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Monday, June 29, 2009

Alcohol News - week 26/2009

BBC - Alcohol link to one in 25 deaths

One in 25 deaths across the world are linked to alcohol consumption, Canadian experts have suggested. Europe had the highest proportion of deaths related to alcohol, with 1 in 10 deaths directly attributable. Within Europe, the former Soviet Union countries had the highest proportion at 15%, or around one in seven deaths.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8118475.stm
also
TIME - Stemming the Rise in Global Alcohol-Related Deaths
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1907408,00.html

Associated Press (Russia) - Study blames alcohol for half 1990s Russian deaths

A new study by an international team of public health researchers documents the devastating impact of alcohol abuse on Russia — showing that drinking caused more than half of deaths among Russians aged 15 to 54 in the turbulent era following the Soviet collapse.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hJVsg2ZxlA4B1BfhPscqETG8sLLQD991SJ280

RedOrbit - Prenatal Nutrients And Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Doctors are searching for new ways to protect unborn babies from the dangerous health impacts caused by a drinking mother.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1709682/prenatal_nutrients_and_fetal_alcohol_syndrome/

Science Blogs - The Friday Fermentable: "Mixing Drinks With Work and Staying Sober, Too" (NYTimes)

I don't know if Kim Severson of the New York Times knew this when writing her thought-provoking article earlier this week, but it coincided with the annual meetings of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) and the College of Problems on Drug Dependence (CPDD).
http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2009/06/the_friday_fermentable_mixing.php

Brandweek (USA) - Alcohol Consumption Up in the Home

While the recession has likely driven some people to drink, the odds are they are doing it at home these days, according to a recent study from Mintel.
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i344418db676344f02e8f218c90e67ebc

The Examiner (USA) - College-educated women admit to drinking while pregnant

The Centers for Disease Control questioned more than 500,000 women. They found that one in eight women reported drinking some amount of alcohol while pregnant.
http://www.examiner.com/x-13554-Atlanta-Childrens-Health-Examiner~y2009m6d28-Older-collegeeducated-women-admit-to-drinking-while-pregnant

New York Times (USA) - Alcohol a Common Factor in Suicide

Alcohol has long been known to play a role in suicides, but there have been little data regarding which victims use it and how often.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/health/19suicide.html?ref=health

Sowetan (South Africa) - Alcohol damages lives in Gauteng

ALCOHOL is the drug of choice for people in Gauteng with almost half of the patients at treatment centres in the province being treated for alcohol abuse.
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1025339

Azerbaijan Business Center (Azerbaijan) - 82% of Baku residents do not drink alcohol

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. International Research Group Business Insight (BI) has conducted a poll to research lifestyle of the population of Azerbaijani capital Baku that covered 660 respondents (women - 65% and men - 35%).
http://abc.az/eng/news/main/36190.html

Monsters and Critics.com (Netherland) - Study says number of elderly Dutch alcoholics on the rise

The number of elderly people with an alcohol problem in the Netherlands is rising, according to a report released on Monday.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/health/news/article_1486481.php/Study_says_number_of_elderly_Dutch_alcoholics_on_the_rise_

eMaxHealth.com (USA) - Prevention Programs Don't Decrease Alcohol Problems in Colleges

Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., M.P.H., and colleagues have published the results of their research which shows that binge drinking, drunk driving, and alcohol-related deaths increased among college students over the first half of the decade.
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1024/63/31739/prevention-programs-dont-decrease-alcohol-problems-colleges.html

guardian.co.uk (Lithuania) - StatoilHydro fights Lithuanian alcohol ban –report

Norwegian oil and gas group StatoilHydro is trying to reverse a ban on the sale of alcohol at petrol stations in Lithuania, claiming it may lead to massive lay-offs, daily Dagens Naeringsliv said on Wednesday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8573927

CBS 4 - Alcohol May Be Unsafe At Any Level For Women

Several years ago studies indicated a glass of red wine might have beneficial effects on heart health. But scientists cautioned heavy use of alcohol might raise a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. A new study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicates even moderate use of alcohol can be dangerous.
http://cbs4.com/health/alcohol.wine.cancer.2.1060737.html

Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - Minimum alcohol price 'could halve hospital admissions for drinking'

Prof Gilmore, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the move could reduce the numbers admitted for alcohol problems by around 100,000.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5636607/Minimum-alcohol-price-could-halve-hospital-admissions-for-drinking.html

National Business Review (New Zealand) - NZ Treasury weighs in on ‘shonky’ Berl alcohol report

The Berl report into the social costs of alcohol being used by the Law Commission is work that doesn’t look like it meets the “normal standards you would expect”, according to Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Dr Peter Bushnell.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/nz-treasury-weighs-shonky-berl-alcohol-report-104204

MedPage Today - Heavy Daily Drinking Boosts Chances of Lethal Brain Hemorrhage

Fatal hemorrhagic strokes were more than three times as common in men who had at least six drinks daily, researchers found.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/CriticalCare/Strokes/14868

MOSNEWS (Estonia/Finland) - Estonian service delivers cheap booze to Finland

Finnish officials are at wit’s end over a loophole in import laws that is allowing an Estonian internet service to deliver alcohol inexpensively to Finland, Estonian Postimees newspaper reports.
http://www.mosnews.com/money/2009/06/25/estbooze/

Monday, June 22, 2009

Alcohol News - week 25/2009

BBC New (Scotland) - Bid to ban booze ads near schools

Labour is calling for a ban on alcohol advertising near schools in Scotland, as a wide-ranging summit on tackling drink problems takes place.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8111643.stm

USA Today (USA) - Alcohol abuse by GIs soars since '03

The rate of Army soldiers enrolled in treatment programs for alcohol dependency or abuse has nearly doubled since 2003 — a sign of the growing stress of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Army statistics and interviews.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-06-18-army-alcohol-problems_N.htm

New York Times (USA) - Alcohol a Common Factor in Suicides

Alcohol has long been known to play a role in suicides, but there have been little data regarding which victims use it and how often.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/health/19suicide.html?ref=health

Hürriyet (Turkey) - Alcohol sales rule leaves a sour taste

Producers and experts raise their concerns over a possible hidden agenda of the government while changing the regulations on sales of alcohol and tobacco products to put an indirect ban on alcohol consumption in line with the government’s perceived conservatism.
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11914445.asp?scr=1

Times Online (EU) - EU technocrats turn noses up at new generation of de-alcoholised wines

For years New World vineyards have been reducing the alcohol content in wines through technology — and, for years, their European counterparts have sniffily rejected such methods. Now French research has shown that the Americans and the Australians had it right all along.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6550419.ece

RedOrbit - Study Links Teen Alcohol, Drug Use To Paternal Drinking

A U.S. study showed on Thursday that teenagers who live with alcoholic fathers, or even dads who drink in moderation, are more likely to have used drugs or had drinks themselves in the past year, AFP reported.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1708578/study_links_teen_alcohol_drug_use_to_paternal_drinking/

U.S. News & World Report (USA) - Advocates: Obama Should Treat Drug and Alcohol Addicts Too

With the president and Congress considering major, expensive healthcare reform, a group representing an often forgotten group has a message for Washington: Drug and alcohol addicts deserve your love too.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/06/18/advocates-obama-should-treat-drug-and-alcohol-addicts-too.html

Tasmanian Government Media Releases (Tasmania) - Alcohol is a Drug Too

‘Alcohol is a Drug Too’ is the theme for this year’s Drug Action Week 2009 which was officially launched to today in Northern Tasmania, at the Tasmanian Polytechnic, Alanvale Campus.
http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=27103

New York Times - Alcohol’s Good for You? Some Scientists Doubt It

By now, it is a familiar litany. Study after study suggests that alcohol in moderation may promote heart health and even ward off diabetes and dementia. The evidence is so plentiful that some experts consider moderate drinking — about one drink a day for women, about two for men — a central component of a healthy lifestyle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/health/16alco.html?ref=science

U.S. News & World Report - How Alcohol Changes the Brain ... Quickly

In the name of science, eight men and seven women drank alcohol through a straw while lying in an MRI scanner, presumably not all together, to see what would happen.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/medical-science/2009/06/15/how-alcohol-changes-the-brain--quickly.html

Examiner.com - Drinking at a work event, a do or a don't?

