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Thursday, January 28, 2021

Alcohol News - 4/2021

CNN - Alcohol and your heart: Just getting a buzz can trigger an irregular rhythm
The effects of alcohol on your heart can be immediate, triggering an irregular rhythm called atrial fibrillation or AFib, according to new state-of-the-art research.
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ABC News (Australia) - Alcohol-related admissions at Alice Springs Hospital dropped sharply after introduction of alcohol policies, study finds
Alcohol-related admissions at Alice Springs Hospital's intensive care unit fell almost 40 per cent after a series of alcohol reforms were introduced in 2018, a new study reveals.
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Hungary Today (Hungary) - Hungarians Turned to Alcohol to Escape Quarantine
Alcohol consumption increased significantly in Hungary during quarantine in 2020, according to statistics published by the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV). The trends in consumption show that this was not a normal seasonal change, but the direct decision of consumers.
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STAT - Governments’ alcohol subsidies are harmful to public health
Each January, millions of people around the world make resolutions to cut back on the amount of alcohol they drink; many participate in the popular “dry January” pledge to give up alcohol altogether for a month. Given the high societal cost of harmful alcohol use, and the pandemic-driven increase in the use of alcohol, it’s a trend that should be encouraged.
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Filter (Portugal) - Lisbon, Portugal, Brings Alcohol Harm Reduction to Unhoused People
Around the world, unhoused people lost access to drugs they need to survive as a result of disruptions to incomes and reduced retail hours caused by COVID-19 lockdown measures.
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News.com (Australia) - Australia tops global survey in alcohol drank during COVID-19, while 35 per cent gained weight
Australia tops a list of nations whose citizens admit they have consumed more booze than normal due to COVID-19 restrictions, an international survey has found.
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Alcohol Justice (USA) - Eight Challenges to Big Alcohol's Power in 2021
Big Alcohol is a term for the most powerful and profitable alcohol corporations of the world. Most Americans have little idea of the true size and scope of the global businesses behind the big brand names, let alone the way their practices endanger public health and safety.
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The Walrus (Canada) - We’re Drinking More in the Pandemic—and It’s a Problem
CANADIANS HAVE TRIED to cope with the miseries of COVID-19 in many ways, including spending more time on the internet, watching television, eating junk food, and playing board and video games. Another method, for at least 23 percent of Canadians, has been increased drinking throughout the pandemic.
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Movendi - Groundbreaking New Report Shows Lethal Interaction Between Alcohol and Coronavirus Pandemic
Alcohol fuels the coronavirus pandemic in different ways, the alcohol industry exploits the current public health crisis and many governments around the world have largely failed to protect their people by using evidence-based alcohol policy solutions as part of the response to COVID-19 – according to a brand new research report.
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The Irish Times (Ireland) - Amazon stops alcohol sales in the North due to Brexit rules – report
Amazon has halted sales of wines, beers and spirits in the North and is preparing to delist more products due to new Brexit customs rules, broadcaster ITV reported on Tuesday.
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Cancer.org (USA) - US States Vary in How Drinking Alcohol Affects Cancer Diagnoses and Deaths
Drinking alcohol has been linked with both developing and dying from several types of cancer. That’s why the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention states that it is best not to drink alcohol. A new study by ACS researchers supports this recommendation.
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VICE - Women Regret Drunkenness More Than Men, Study Finds
The first results of the Global Drug Survey 2020 are in, offering fresh insights into pan-continental drug-taking and drinking trends that existed before coronavirus stopped people from meeting at pubs, clubs, festivals and in loud smoky kitchens.
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Global Drugs Survey 2020
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CTV News (Canada) - Disciplining sex-assault complainants for violating alcohol policy will no longer be allowed at Ontario colleges and universities
Ontario colleges and universities will no longer be allowed to ask sexual assault complainants irrelevant questions about their sexual history or discipline them for violating an institution’s drug and alcohol policy.
