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Friday, April 30, 2010

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - The Tragic Facts


The facts about one of the most tragic, prevalent and yet preventable disorder that affects babies while still in the mother's womb; fetal alcohol syndrome. Watch it, comment, and spread the word, it might just save a life.

Created by: Sarah Lee

Monday, April 26, 2010

Alcohol News - 17/2010

Europolitics.info (EU) - Alcohol consumption remains steady in Europe
Alcohol consumption in Europe, considered the highest in the world, has not dropped in recent years: three out of four Europeans drink up to three times a week and one in ten has five or more drinks at a time.
http://www.europolitics.info/social/alcohol-consumption-remains-steady-in-europe-art269718-26.html

USA Today - Study: Drinking, R-rated films linked in middle-schoolers
Middle-schoolers who are forbidden to watch R-rated movies are less likely to start drinking than peers whose parents are more lenient about such films, new research on 2,406 children shows.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-26-rmovies26_ST_N.htm?csp=34

ABC News (USA) - MillerCoors Spent $520K Lobbying Gov't in 1Q
MillerCoors LLC spent $520,000 in the first quarter to lobby the government on advertising, alcohol and drug abuse and other matters, according to a recent disclosure report.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10476284

CNN - Let teens drink? Parents wrestle with the question
Martha was tough on her children when it came to alcohol in their early teens.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/26/drinking.teens.parents/

Scottish Daily Record (Scotland) - Cash boost for Scots health boards in battle against booze
HEALTH boards across Scotland are to share £36 million to help tackle the country's drink problem, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/2010/04/26/cash-boost-for-scots-health-boards-in-battle-against-booze-86908-22213940/

HealthNews - High Levels of Alcohol Consumption Increase Cancer Risk
While the occasional social drink or glass of wine at dinner may make little difference in aging or overall health, increased consumption of alcohol can lead to both premature aging and cancer.
http://www.healthnews.com/disease-illness/high-levels-of-alcohol-consumption-increase-cancer-risk-4201.html

7thSpace Interactive (EU) - A European study on alcohol and drug use among young drivers: the TEND by Night study design and methodology
Young individuals are the age group with the highest risk of car accidents. One of main explanations relies on the use of psychoactive substances (alcohol, illegal and medicinal drugs), which are known to be major risk factors of road accidents, and whose consumption is almost universally more common among younger drivers.
http://7thspace.com/headlines/342533/a_european_study_on_alcohol_and_drug_use_among_young_drivers_the_tend_by_night_study_design_and_methodology.html

Daily Monitor (Uganda) - When African brewers ferment death
Since last month, contaminated alcohol has killed 89 Ugandans in Kabale and Kamwenge districts and left over 100 hospitalised. A fortnight ago, a lethal brew killed nine Kenyans in the Shauri Moyo section of Nairobi.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Insight/-/688338/905924/-/7u0ahd/-/

Los Angeles Times (Afganistan) - Afghan enforcement of liquor ban rankles foreigners
Some wonder what has sparked raids to enforce a ban on alcohol, a ban from which foreigners and the restaurants they frequent had enjoyed a de facto exemption.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/asia/la-fg-afghan-booze-20100426,0,2160470.story

New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) - Study confirms community booze concerns
Alcohol Healthwatch is pleased with the results of a study confirming the link between the level of alcohol-related harm and the number of liquor outlets in a community.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10641005

PhysOrg.com - Study finds high rates of at-risk drinking among elderly adults
A new study by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has found that more than a third of drinkers 60 years old and older consume amounts of alcohol that are excessive or that are potentially harmful in combination with certain diseases they may have or medications they may be taking.
http://www.physorg.com/news191478762.html

TopNews United Kingdom (Scotland) - Minimum Alcohol Price Plan To Be Reconsidered
The proposal of the Scottish Government to introduce Minimum alcohol price plan, has faced a fresh set of oppositions.
http://topnews.co.uk/23665-minimum-alcohol-price-plan-be-reconsidered

