Alcohol News - 37/2021

The Atlantic - Why I’m Thinking About Alcohol Taxes
The climate scientist Ken Caldeira recently tweeted a joke meant to charm carbon-tax advocates. “If we don't want people to drink so much alcohol, rather than taxing alcohol, we can subsidize everything that is not alcohol,” he wrote. His point, if I may ruin the punch line, is that the United States’ approach to combatting climate change is kind of silly.
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The Lancet - Modelling the impact of increased alcohol taxation on alcohol-attributable cancers in the WHO European Region
Doubling current alcohol excise duties could avoid just under 6% (or 180,900 cases and 85,100 deaths) of new alcohol-attributable cancers within the WHO European Region, particularly in Member States of the European Union where excise duties are in many cases very low.
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News Medical (Sweden) - Pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder is underutilized in Sweden, finds study
Only a minority of Swedes with alcohol use disorders are prescribed alcohol medication, a situation that has remained largely unchanged in the country since the mid-2000. That is according to a study at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
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Irish Examiner (Ireland) - Longer opening hours for pubs, and alcohol in museums on the cards
Longer opening hours and alcohol licences for museums and galleries will be included in a new bill on the sale of alcohol due before Cabinet today.
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Splice Today (USA) - Pro Sports Teams Should Ban Alcohol Advertising
Alcohol’s bad for you, but professional sports teams don’t care. While franchises try to act like they care about the community—whether it’s showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement or being patriotic/unpatriotic, depending on what pays more—alcohol is one example of where they shamelessly go against the best interest of the community.
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Ulster Herald (Northern Ireland) - Charity welcomes new NI drugs and alcohol strategy
A CHARITY that helps Tyrone people overcome addiction has welcomed the ‘ten year substance use strategy’ announced by the North’s Health Minister, Robin Swann.
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Global News (Canada) - Experts fear pandemic drinking habits could lead to a rise in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased alcohol use, skyrocketing stress levels and limited mental health and addiction services. Experts suspect that combination could lead to more cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
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BBC (UK) - Mother urges alcohol dependent mums to seek help
A mother has urged expectant mums with alcohol dependency to seek help after her own child was born with severe birth defects.
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AARP - Cancer and Alcohol: 3 Things You Need to Know
As the pandemic rages on, you may be finding comfort in a glass (or three) of wine at the end of a stressful day. If that’s the case, you’re not alone. About 1 in 4 (23 percent) people said they drank more during the pandemic to deal with stress, according to a new poll from the American Psychological Association.
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Dublin´s Q102 (Ireland) - Warning issued over relationship between alcohol and mouth cancer
A single glass of wine or beer a day can increase the risk of mouth cancer, with the HSE and Alcohol Action Ireland now trying to raise awareness of the issue.
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Yahoo News (Australia) - Australian quarantine residences limiting alcohol delivery to six beers per day or the equivalent: Report
Residents in buildings for coronavirus-quarantined residents in New South Wales, Australia, are reportedly being limited in the number of alcoholic beverages they have delivered while in lockdown, but an NSW Health spokeswoman disputed a claim that excess alcohol is being confiscated.
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GOV.uk (UK) - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: health needs assessment
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) refers to the range of neurodevelopmental problems caused by pre-natal exposure to alcohol. The effects are diverse and impact on the individual throughout their life course.
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The Local (Sweden) - Swedish alcohol monopoly Systembolaget to trial self-checkout tills
Swedish alcohol monopoly store Systembolaget will roll out self-checkout tills in two of its stores. “Since alcohol is not like other goods, we will carry out the self-checkout in our own way. For us, it is important that customers should always be able to trust that we sell responsibly, with consideration for everyone,” Emil Agén, store manager at the Torsplan branch, said.
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NIAAA (USA) - As Male and Female Drinking Patterns Become More Similar, Adverse Alcohol Risks for Women Become More Apparent
The steady near-equalization in patterns of alcohol use and misuse between women and men over the last decade has revealed women’s greater risks for alcohol-related consequences.
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Movendi - 4 Reasons WHO Should Quit the Concept of ‘Harmful Use of Alcohol’
Discussing about and doing something about alcohol harms is very important. But in this conversation and work, flawed and harmful concepts are serving alcohol industry interests, instead of the interests of people and communities.
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