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Sunday, January 24, 2021

FASD News - 3/2021

Government of Western Australia (Australia) - New campaign highlights risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy
A new public education campaign launches today to inform the Western Australian community about the risk to babies from alcohol use during pregnancy.
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Business Daily (Nairobi) - Drinking wine or beer in pregnancy
When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is a common public misconception that drinking during pregnancy is safe depending on the type and quantity of alcohol, or timing during pregnancy. But alcohol is harmful to a foetus.
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KXXV (USA) - Central Texas doctors look to raise awareness about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome amid pandemic
Every year between 800 and 8,000 babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It's a preventable statistic, and one health experts are worried it will increase due to COVID-19.
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Standard (Kenya) - How alcoholism trickles down generations
Babies exposed to alcohol from the mother during pregnancy experience varying degrees of brain damage and growth problems in their lifetime. FAS is also known as Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
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CanFASD (Canada) - Claudette Bradshaw FASD Innovation Award
Claudette Bradshaw recently retired from the Canada FASD Research Network (CanFASD) Board of Directors and this award is to recognize her many years of service to the field of FASD, early education and homelessness.
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CanFASD - ‘Falling through the cracks’: The impacts of COVID-19 on people with FASD
This pandemic has been challenging for all of us. But for those with disabilities and those who are disadvantaged in systems already, these challenges are much greater. This is the case for most individuals with FASD and their families. In some cases, families have been able to cope better during this time, finding comfort in limited societal expectations.
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VIDEOS and MATERIALS
PreventionInstitute1 - Young Children with FASD Strengths and Challenges
Every child with FASD is unique. Every child has strengths and challenges. This webinar provides an introduction to common strengths and challenges and some strategies to help children succeed.
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PreventionInstitute1 - FASD and Dental Health in Young Children
Tooth decay remains the most common chronic disease of childhood and the most common cause of day surgeries in Canada. Children with untreated tooth decay can suffer from malnutrition, poor growth, and a reduced oral health related quality of life. Recent evidence suggests that children with FASD may be at a higher risk for dental caries and have greater overall treatment needs.
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Alcoholthinkagain – One Drink
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What They're Worth - Episode 25- Natalie: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, more commonly known as FASD is an under spoken phrase in the foster care and adoption community (and in the community overall). This episode is eye-opening and educational.
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NTI Upstream - Educational & Behavioral Interventions for Children & Teens with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
If you have adopted a child whose birth mother used drugs or alcohol during pregnancy, you are struggling daily with efforts to support your child’s schoolwork as well as teaching your child how to behave appropriately.
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Spotlight on FASD - Podcast Season 2, Episode 3 - Martin Clarke, A Social Worker's Take On FASD
This week we talk to Martin Clarke and listen to his wonderfully honest take on FASDs and Social Work. Martin has over 25 years of experience as a social worker in child protection and has spent the last 14 years delivering FASDs training on behalf of TACT  to foster carers and other professionals.
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RESEARCH
Drug and Alcohol Dependence - An investigation of the link between prenatal alcohol exposure and sleep problems across childhood
Heavy PAE was associated with significantly more sleep problems across childhood and a higher probability of reporting persistent sleep problems, relative to children with no PAE. Implications for the understanding and management of sleep in young children with PAE and FASD are discussed.
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Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: an overview of current evidence and activities in the UK
Estimates for the UK suggest that alcohol consumption during pregnancy and prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)—the most common neurodevelopmental condition—are high.
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Experimental Biology and Medicine - White matter abnormalities in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Focus on axon growth and guidance
We present evidence for the need for further study on how prenatal alcohol exposure affects the formation of neural connections which may underlie disrupted functional connectivity in FASD.
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Affilia - The Shame of Drinking Alcohol While Pregnant: The Production of Avoidance and Ill-Health
In this article, we examine the operation of shame in the alcohol use habits of pregnant women and the responses of their families and associated institutions.