Stuff.nz (New Zealand) - Higher excise tax on alcohol urged
The Government will be urged to raise the excise tax on alcohol in a major report on liquor law reform.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3613941/Higher-excise-tax-on-alcohol-urged

Botswana Press Agency (Botswana) - Govt acts to regulate home brews
Home brewed alcohol has, for a longtime, been left unregulated and many people continue to partake of it without having to be subjected to any regulations.
http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20100426&i=Govt_acts_to_regulate_home_brews

BusinessWeek - Tanning Addicts Drink More Alcohol, Smoke More Pot, Study Finds
About one-third of college students who tried indoor tanning facilities were addicted to the artificial rays, and the addicts drank more alcohol and smoked more marijuana than other students, researchers found.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-19/tanning-addicts-drink-more-alcohol-smoke-more-pot-study-finds.html

Wall Street Journal (EU) - Who Are Europe’s Biggest Binge Drinkers?
Who are the biggest binge drinkers in Europe? This is one competition that the British assume they would win. Not so, according to a new survey. The continent’s top binge drinkers are the Irish, Romanians, Germans and Austrians, says Eurobarometer, the European Union’s official public polling agency.
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2010/04/21/who-are-europes-biggest-binge-drinkers/

The Hindu - Alcohol consumption makes allergies worse
You may want to lay off alcohol for a while. Studies have found that alcohol can cause or worsen the common symptoms of asthma and hay fever, like sneezing, itching, headaches and coughing.
http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article407268.ece

Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy - An exploratory study of the relationship between parental attitudes and behaviour and young people's consumption of alcohol
Parental monitoring and family closeness were positively correlated with one another and were both associated with significantly lower levels of drinking behaviours. Family violence and conflict, more liberal parental attitudes towards substance use and towards alcohol and petty crime, and family history of substance misuse were positively correlated with one another and with higher levels of drinking behaviours.
http://www.substanceabusepolicy.com/content/pdf/1747-597x-5-6.pdf

Monday, April 19, 2010

Alcohol News - 16/2010

CANOE - Breast disease risk found in drinking for adolescent women
Adolescent women who drink six or seven days per week are at higher risk of developing some breast diseases, a new study finds.
http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=30609&news_channel_id=159&channel_id=159

Ivanhoe - Smoking Cancels Out Benefit of Alcohol
Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may help prevent stroke, but a few puffs of a cigarette could counteract that benefit.
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=24013

Examiner.com (Poland) - Poland bans alcohol ahead of state funerals
Poland’s Prime Minister’s Office [PMO] announced Saturday a ban on the sale and serving of alcohol ahead of Sunday funeral services for the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria -- both of whom died in a horrific plane crash along with 94 other senior officials last week.
http://www.examiner.com/x-31506-International-Headlines-Examiner~y2010m4d17-Poland-bans-alcohol-ahead-of-state-funerals

Medical News Today (Australia) - Volumetric Alcohol Tax In Australia Is Cost-effective And Improves Health Gains
A volumetric alcohol tax in Australia, which applies the same rate of tax per litre of alcohol across all beverages, would provide greater health benefits and cost savings to the health sector than the existing taxation system, according to research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185867.php

The Christian Institute (UK) - Brown’s own advisers slam alcohol strategy
Gordon Brown’s Government has been rebuked by its own advisers who say ministers should do more to tackle binge drinking, particularly amongst the young.
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/brown’s-own-advisers-slam-alcohol-strategy/

The Publican (Scotland) - 'Scots still to decide on alcohol unit price'
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has reaffirmed the SNP's commitment to their flagship policy on minimum alcohol pricing.
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=66857&c=1

ABC Message Stick (Australia) - Push on for takeaway alcohol ban
Aboriginal women from central Australia want to ban the sale of takeaway alcohol to residents of the NPY Lands in the remote mining town of Laverton.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/19/2876406.htm?site=indigenous&topic=latest

