Alcohol News - 24/2021

WHO - Global action plan on alcohol: 1st draft
The harmful use of alcohol causes approximately 3 million deaths every year and the overall burden of disease and injuries attributable to alcohol consumption remains unacceptably high. The pace of development and implementation of alcohol policies has been uneven in WHO regions, and resources and capacities for implementation of the WHO Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 10 years after its endorsement do not correspond to the magnitude of the problems.
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BBC (Scotland) - Scottish alcohol sales drop to lowest level in 26 years
The amount of alcohol sold per person in Scotland last year fell to its the lowest level for 26 years. Public Health Scotland figures show 9.4 litres of pure alcohol were sold per adult in 2020, the equivalent of each adult in the country drinking 18 units a week.
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Medical News Today (Europe) - Europeans drank less alcohol in first months of the pandemic, survey shows
Researchers gathered data from almost 32,000 alcohol users from 21 European countries from late April to late July 2020. The responses indicated that drinking in Europe declined on average during these first months of the pandemic.
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Forbes (USA) - Alcohol Consumption In The United States Saw Its Most Significant Volume Gain In Almost Two Decades In 2020.
While 2020 saw unprecedented upheaval in Americans' lives, it did not slow their taste for alcohol. In fact, the year posted the largest volume gain in the US in nearly twenty years.
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Adirondack Daily Enterprise - Alcohol abuse and sexual assault and misconduct are closely connected
Sexual assault and alcohol are closely connected. A person who has consumed alcohol often finds their ability to think clearly and logically is impaired. Individuals become confused and incapacitated, and perpetrators take advantage of this.
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CNN - Alcohol beverage companies made an estimated $17.5 billion on underage drinking in 2016, study says
An estimated $17.5 billion of beer and liquor sales in the United States in 2016 was consumed by minors, with the products of three companies -- AB InBev, Molson Coors Beverage Co. and Diageo -- accounting for nearly 45% of underage youth consumption, a new study found.
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EurekAlert - Young adults' alcohol use increases when casually dating
When young adults are more interested in socializing and casually dating, they tend to drink more alcohol, according to a new paper led by a Washington State University professor.
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WebMD - Study: Want to Have a Baby? Mind Your Alcohol
Most women know that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can endanger the fetus before they know they’re pregnant and that there’s no established safe amount while pregnant.
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The Verge - YouTube is banning alcohol, gambling, and politics from its ‘most prominent’ ad slot
YouTube will no longer be accepting ads relating to alcohol, gambling, politics, or “prescription drug terms” for its masthead ad slot, which appears at the top of the website and app, Axios first reported.
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The Lancet - Alcohol-related harm during the COVID-19 pandemic
In 2020, deaths from alcohol-specific causes in England and Wales increased by almost 20% compared with 2019, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics; 80% of the alcohol-specific deaths were due to alcohol-related liver disease.
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Medical Xpress (Australia) - Young Australians and COVID-19: Increased depression, anxiety, but reduced alcohol-related härm
There was a significant increase in depression and anxiety symptoms for young Australians during COVID-19, but no greater help-seeking from mental health professionals, says a new report.
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Irish Examiner (Ireland) - Ireland kept on drinking during Covid — unlike most European states, where consumption fell
Ireland and the UK were outliers in Europe during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic when alcohol consumption declined in the majority of 21 countries surveyed, a new study has found.
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The Chronicle - Outrage at WHO’s call to prevent ‘child-bearing age’ women from drinking
The World Health Organisation has been accused of sexism after releasing a draft report that pushed for women of “child-bearing age” to be prevented from drinking alcohol.
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The Island (Sri Lanka) - Doctors oppose online sale of booze
The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) and the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) yesterday registered their opposition for a Finance Ministry decision to allow consumers to purchase liquor online through supermarket chains.
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Movendi International - Joint Event Report: Lessons For Alcohol Policy From the Coronavirus Crisis
On May 27, during the 74th session of the World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Movendi International, the NCD Alliance and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) jointly organized a virtual event on the lessons learned about alcohol policy needs from the coronavirus crisis.
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Société canadienne du cancer (Canada) - Why Canadians affected by cancer are ditching alcohol
For some Canadians, drinking alcohol is part of their social life and can be a way to relax after a long day. In fact, 2 out of 10 Canadian adults drink alcohol daily. But did you know that drinking any type of alcohol raises your risk of developing cancer?
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Oncology Republic - Explain ‘how’ and ‘why’ to reduce alcohol consumption
A ‘why’ approach, such as educating consumers on the carcinogenic properties of alcohol, has long been considered superior to a ‘how’ approach, such as coaching consumers to resist peer pressure.
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