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International Journal of Moleculat Sciences - Epigallocatechin Gallate Ameliorates the Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder-Like Mouse Model
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is the main preventable cause of intellectual disability in the Western world. Although binge drinking is the most studied prenatal alcohol exposure pattern, other types of exposure, such as the Mediterranean, are common in specific geographic areas.
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American Journal of Physiology - Folic acid prevents functional and structural heart defects induced by prenatal ethanol exposure
Increased regurgitant blood flow has been linked to endocardial cushion defects and resultant congenital heart diseases (CHDs).
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Scientific Reports - An enriched biosignature of gut microbiota-dependent metabolites characterizes maternal plasma in a mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) causes permanent cognitive disability. The enteric microbiome generates microbial-dependent products (MDPs) that may contribute to disorders including autism, depression, and anxiety; it is unknown whether similar alterations occur in PAE.
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bioRxiv - White Matter Alterations in Young Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to cognitive, behavioural, and social-emotional challenges. Previous neuroimaging research has identified alterations to brain structure in newborns, older children, adolescents, and adults with PAE; however, little is known about brain structure in young children.
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IN OTHER LANGUAGES
NostroFiglio (Italy) - Alcol e droghe in gravidanza: i rischi per la donna e il bambino
Fino a non molti anni fa alle donne in dolce attesa si diceva di bere la birra perché "fa latte". Per fortuna oggi sappiamo che non solo non è vero, ma che è anche potenzialmente molto pericoloso.
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Children with FAS (Ukraine) - Діти з ФАС - це стосується всіх НАС
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Children with FAS (Ukraine) – Stefaniya
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Thursday, January 21, 2021

Alcohol News - 3/2021

Science Daily (USA) - Alcohol consumption linked to portion of cancer incidence and mortality, report shows
A new study finds that alcohol consumption accounts for a considerable portion of cancer incidence and mortality in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The article, which appears in Cancer Epidemiology, states that the proportion of cancer cases attributable to alcohol consumption ranged from a high of 6.7% in Delaware to a low of 2.9% in Utah.
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BBC (Wales) - Covid: Politicians drank at Senedd despite alcohol ban
A group of politicians drank alcohol on Welsh Parliament premises, days after a ban on serving it in pubs took effect.
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Well+Good - ‘I’m a Neuroscientist, and This Is Exactly How Alcohol Ruins Your Sleep’
When you stop drinking alcohol, not only does your mood improve and your skin clear up, but your sleep quality may also get better.
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The Local Norway (Norway) - Norway to lift ban on serving alcohol after parliament forces government’s händ
Parliament on Tuesday moved to support a proposal to allow alcohol to be served by businesses in areas with low infection rates.
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The Local Norway (Norway) - Covid-19: Oslo retains social lockdown including alcohol sales ban
Norwegian capital Oslo has extended local coronavirus restrictions, meaning the national lifting of a ban on serving alcohol by businesses will not apply in the city.
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The Courier (UK) - ‘One death is one too many’: Drugs or alcohol a factor in one in five Dundee house fires
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show intoxicants are thought to have played a part in 20% of accidental fires at home across the city in 2019/20.
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ABC News (Australia) - Sober lifestyle grows in popularity, with more Australians giving up alcohol
Ten years ago, teenager Ezrah Waith was in a bustling nightclub on the Gold Coast's glitter strip, with lights flashing and music pumping, when he had an epiphany.
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The New York Times - Reimagine Your Relationship to Alcohol
For many, January is a month to rethink how much they imbibe, whether they’re worried about heavy drinking or just looking for a reset.
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Harvard Health - Alcohol harms the brain in teen years –– before and after that, too
If we only paid attention to ads, it might seem as though alcohol — a beer or glass of wine, a shot of fiery liquor or sophisticated cocktail — merely served as a way to bring people together and make them happy.