Have you ever been to a work event where someone got smashed? Yes… smashed. The person in question takes a drunken stumble right in front of their company president or they say something extremely inappropriate like a sexual innuendo? Needless to say, actions like these do not leave a good impression in the workplace.
http://www.examiner.com/x-13875-NY-Career-Search-Examiner~y2009m6d21-Drinking-at-a-work-event-a-do-or-a-dont

ABC Online (Australia) - Opposition split on alcopops tax hike

Four federal Opposition MPs have split from the rest of their Coalition colleagues and refused to vote for a permanent increase to the alcopops tax.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/22/2605370.htm?section=justin

ABC Online (Australia) - Alcohol ban human rights breach 'hard to prove

A legal expert says Halls Creek residents in northern Western Australia will find it very hard to prove that the ban on the sale of full strength alcohol is a breach of human rights.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/19/2602886.htm

Standart News (EU) - Europe Launches Alcohol Anti-Advertising Campaign

Alcohol consumption can damage your health and shorten your life,? such safety signs will be mandatory on the labels on bottles of rakia, whiskey and vodka. The new requirement will come into force after 2011, decided the General Assembly of the European Confederation of the Spirits Producers.
http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2009-06-18&article=27843

RIA Novosti (Russia) - Alcohol abuse kills 500,000 Russians annually – report

Around 500,000 Russians die annually of alcohol abuse, the Russian Public Chamber said in a report on Tuesday.
http://en.rian.ru/society/20090616/155266559.html

Monday, June 15, 2009

Alcohol News - week 24/2009

Institutes of Health (USA) - As College Drinking Problems Rise, New Studies Identify Effective Prevention Strategies

Alcohol-related deaths among U.S. college students rose from 1,440 deaths in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, along with increases in heavy drinking and drunk driving, according to an article in the July supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2009/niaaa-15.htm

NEWS.com.au (Australia) - Northern Territorians drink 15 litres of pure alcohol each year

NORTHERN Territorians are drinking the Irish lads under the table to become the world's undisputed booze-swilling kings.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25636982-421,00.html

Bangkok Post (Thailand) - Alcohol-free days sought

A network of monks has renewed calls for the government to declare the four most important days on the Buddhist calendar alcohol-free.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/18481/alcohol-free-days-sought

ABC Online - Wine industry wants more clarity on alcohol levels

The wine industry is pushing to have alcohol percentages for wine labelled more accurately.
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/200906/s2598380.htm

Newsroom Finland (Finland) - Finnish Parliament raises alcohol tax by 10 pct

The Finnish Parliament on Monday approved a ten per cent increase in alcohol taxes. The higher tax rate is expected to raise alcohol prices by an average of 4.5 per cent from the beginning of October.
http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=22132&group=Politics

Daily Mail (UK) - The ladette legacy: A third more women fined for being drunk in the last three years

The number of women arrested for being drunk and disorderly in public has risen by nearly a third in just three years.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193069/The-ladette-legacy-A-women-fined-drunk-years.html

AFP (Finland) - Greying Finns drink more alcohol than before: study

Ageing Finns have increased their alcohol consumption significantly since 2000, a worrying trend in a country where alcohol is the leading cause of death, researchers said on Friday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iP2_I3VTbT91ccI5zaPoZMne42OQ

Science Daily - Study Redefines Roles Of Alcohol, Smoking In Risk For Pancreatitis

Although alcohol consumption is known to be associated with chronic pancreatitis, new evidence indicates that a threshold of five or more drinks per day is required to significantly raise risk; however, most patients with chronic pancreatitis do not drink this amount, according to a report in the June 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, smoking is an independent, dose-dependent risk factor.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608162430.htm

Science Daily - Relaxed Attitudes Toward Alcohol And Youth May Increase Risk Of Binge Drinking In College

