcohol News - week 41/2009

Xinhua (China) - Drunken drivers' passengers face fines

People who willingly catch a ride with a drunken driver could face fines under a new proposal.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/12/content_12214116.htm

The Associated Press (Iraq) - Authorities in Iraq's holy Shiite city ban alcohol

Local Iraqi authorities have outlawed alcohol in the province of Najaf, home to the holiest Shiite city, saying it contradicts the principles of Islam.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0jQCNASbNTaghnn9WcCcNmDT1awD9B8EKE80

AdAge.com (EU/UK) - Europe Faults Alcohol Marketers for Binge Drinking; U.K. Proposes $286M Ad Ban

In Britain it's called "binge drinking," in Germany it's known as "coma" drinking, and in France you "se prendre une cuite" -- but whatever you call it, excessive alcohol consumption is putting marketing in the crosshairs.
http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=139578

Scottish Daily Record (Scotland) - Senior Scots cop calls for minimum alcohol price to cut domestic violence

A TOP Scots cop yesterday stepped up calls for a legal minimum price for alcohol. Strathclyde Chief Constable Stephen House said he was "very keen" to drive up the cost of booze to curb domestic violence.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/10/12/senior-scots-cop-calls-for-minimum-alcohol-price-to-cut-domestic-violence-86908-21740902/

Irish Times (Ireland) - Drink role in fatal crashes highlighted

Alcohol may have been a factor in more than 1,000 fatal crashes on Irish roads between 1999 and 2008, a meeting on road safety was told today.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1012/breaking38.htm

Ynetnews (Israel) - Ministers pass bill to jail adults who buy alcohol for minors

Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs passes MK Yohanan Plesner's motion calling for three-month prison sentence for adults who purchase alcoholic beverages for minors.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3788502,00.html

Canada.com (Canada) - First Nations' liquor-related deaths five times higher than others in B. C

Alcohol-related deaths among First Nations in B.C. are a staggering five times higher than for other British Columbians, says a prominent First Nations doctor, who argues aboriginal leaders need to start working on an alcohol strategy to save lives.
http://www.canada.com/First+Nations+liquor+related+deaths+five+times+higher+than+others/2093363/story.html

Globe and Mail (Canada) - Panel seeks measures to combat fetal alcohol disorder

Canada needs to implement a sweeping set of measures, ranging from providing education pamphlets in boxes of condoms to alternatives to prison for brain-damaged inmates, says a report from a blue-ribbon panel on the epidemic of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/panel-seeks-measures-to-combat-fetal-alcohol-disorder/article1320496/

BBC (Sweden) - 'I will have one, or maybe two pints'

BBC Scotland's health correspondent Eleanor Bradford travelled to Sweden to discover how the Swedish government tackled binge drinking and look at the impact of its policies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8291833.stm

Visit Bulgaria (Australia) - Reducing Alcohol and Cigarettes Can Save Billions

According to a new study, thousands of Australian lives can be saved, simply by cutting back on alcohol and cigarettes, including saving the economy over $2-billion in healthcare costs.
http://www.visitbulgaria.info/11473-reducing-alcohol-and-cigarettes-can-save-billions

3News.co.nz (New Zealand) - One drink a day enough to increase breast cancer

A glass of wine a day is all it takes to increase your risk of developing breast cancer, so when Rowena Mortimer was diagnosed she decided her lifestyle had to change.
http://www.3news.co.nz/One-drink-a-day-enough-to-increase-breast-cancer/tabid/420/articleID/124807/cat/475/Default.aspx

Otago Daily Times (New Zealand) - Prof's plea on alcohol law

Alcohol industry representatives "dissociate themselves from the mayhem" and keep the community in the dark about the realities of the drug, the head of the Christchurch School of Medicine's national addiction centre says.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/77515/prof039s-plea-alcohol-law

Science Daily - The High Cost Of Treating Alcohol-impaired Drivers

The costs of drinking and driving are all too apparent, with alcohol involved in 41 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2006.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005111623.htm

Expatica Netherlands (Netherlands) - Over 16,000 stopped in Rotterdam alcohol checks

Police in Rotterdam conducted alcohol testing on 16,485 motorists in the country’s most large scale alcohol checks, reports Dutch news agency ANP.
http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-news/Over-16_000-drivers-stopped-in-Rotterdam-alcohol-checks_57180.html

GlobalPost (Spain) - Binge drinking among Spanish teens on the rise

Friday night in a Madrid square. Dozens of adolescents hanging out. Two-liter soda bottles strewn at their feet, along with colorful gin and rum bottles. Teens mix their own drinks for hours, to the indifference of passersby.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/spain/090903/binge-drinking-trend-reveals-troubled-society

YLE News (Finland) - No Further Hikes to Alcohol Tax in Store

The government is not planning any new increases to the tax on alcohol, despite a report on YLE over the weekend that another hike in alcohol taxes is being planned for January 2010.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/no_further_hikes_to_alcohol_tax_in_store_1072858.html

CNN (USA) - Death row female inmate denied high court review

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from a female death row inmate who said fetal alcohol syndrome should have been considered by the state court that reviewed her sentence.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/05/scotus.female.death.row/