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TimesLIVE (South Africa) - The alcohol ban is working as planned, says health minister Zweli Mkhize
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Tuesday that the suspension of alcohol sales has helped in the fight against Covid-19.
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News-Medical.net - Midwife’s research included in new national guidance on harms caused by alcohol in pregnancy
As thousands of people are committing to giving up alcohol during Dry January, research from a midwifery lecturer at Northumbria University has been included in new national guidance on the harms of consuming alcohol both before and during pregnancy.
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Bloomberg (Sweden) - Sweden Extends Alcohol Serving Ban Amid ‘Serious’ Covid Levels
Sweden extended a ban on serving alcohol at restaurants as the coronavirus situation in the country “remains serious,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said.
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Refinery 29 - How I Went From “Normal Drinker” To Being Addicted To Alcohol
Christmas, New Year's Eve, Zoom birthdays, work functions, date nights... It often feels that every life event is centred around alcohol. Yet despite the long list of social activities based around booze, in the last decade our relationship to drinking culture has changed drastically, with an increasing number of millennials choosing to give up alcohol altogether.
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Newsroom (New Zealand) - Glamorous alcohol ads hide ugly truth
Analysis: New Zealand deserves a far more robust framework controlling how this drug, that causes so much harm to so many, is being marketed and sold.
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Deutche Welle (Germany) - Coronavirus: Bavarian court overturns statewide open-air alcohol ban
A court in Bavaria has ruled that the state government overstepped its bounds by outlawing the consumption of alcohol in all public places as part of efforts to contain COVID-19. It rejected several other appeals.
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Belfast Newsletter (Northern Ireland) - Health officials’ concern over Covid lockdown alcohol consumption
Those spending long periods at home during the Covid lockdown have been urged to think seriously about their alcohol intake.
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MD Magazine - Adulthood Alcohol Problems Linked to Adolescent ADHD
Investigators have observed a significant and direct link between pediatric ADHD and a likelihood of alcohol problems at adulthood.
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The Irish News (Ireland) - Health agency warns against stockpiling alcohol during lockdown
HEALTH chiefs are urging people not to stockpile alcohol at home during lockdown and be mindful of their drinking habits.
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Alcohol Change (UK) - The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm relaunches with new Chair
We’ve been supporting the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Alcohol Harm since its inception in 2006. The group provides a forum for Parliamentarians to discuss issues related to alcohol harm, learn about the latest evidence, and make recommendations to policy-makers.
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Cancer Council Victoria (Australia) - Cancer Council Victoria calls for public education on new drinking guidelines
Cancer Council Victoria is calling for an ongoing public education campaign combining warnings about long-term harms from alcohol with promotion of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s new low-risk drinking guidelines, with new research showing that such a campaign could work to motivate Australians to reduce their drinking in line with the new guidelines.
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Thursday, January 14, 2021

Alcohol News - 2/2021

The Guardian - Study finds one small alcoholic drink a day raises risk of irregular heartbeat
Having one small alcoholic drink a day raises the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, a condition that causes dizziness and palpitations and leaves people more prone to strokes, a study has found.
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Mens Health - Giving Up Alcohol For 100 Days Changed My Life
I’ve always been an avid craft beer fan, and while I wasn’t what I considered a “heavy drinker,” during the first month of COVID lockdown I started to drink every night—usually four to six beers and a few whiskeys.
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Daily Mail (UK) - One in four drinkers increased their alcohol consumption during coronavirus lockdown
Young middle-class women are the most likely to turn to drink to cope with lockdown, a study says. A quarter of all drinkers increased their alcohol intake after stay-at-home rules were imposed last spring.
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Xinhua (Zimbabwe) - Zimbabwe extends alcohol ban to supermarkets
Supermarkets in Zimbabwe are no longer permitted to sell alcohol during the coronavirus lockdown as authorities step up measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
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B&T MAGAZINE (Australia) – Dangers of drinking while pregnant revealed in a new campaign
The campaign’s key message of “any amount a mother drinks, the baby drinks” challenges the inaccurate belief that a mother’s placenta protects a developing baby from alcohol.