Should parents allow their teenage children to drink alcohol? Restaurants in Germany can legally sell alcohol to a teenager after his sixteenth birthday, and French children drink wine with dinner in the home starting at an early age.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610124823.htm

Canada.com - Heart rhythm risk seen in women's alcohol drinking

Women who consume more than two alcoholic drinks a day have a higher risk of getting the most common type of heart rhythm disturbance, which can raise the chances of having a stroke, researchers said on Tuesday.
http://www.canada.com/health/Heart+rhythm+risk+seen+women+alcohol+drinking/1026756/story.html

ScienceAlert - Booze ads target youth

Addiction scientists are calling for tighter regulation of alcohol advertising, as new research shows that self-regulation by the alcohol industry does not protect impressionable children and youth from exposure.
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20091606-19295.html

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Alcohol, Cigarettes and Diabetes Up Colorectal Cancer Risk

It's been known for some time that obesity and eating lots of red meat can raise the risk of colorectal cancer, but new research sheds light on other lifestyle factors that increase risk.
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/alca/627710.html

followthemedia.com (Switserland) - Ad Rules and Changing Behavior

The Swiss Federal Council voted at the end of May to allow certain alcohol ads on Swiss TV, thinking it would be good for Swiss producers, both alcoholic and television.
http://followthemedia.com/spots/adrules15062009.htm

Monday, June 8, 2009

Alcohol News - week 23/2009

BBC News - Alcohol: Is it really good for you?

Alcohol is bad for you. Red wine is good for the heart. It's all about moderation… Confused? You're not alone.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8079816.stm

Reuters - Alcohol risks greater in teen-onset drinkers

Delaying the start of alcohol drinking might curb subsequent rates of alcohol-related injuries.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5545BY20090605

The Australian (Australia) - Advertising bans on junk food and alcohol

AUSTRALIA'S advertising industry is facing a comprehensive and unprecedented push to ban unhealthy food and alcohol advertising, from the eight inquiries kicked off in the 18 months since the federal government was elected.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25601563-7582,00.html

BBC News (UK) - Youth drug treatment hits record

A record number of young people in England sought treatment for drug or alcohol problems in 2007/8, according to figures obtained by the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8088502.stm

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Alcohol, Cigarettes and Diabetes Up Colorectal Cancer Risk

It's been known for some time that obesity and eating lots of red meat can raise the risk of colorectal cancer, but new research sheds light on other lifestyle factors that increase risk.
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/alca/627710.html

USA Today (USA) - Report: Smoking declines as alcohol, drug use hold steady

A new report on substance abuse and mental health shows a small percentage of people are kicking smoking while alcohol and illicit drug-use levels remain steady.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-06-04-drugs-alcohol-abuse_N.htm

The Associated Press (USA) - Senate panel's alcohol, sweet drink tax proposal

The Senate Finance Committee has said it is considering raising federal taxes on alcohol and creating a new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to help pay for revamping the nation's health care system, an overhaul that could cost $1.5 trillion over the next decade.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iGCD1gSHFjJvotw9KEY75CBuD-PAD98J9SMO0

Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - Drunk holidaymakers put travel insurance at risk

A survey this week by a travel insurance specialist found that 70 per cent of holidaymakers did not realise that they will be required to cover the costs of medical treatment should they sustain an injury while under the influence of alcohol.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/5478115/Drunk-holidaymakers-put-travel-insurance-at-risk.html

Kyiv Post (Ukraine) - Alcohol abuse can be cut by taking these steps

Proven ways exist to reduce alcohol consumption and improve public health.
http://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/op_ed/42816

Baltic Review (Finland) - The Finns have a neurotic relation to alcohol

Ninety years ago a ban was introduced in Finland on the production of drinks with an alcohol content of over 2 percent
http://baltic-review.com/2009/06/02/society-the-finns-have-a-neurotic-relation-to-alcohol/

Times of India - Why alcoholics often turn violent

Researchers have revealed low glycogen level – which means non-oxidative glucose metabolism – might be behind the violent behaviour.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lifestyle/Why-alcoholics-often-turn-violent/articleshow/4608833.cms