WalesOnline (Wales) - MP welcomes new booze law

LAW-ABIDING citizens can “reclaim the streets” thanks to new alcohol-banning powers for the police, said MP Jenny Willott.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/10/12/mp-welcomes-new-booze-law-91466-24905586/

Forexyard (Bulgaria) - Brandy anger forces Bulgaria to scrap tax increase

Bulgaria's new government abandoned plans to raise alcohol taxes due to public anger that this would threaten a centuries-old tradition of making wine and rakia brandy at home.
http://www.forexyard.com/en/reuters_inner.tpl?action=2009-10-12T101737Z_01_LC300082_RTRIDST_0_BULGARIA-ALCOHOL-TAXES

Independent (UK) - Tories turn party-poopers to end era of cheap alcohol

Steep increases in the cost of super-strength lager and alcopops were promised by the Tories in a drive to combat binge drinking.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-turn-partypoopers-to-end-era-of-cheap-alcohol-1799277.html

Billings Gazette - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder sufferers need help making choices

"The general public doesn't understand that these are people with alcohol-related birth defects, and it's permanent," Howanach said. "Their brain just doesn't function like the average brain."
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_91a24848-b604-11de-991a-001cc4c03286.html

BBC (UK) - Capital bans alcohol from streets

Drinking on the streets of Cardiff has been banned under new laws designed to tackle anti-social behaviour.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8295805.stm

Kansas City Star (Russia) - Brewers foaming over tax increase aimed at curbing Russian alcoholism

Vodka may be the drink of choice for most Russians, but the Moscow government is focusing on beer in its attempt to clamp down on rampant alcoholism.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/world/story/1501413.html

YLE News (Finland) - Most Finns Want Tougher Drinking and Driving Laws

According to a survey commissioned by the newspapers Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, Karjalainen, Keskisuomalainen and Savon Sanomat, 63 percent of Finns say the legal blood alcohol limit should be lowered to 0.2 mg/ml, down from 0.5.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/most_finns_want_tougher_drinking_and_driving_laws_1073691.html

Monday, October 5, 2009

Alcohol News - week 40/2009

The Associated Press (Russia) - UN: Russia must adapt to shrinking population

For reasons that are not fully understood, Russians suffer very high levels of cardiovascular disease. But most experts blame the country's overall high death rate on one factor, alcohol. It has been linked to everything from liver disease to Russia's high number of murders, suicides and fatal accidents.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j11XO83g3FRNnnH12pC88ve7TbBAD9B4M2R00

BBC News (Scotland) - Drink drain on ambulance response

The majority of ambulance calls in Scotland at weekends are alcohol-related, BBC Scotland can reveal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8290325.stm

New York Times (USA) - Alcohol Interlocks Are Gaining Traction

Earlier this month, in response to a Wheels post on the increase in arrests among women driving under the influence, one reader wrote that in Australia drunken driving is addressed much more aggressively than in the United States.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/alcohol-interlocks-are-gaining-traction/?hpw

Reuters - Alcoholics sleep worse months after quitting booze

Recovering alcoholics sleep worse than people who have never had a drinking problem, and this difference persists after months or even years of abstinence, new research shows.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5915SR20091002

Nashua Telegraph - New research links alcohol, 6 types of cancer

People who consume, on average, more than one alcoholic drink daily face a significantly higher risk of developing six types of cancer, according to sobering new Canadian research.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091004/HEALTH/910049926/-1/health

Financial Times (Scotland) - Minimum alcohol price threat to SNP pro-business image

The Scottish government is said to be risking its carefully cultivated pro-business image by pressing ahead with plans to set a minimum price for alcohol in an attempt to tackle an entrenched problem of drink abuse.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a2191fd4-b0fb-11de-b06b-00144feabdc0.html

World Radio Switzerland (Switzerland) - Cities call for tougher alcohol measures

City governments have begun lobbying Bern to allow them to carry out fake purchases, to test whether alcohol is being sold to minors.
http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/wrsnews/cities-call-for-tougher-alcohol-measures.shtml?16158

Courier Mail (Australia) - Time to target alcohol abuse like we targeted smoking

THE recent release of the Federal Government's National Preventative Health Taskforce report has generated important discussion and debate on not only the value of investing in prevention, but also how best to reduce the harm being caused by tobacco, alcohol and obesity.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26163367-5003426,00.html

Washington Post (USA) - Pay For Health Reform With an Alcohol Tax

One way to reduce the harmful effects of heavy drinking is to make drinking more expensive: the more a drink costs, the less people drink. This is true of young people, pregnant women and even heavy drinkers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092802796.html

LiveScience.com - Exercisers Drink More Alcohol

Here’s a question for your buddies at the next golf outing or bowling league night: Are we more active because we drink more or do we drink more because we’re more active? Recent research showed that there is a correlation between the two, but could not offer a solid reason.
http://www.livescience.com/health/091001-sports-alcohol-exercise.html

EurActiv (Sweden/EU) - Swedes put alcohol pricing on EU health agenda

Europe's health ministers will today (1 October) discuss the role of pricing and responsible marketing in tackling alcohol abuse, but early indications suggest Sweden may have somewhat tempered its ambitions.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/swedes-put-alcohol-pricing-eu-health-agenda/article-185929