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The Irish Times (Ireland) - New rules on sale of alcohol come into force today
Alcohol sales will be disallowed from supermarket voucher schemes from Monday, while popular multibuy deals will also be shelved. The changes come as part of the rollout of Government efforts to reduce the consumption of alcohol under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018.
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Discover Magazine - Even If You Don’t Drink Daily, Alcohol Can Mess With Your Brain
You don't have to drink every day to have an Alcohol Use Disorder. Even moderate amounts of alcohol consumption impact brain wiring, dopamine and other neurotransmitters.
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Eyewitness News (South Africa) - ALCOHOL BAN HAS EASED BURDEN ON HEALTH FACILITIES, SAYS WC HEALTH DEPT
While the alcohol industry continues to raise concerns over the financial impact on the extended ban on sales, Western Cape health officials say this has eased the burden on health facilities.
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Free Radio (UK) - New stats show increase in children and adults misusing alcohol in West Sussex
The number of children in need due to alcohol and drug misuse - either by parents or by children themselves - increased in West Sussex last year.
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DATAC (Canada) - Risk of death increases with multiple alcohol-related emergency room visits
According to the results of a new study, people who visit the emergency room at least twice in 12 months due to alcohol-related reasons are more likely to die within one year.
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LSE British Politics and Policy (Scotland) - Edinburgh, London, Brussels: what Scotland’s alcohol pricing policy tells us about multi-level governance
The Scottish government’s plans for a minimum unit price for alcohol were vehemently opposed by the alcohol industry leading to a six-year delay in implementation after legislation was passed. Benjamin Hawkins explains the consequences of devolution and European Union membership for the development of this policy in Scotland through the concepts of multi-level governance, veto points, and venue shifting.
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The New York Times - Juggling My Children, Their Alcoholic Sitter and My Own Sobriety
Tonight I left my children with our longtime babysitter, who claims she is nine days sober, but is possibly drunk or high.
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ABC News (Australia) - WA Government wants to give magistrates powers to 'populate' new banned drinkers register
The West Australian Government has flagged widespread changes to the Liquor Act, including plans to empower magistrates to add problem drinkers to the state's newly created banned drinkers register (BDR).
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Spectrum Consortium - Conceptualising changes to tobacco and alcohol policy as affecting a single interlinked system
New paper from SPECTRUM researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Bath explores the different mechanisms that link tobacco and alcohol policy changes to their effects on smoking and drinking behaviour.
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Healio - Alcohol-related liver disease increases risk for cancer
Patients with alcohol-related liver disease who survive for at least 1 year after diagnosis are at increased risk for cancer, according to study results.
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Thomson Reuters Foundation - Exclusive: Carlsberg India probes find 'potential improper payments', child labour – documents
An investigation of alleged unlawful practices at Carlsberg India found “potential improper payments” to government officials and other regulatory lapses, its former auditor said in a document seen by Reuters.
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Sunday, January 10, 2021

FASD News - 1/2021

Blue Mountains Gazette (Australia) - Bendigo researcher Kerryn Bagley raising awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
KERRYN Bagley was working as a child and adolescent counsellor when she met a young child who she thought might have an acquired brain injury.
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Gisborne Herald (New Zealand) - Alcohol during pregnancy has life-long costs
We are writing to wish you and all your readers a safe and relaxing Christmas — and to remind everybody that when an unborn child is exposed to alcohol in the womb, they are at high-risk of developing a serious disability, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
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Brinkwire - Experts advise that alcohol impairs brain growth and dignity, from the cradle to the grave
The evidence for the deleterious effects of alcohol were persuasive, but now experts were able to pinpoint three main stages in life when the effects of alcohol are likely to be severe.