3News (New Zealand) - Alcohol-related admissions uncover cost of drinking
A Campbell Live investigation set out to uncover the real cost of drinking in New Zealand.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Alcohol-related-admissions-uncover-cost-of-drinking/tabid/817/articleID/151828/Default.aspx

WalesOnline (Wales) - Hangover could be long term for heavy drinkers
As summer approaches, bringing Bank holidays and a World Cup with it, Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell urges people to drink alcohol sensibly.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/04/19/hangover-could-be-long-term-for-heavy-drinkers-91466-26267772/

The JHU Gazette - Social vs. dependent drinking: Is the difference in the brain?
Why some people can enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a few beers at a ballgame with no ill effects and others escalate their drinking and become dependent remains one of medicine’s baffling mysteries and a major public health concern.
http://gazette.jhu.edu/2010/04/19/social-vs-dependent-drinking-is-the-difference-in-the-brain/

Jamaica Gleaner (UK) - Alcohol isnot for kids!
Alcohol-related crime and disorder by young people is estimated to cost officials in Britain more than £1 billion each year.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100418/news/news2.html

Vancouver Sun (Canada) - Identifying young fetal-alcohol criminals worth cost, judge tells conference
More than 300 young criminals are waiting to get diagnosed and treated for alcohol-related birth defects through a crime-fighting program in Manitoba courts.
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Identifying+fetal+alcohol+criminals+worth+cost+judge/2919914/story.html

Reuters - Fetal alcohol disorders common in Eastern Europe adoptees
Many children adopted from Eastern European countries may have been exposed to damaging levels of alcohol in the womb, a new study suggests.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63C39X20100413

Irish Central (Ireland) - Irish teenagers have one of highest rates of drinking alcohol
According to a European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, almost half of all Irish 15 to 16-year-old teenagers have been drunk in the past 12 months.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/news_from_ireland/Irish-teenagers-have-one-of-the-highest-rates-of-drunkenness-91021154.html

YLE News (Finland/Estonia) - Federation: Finland Can't Compete with Estonian Prices
Finns travelling to Estonia for cheaper goods is a worrisome trend, according to the Federation of Finnish Commerce. The Federation says Finland cannot match low prices offered by its neighbour.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/04/federation_finland_cant_compete_with_estonian_prices_1608215.html

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Teen Girls Alcohol and Violence



That seems to be a universal development and its probably related to alcopops which according to different research is especially attractive to girls. CAMY-s study back in 2004 found that girls saw a staggering 95 percent more magazine advertising for low-alcohol refreshers than legal-age women on a per capita basis in 2002.
Exposure of underage youth to alcohol advertising in magazines declined between 2001 and 2002 in every category except low-alcohol refreshers, for which exposure to girls grew by a staggering 216 percent.
Look for more from HERE

Monday, April 12, 2010

Alcohol News - 15/2010

USA Today - Alcohol intake of friends, family impact your drinking habits
People who socialize with heavy drinkers are more likely to imbibe a bit too much themselves.
And the same holds true for teetotalers: Those who have non-drinking friends and relatives are more likely not to consume alcohol themselves, a new study found.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-08-social-drinking_N.htm

Washington University in St. Louis News - Adolescent drinking adds to risk of breast disease, breast cancer
Girls and young women who drink alcohol increase their risk of benign (noncancerous) breast disease, says a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University. Benign breast disease increases the risk for developing breast cancer.
http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/20570.aspx

USA Today (USA) - Pediatricians group: Discourage teen drinking
Pediatricians need to work hard to discourage children and teens from drinking alcohol because it damages their developing brains, increases their risk of addiction and can cause accidents that lead to early death, a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-12-teendrinking12_ST_N.htm

ABC Online (Australia) - Alcohol bans in remote communities supported
The Shire of Derby West Kimberley has signalled its support for alcohol bans in two remote communities in the Fitzroy Valley.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/12/2869910.htm