AIP.org (EU) - New Research on the "European" Approach to Teenage Drinking

Should parents allow their teenage children to drink alcohol? Restaurants in Germany can legally sell alcohol to a teenager after his sixteenth birthday, and French children drink wine with dinner in the home starting at an early age.
http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2009/060109binge.html

The Local (Germany) - Politicians split over using undercover teens to buy alcohol

Should undercover teenage shoppers be allowed to expose the illegal sale of alcohol to underage consumers? Germany’s state interior ministers remained divided on the issue at an annual conference in Bremerhaven on Friday.
http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090606-19747.html

World Radio Switzerland (Switzerland) - Could TV alcohol ad rules be loosened?

The House of Representatives voted today to liberalize restrictions on TV ads for wine and beer.
http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/wrsnews/could-tv-alcohol-ad-rules-be-loosened.shtml?13937

Monday, June 1, 2009

Alcohol News - week 22/2009

The Money Times (USA) - Survey finds first trimester alcohol use

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey of Drug Use and Health also indicated the percentage of women consuming alcohol during pregnancy declined as their delivery date approached, USA Today reported Monday.
http://www.themoneytimes.com/20090601/survey-finds-first-trimester-alcohol-use-id-1070047.html

Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Alcohol 'increases' bowel cancer risk

Having more than one alcoholic drink a day is enough to dramatically increase your bowel cancer risk, Australian research shows.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/alcohol-increases-bowel-cancer-risk-20090602-bt3p.html

Science Daily - To What Extent Can Environmental Pollutants And Alcohol Affect Gastrointestinal Health?

New research quantifies the precise effects of environmental pollutants and alcohol intake on gastrointestinal (GI) health. Both studies being presented the week of May 31 -- Digestive Disease Week® 2009 -- offer concrete evidence that the environment and alcohol intake can affect GI health and share important insights into new directions for future research.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090531181746.htm

Forbes - Sensitivity to Alcohol May Predict Alcoholism

The more you need to drink to feel the effects of alcohol, the greater your chance of becoming an alcoholic, a new study says.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/05/26/hscout627292.html

Sify - Daily alcohol intake leads to binge drinking

Sipping wine, beer or spirits thrice or more per week heightens the risk of binge drinking, says a new study.
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jf3n4Qahbgb&title=Daily_alcohol_intake_leads_to_binge_drinking

United Press International (Germany) - Teen alcohol poisoning in Germany doubled

The number of adolescents in Germany admitted to the hospital for alcohol poisoning has more than doubled since 2000, researchers said.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/05/26/Teen-alcohol-poisoning-in-Germany-doubled/UPI-33101243363901/

Irish Times (Ireland) - 'Unprecedented' fall in alcohol sales

Alcohol sales fell by 13 per cent during the first quarter, compared to the same three-month period a year earlier, according to new figures from the Revenue Commissioners.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0527/breaking26.htm

Sunday Herald (Scotland) - Scandal of Scotland’s teenage alcoholics

scale of Scotland's teenage drink epidemic is today revealed by the Sunday Herald. Information obtained from the country's councils and health boards shows almost 1600 young people, some as young as 11, are currently being treated for alcohol addiction.
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2511522.0.scandal_of_scotlands_teenage_alcoholics.php

Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - Personal imports of alcohol from Estonia increase

The rise in the taxation of alcoholic beverages appears to have led to a decline in overall consumption of alcohol in Finland in January-April this year.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Personal+imports+of+alcohol+from+Estonia+increase/1135246341200

The Baltic Course (Estonia) - Bank of Estonia considers that the State could increase excise tax on alcohol

the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Estonia Rein Minka wrote in a letter, being addressed to the Prime Minister and to the Minister for Finances, that Estonia could raise the excise tax on alcohol in order to improve the budgetary balance, writes LETA.
http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/finances/?doc=14077

The Associated Press (France) - France reports sharp drop in wine, champagne sales

As wallets grew thinner around the world, fans of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne cut back heavily on their purchases of French wine in 2008, according to French government statistics released Tuesday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrjNy-ZnogLEzGoRreO33BbNCKeQD98EMPH04