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March of Dimes (USA) - JANUARY IS NATIONAL BIRTH DEFECTS PREVENTION MONTH
Birth defects are structural changes that affect one or more parts of the body (e.g. heart, brain, foot). They develop most often during the first three months of pregnancy, when a baby’s organs are forming and can cause problems in overall health, how the body develops and functions.
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Public Ethics - Should Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Be Recorded on The Child’s Health Record?
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that can result from drinking during pregnancy. It can include physical, mental and behavioural problems, including life-long learning disabilities.
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VIDEOS and MATERIALS
NAMI North Carolina - Thursdays with NAMI, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder - December 3, 2020
This edition includes two dynamic individuals, Myles Himmelreich and Kathy Hotelling. Myles grew up living with FASD. He was bounced around in Canada’s foster system until the age of 3, when he found his forever home with the Himmelreich family.
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FASD Awareness - FASD Awareness #BeAware
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Spotlight on FASD - Podcast Season 2, Episode 1 - Nick and Sharon Tassone, Setting up CAMP - A FASD Community
We're back! Happy New Year and welcome to Season 2 of Spotlight on FASD! This week we're chatting to Nick & Sharon Tassone, the wonderful, determined and motivated mother and son duo who co-founded CAMP- A FASD Community.
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CDC - Birth Defects Surveillance Toolkit
The Birth Defects Surveillance Toolkit serves as a resource for those looking to establish or enhance a surveillance programme for birth defects. It provides an overview of the purpose and importance of these types of programmes, and serves as a companion for planning, implementing, and evaluating a programme.
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Proof Alliance NC - Videos & Podcasts
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CBC - FASD and the Justice System
People living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder - or FASD - all too often get involved in the justice system, as victims or witnesses of crimes, or sometimes as perpetrators.
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RESEARCH
Drug and Alcohol Dependence - The prevalence, child characteristics, and maternal risk factors for the continuum of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: A sixth population-based study in the same South African community
Seventeen years after the first study in this community, FASD prevalence remains high at 16 %-31 %. The FAS rate may have declined somewhat, but rates of PFAS and ARND seemed to plateau, at a high rate.
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Current Addiction Reports - Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity of the Offspring in Humans: a Systematic Review
In children/adolescents, the normal cortisol circadian rhythm is altered in PAE participants with a FASD diagnosis, who show increased evening cortisol levels. These findings support the programming effects of alcohol on the HPA stress system.
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Molecular Neurobiology - Ethanol Gestational Exposure Impairs Vascular Development and Endothelial Potential to Control BBB-Associated Astrocyte Function in the Developing Cerebral Cortex
Ethanol consumption during pregnancy or lactation period can induce permanent damage to the development of the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
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Child Abuse & Neglect - Characterizing adverse childhood experiences among children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Children and adolescents with PAE experience high rates of early adversity. Practice and policy initiatives are needed to improve early detection of ACEs among children with PAE and PAE among children with ACEs.
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Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities - Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Autism Spectrum Disorder in 39 Children and Adults: Examination of Behavioural and Cognitive Profiles
Overall, the ASD+PAE group had a more complex and severe presentation of symptoms. The relationship between ASD, FASD, and PAE as well as the value of providing an ASD diagnosis in the context of PAE are discussed.
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British Journal of Nutrition - Differential Effects of Maternal Diets on Birth Outcomes and Metabolic Parameters in Rats After Ethanol Consumption during Pregnancy
While the long-lasting effects of these outcomes are unknown, this study highlights the importance of maternal diet quality for maternal health and infant growth, and suggests that maternal nutrition intervention may be a potential target for alleviating FASD.
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psyarxiv.com - Corticostriatal deficits underlying cognitive impairments induced by fetal exposure to alcohol
The term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) includes a group of diseases caused by fetal exposure to alcohol (FAE). FASD patients display heterogenous socio-emotional and cognitive deficits, particularly in the domain of executive function, which share symptoms with other neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Drug and Alcohol Dependence - Health, social and legal outcomes of individuals with diagnosed or at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Canadian example
Individuals with FASD demonstrate a significant need for access to mental health and addiction services, especially among those with involvement in the child welfare and criminal justice systems.