Boston Globe - Drinking spreads in social networks
Social networks can be powerful, influencing such important health behaviors as gaining weight or quitting smoking, Harvard researchers have reported in a series of studies.
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/04/12/how_social_networks_influence_drinkers/

AHN (UK) - Report: Expensive Health Campaigns Fail To Curb Britons’ Excessive Eating, Drinking
A report by independent British health charity the King’s Fund assesses the performance of the government’s National Health Service to guide voters about to cast their ballot on May 6 for the next government.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018372398?Report:%20Expensive%20Health%20Campaigns%20Fail%20To%20Curb%20Britons%E2%80%99%20Excessive%20Eating,%20Drinking

WalesOnline (Wales) - Call for ban on alcohol promotions as price influences drinking
CUT-price alcohol promotions and glossy adverts are encouraging students to drink more, research has found.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/04/12/call-for-ban-on-alcohol-promotions-as-price-influences-drinking-91466-26224411/

Minnesota Public Radio (USA) - A young man with a gun gives us all reason to learn about fetal alcohol syndrome
One might not think of a 14-year-old middle schooler as a child. But I am the adoptive mom of a young man, now 24 years old, who was diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) at birth.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/04/12/soderstrom/

Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Drink-driving alcohol reading will not be lowered in NSW
The NSW government has no plans to lower the drink-driving blood alcohol limit from 0.05 to 0.02, the transport minister says.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/drinkdriving-alcohol-reading-will-not-be-lowered-in-nsw-20100411-s0p1.html

mad.co.uk (UK) - Report calls for stronger Gov’t action on obesity, alcohol abuse
The next Government should consider “strong” state intervention on pricing and the availability of alcohol and “unhealthy” foods when developing its future strategy to tackle misuse and obesity, according to a health charity.
http://www.mad.co.uk/Main/News/Articlex/7165e15978c74f108733e8bcde01f2ac/Report-calls-for-stronger-Gov’t-action-on-obesity,-alcohol-abuse.html

Daily News & Analysis - Sleepless children prone to drugs, alcohol in adulthood
Children who don't sleep well at night are more likely to develop drug and alcohol problems as adults, a study says.
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_sleepless-children-prone-to-drugs-alcohol-in-adulthood_1369161

HealthJockey.com - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and epilepsy might be connected
Children suffering from the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) may be prone to developing epilepsy and seizures, suggests study conducted at Queens University.
http://www.healthjockey.com/2010/04/12/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-and-epilepsy-might-be-connected/

Reuters (USA) - Manila blocks US request for WTO alcohol tax probe
The Philippines blocked on Thursday a U.S. request for a World Trade Organisation panel to investigate its alcohol taxes that Washington says discriminate against Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam and other American brands.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE63614T20100408

National Business Review (New Zealand) - Advocacy group joins call for lower blood alcohol level
The Alcohol Healthwatch group has joined those calling for a lowering of the blood alcohol limit.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/advocacy-group-joins-call-lower-blood-alcohol-level-121234

Economist (Europe) - Rolling away the barrel
ACROSS Europe, economies are stagnating and unemployment is climbing. Reason enough, you might think, to hit the bottle. Europeans put away over nine litres of alcohol a year per person, twice the global average.
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15868581

Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - Up north, the cross-border trade in butter has turned into booze rallies
”For only 14 euros I got a large bag of beer”, says Raimo Vittaniemi from Oulu, carrying his purchases in front of Systembolaget, the Swedish equivalent of the Finnish state liquor monopoly Alko.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Up++north+the+cross-border+trade+in+butter+has+turned+into+booze+rallies+/1135256036456

Inverness Courier (Scotland) - Health director shocked at high level of alcohol problems
A NEW health chief for the region is giving her backing to controversial measures proposed by the Scottish Government to introduce minimum pricing on alcohol.
http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/12074/Health_director_shocked_at_high_level_of_alcohol_problems.html