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Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research - Executive and Social Functioning Across Development in Children and Adolescents with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
These findings support previous research on EF/SF deficits in adolescents with PAE while also addressing a gap in the literature concerning early childhood research on this topic.
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Massey University - Setting up for success : a qualitative study on teachers of students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Teaching is a stressful and emotionally challenging profession with high attrition, effecting positive outcomes for students.
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Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research - You Didn’t Drink during Pregnancy, Did You?
Self‐reported quantity of alcohol use varies greatly based on type of questions asked. Brief targeted questions about maximum number of drinks in 24 hours and total number of drinks at the most recent drinking episode provide much higher estimates of alcohol use and thus might be less affected by self‐reporting bias.
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Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy - Various forms of alcohol use and their predictors among pregnant women in post conflict northern Uganda: a cross sectional study
This study indicates that alcohol use (any mount) during pregnancy is high while alcohol dependence, problematic and hazardous drinking is low. Knowledge and attitude were important predictors of alcohol use.
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Addiction - Pregnancy, partners and alcohol warning labels
Wilkinson & Ritter [1] provide a thought‐provoking commentary on substance use harm to others (HTO) research, policy and stigmatization of vulnerable populations. Of particular interest was a detected challenge of sorts, apparently aimed at researchers and advocates engaged in public health alcohol policy.
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Plos one - Consumption of alcohol and binge drinking among pregnant women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Prevalence and determinant factors
This study found a high level of alcohol consumption among pregnant women. Interventions to create awareness on the harmful effects of alcohol are needed. Moreover, strengthening social support during pregnancy and family planning services to reduce unplanned pregnancy and abortion should be considered.
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La Clinica Terapeutica - Challenges for Midwives’ Healthcare Practice in the Next Decade: COVID-19 – Global Climate Changes – Aging and Pregnancy – Gestational Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol assumption during pregnancy is responsible for serious damage to the fetus causing a wide range of pathological conditions related to Fetal Alcoholic Spectrum Disorder, leading cause of mental retardation in children of western countries.
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IN OTHER LANGUAGES
OX.pl (Poland) - Polski Instytut FASD rozkręca się w Ustroniu
Zafascynowani pomaganiem dzieciom, których matki piły alkohol w czasie cięży, otworzyli Polski Instytut FASD. Instytut działa od kilku miesięcy w centrum Ustronia, ale temat FAS w naszym powiecie przewija się już od jakiegoś czasu.
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Spektrum (Germany) - Welche Folgen hat Alkohol in der Schwangerschaft?
Manche Frauen meinen, ein Gläschen Sekt oder ein paar Schlucke Glühwein würden dem Baby in ihrem Bauch schon nicht schaden. Für das Gehirn des Ungeborenen können aber bereits kleine Mengen Alkohol schwer wiegende Folgen haben. Welche, das beantworten wir in unserer FAQ.
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Uusi Suomi (Finland)  -  Alkoholismin kieltäminen, Pertti ”Purtsi” Purhonen ja FASD-lapset
Onneksi Suomessa on paljon parantuneita ei-juovia alkoholisteja. Ongelma on siinä, että alkoholismi, joka usein on pitkäaikainen sairaus juuri vaikenemisen vuoksi, on ehtinyt vuosien aikana tuhota alkoholistin elämää ja heidän läheistensä elämää.
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Thursday, January 7, 2021

Alcohol News - 1/2021

CBS Minnesota (USA) - Dry January: Americans Ringing In 2021 By Giving Up Alcohol For The Month
The start of a new year brings new resolutions for many of us, and each year, more people are choosing to go alcohol-free for a month.
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Irish Examiner (Ireland) - Alcohol-free aperitifs to make Dry January more exciting
What to drink when you’re not drinking? It’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves since time immemorial. At least it feels that way when you want to cut down on your booze intake – but can’t face another glass of fizzy water, juice, or herbal tea.