Deutsche Welle (Germany) - Germans drink too much, new study says
Most people consider Germany the land of bratwurst and beer, but continued high consumption of alcohol has many worried. Extreme addiction to medication is also troubling, especially among seniors, a new study says.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5444002,00.html

Chronicle of Higher Education (France) - France's Solution to 'le Binge Drinking'
American college students rallied last week to advocate marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol on their campuses. In France, a new government report proposes a different solution to the problem of binge drinking among students: campus wine tastings in university canteens.
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Frances-Solution-to-le-Binge/22338/

Monday, April 5, 2010

Alcohol News - 14/2010

TopNews Singapore (Australia) - Restrictions Imposed on Junk Food and Alcohol Advertising
The health authorities called for restrictions on fast food as well as alcohol advertising in order to make the people more aware of the obesity epidemic. More than 60% of adults and 25% of children are obese in Australia, thus making it the one of the most overweight nations in the world.
http://topnews.com.sg/content/21224-restrictions-imposed-junk-food-and-alcohol-advertising
fnbnews.com (India) - Alcohol industry growing amidst plenty of problems
With nothing much in the recently announced annual Budget 2010-11, the Indian alcohol industry remains slow paced with various problems. Today, the industry seeks urgent aid from the government and nodal authorities to fix up the ongoing problems.
http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=27310§ionid=11

EmpowHer - Psychologial Effects of Alcohol Abuse, Dependence
April is alcohol awareness month and one important issue to consider is that alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, and alcohol abuse can be linked to depression and other mental disorders.
http://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2010/03/30/psychologial-effects-alcohol-abuse-dependence

Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - Middle class patients warned about heavy drinking
Middle class patients who suffer drink related injuries are to be given a talking to by hospital staff on how to control their alcohol intake.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7547602/Middle-class-patients-warned-about-heavy-drinking.html

Montreal Gazette - Alcohol abuse may lead to depression: Study
Excessive alcohol drinking may increase the risk of depression, a long-term study conducted over 25 years in New Zealand has found.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Alcohol+abuse+lead+depression+Study/1345528/story.html
Vancouver Sun (UK) - A quarter of Britons are "hazardous" drinkers
Almost a quarter of Britons are "hazardous drinkers" and hundreds of thousands more of them are being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related reasons than five years ago, according to official figures.
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/quarter+Britons+hazardous+drinkers/1612616/story.html

MyStateline.com (USA) - 'Stick 'em Up' Against Selling Alcohol to Minors
Local residents are 'stickin 'em up' against selling alcohol to minors. To kick off April as alcohol awareness month, thousands of liquor stores across the state are participating in Sticker Shock Day.
http://mystateline.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=150215

Oneindia (Australia) - Sydney pubs luring young women with cheap shot deals
Sydney bars are openly flouting liquor laws by trying to attract young women with offers of free champagne and 3-dollar shots.
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/04/sydneypubs-luring-young-women-with-cheap-shotdeals.html

BBC News (UK) - Hospitals urged to offer advice to 'alcohol injured'
Hospital staff are being urged to offer advice on reducing drinking levels to people with alcohol-related injuries when they receive follow-up treatment.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8599878.stm

Times Online (UK) - Lifestyle diseases 'on the rise as traditional killers cancer and heart disease decline'
Lifestyle diseases are on the rise as traditional killers such as cancer and heart disease decline, an official report into the health of the nation has found.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7541872/Lifestyle-diseases-on-the-rise-as-traditional-killers-cancer-and-heart-disease-decline.html

Oneindia - Portable Alcohol Testing Kit Invented
A new gadget has been designed to measure the alcohol content in drinks. It is a brief case-sized testing kit that can measure the alcohol content.
http://living.oneindia.in/men/gadgets-gizmos/2010/alcohol-testing-kit-290310.html

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Raising Alcohol Prices May Change Drinking Behavior, Reduce Health Care Costs

Pricing policies can alter drinking behavior, thus reducing the health consequences and healthcare costs associated with overindulging, according to an analysis published online ahead of print in The Lancet.