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Cosmopolitan - "Why I stopped drinking alcohol at the age of 26"
Sober Girl Society's Millie Gooch reflects on why she quit drinking - and how it's changed her life since.
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CBC (Canada) - Tam cautions Canadians on their alcohol intake in year-end message
On a day frequently marked by celebrations involving large amounts of alcohol, Canada's chief public health officer is again asking Canadians to go easy on the drinking as they turn the page on 2020.
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Morning Advertiser (UK) - Commons speaker pledges more low and no drinks in Parliament’s post-Covid bars
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP has backed efforts to increase the number of low and no alcohol drinks in the House of Commons bars once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.
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Radio Prague (Czech Republic) - Eurostat: Czech households spend record-high sums on alcohol
Czech households spent a record high sum on alcohol in 2019, over CZK 90 billion, suggest newly released data by the European statistical office, Eurostat. The share of total consumption expenditure spent on alcoholic beverages amounted to 3.4 percent, which was one of the highest figures in the European Union.
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SowetanLIVE (South Africa) - Alcohol ban lends sanity on the roads
Gauteng experienced a sharp decrease in the number of road accidents and fatalities following the ban of alcohol sales in the week ahead of New Year's Eve festivities.
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Blackpool Gazette (Northern Ireland) - Dry January: thousands admitted to hospital last year with an alcohol related condition
Alcohol poisoning, liver cancer, heart disease, tremors — alcohol misuse can cause a myriad of health problems. Exacerbated by the lockdown and the Christmas period, many of us will be guilty of drinking a bit more than normal too.
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Aberdeen Evening Express (Scotland) - Dry January: Is Scotland’s relationship with alcohol changing – and what’s to be gained from giving it up this month?
Whether it’s a celebration, an evening with friends, or simply the transition from working day to evening, alcohol is so often the thing that’s reached for – whatever the occasion.
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Evening Standard - The effect booze is really having on your mind, body and bank balance
Have you ever stopped to consider the impact alcohol is having on your health and wellbeing? Nutritionist and weight loss specialist Kim Pearson discusses the different ways that drinking alcohol could be affecting your health.
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Iceland Monitor (Iceland) - Vínbúðin Liquor Stores Report Record Sales
Vínbúðin liquor stores, the sole retail vendor of alcohol in Iceland, report record sales in 2020, according to Morgunblaðið. There are 51 such stores operated, 14 of them in the capital area. Sigrún Ósk Sigurðardóttir, assistant director of Vínbúðin stores, attributes this increase in sales mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic: much fewer people visited the Duty Free Store at Keflavík International Airport than in an average year, and bars and restaurants had limited operating hours, or were forced to close, for much of the year.
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Reuters (Norway) - Norway imposes new restrictions to halt third coronavirus wave
Norway will impose fresh restrictions to prevent a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Sunday, including a nationwide ban on serving alcohol in restaurants and bars and not inviting guests home.
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The Lancet - Public health emergency or opportunity to profit? The two faces of the COVID-19 pandemic
“Never let a good crisis go to waste”.1 The exploitation of disasters by those in powerful positions is not a modern phenomenon. For centuries, multinational corporations have demonstrated a remarkable ability to turn the misfortunes of others into opportunities for lucrative gains.
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Today - How to let Dry January help you drink less in 2021
If you’re asking why you should face the world without a sip of wine or beer for a month, there are some compelling health reasons to do it.
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OMNY.fm (South Africa) - A sobering New Year’s Day for South Africans
Professor Charles Parry, Director of the Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council to continue the discussion on the drinking crisis in South Africa.
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The University of Edinburgh - Action urged to ease refugees’ alcohol plight
Crucial policy changes are needed to reduce the alcohol-related harm being experienced by refugees and asylum seekers across the UK, researchers say.
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