Alcohol News - 48/2021

Irish Examiner (Ireland) - Irish troops banned from drinking alcohol in Lebanon ... even on Christmas Day
A large contingent of Irish troops will for the first time have to endure a six-month tour of duty in Lebanon without being allowed any alcohol — even on Christmas Day.
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Philly Voice - Drinking alcohol while pregnant significantly alters the baby's brain structure, MRIs reveal
An estimated 9.8% of pregnant women in the United States drink alcohol during pregnancy despite its potential to harm the brain development of their unborn babies, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Wharfedale Observer (UK) - MPs and health experts call for tighter alcohol marketing restrictions
Alcohol advertising needs tighter restrictions to limit the “constant bombardment” at celebrations such as Christmas and sports events, MPs and health experts have warned.
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Stuff - Alcohol and cannabis use falls around the world, but psychedelics are on the rise
Around the world, people are using less cocaine, cannabis, alcohol, and LSD, a new survey shows. According to the Global Drug Survey’s (GDS) latest report, which was published on Thursday, there's less smoking and drinking occurring when comparing to the year prior.
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SBS (Australia) - It’s time we got honest about our relationship with alcohol
Drinking is enmeshed in Australian society, yet many people are suffering because of it. Wiradjuri/Wolgalu man, and former NRL player and professional boxer, Joe Williams, now a suicide prevention and wellbeing educator, says the impact of alcohol on people’s lives needs to be brought into the open.
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NZ Police (New Zealand) - Police remind revellers of the impacts of alcohol on decision-making and consent
As the country makes the transition into the COVID-19 Protection Framework, punters will be heading out in droves.
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CNA (Singapore) - Binge drinking can put a person at risk of developing future alcohol dependency: Experts
Up until a year ago, Andrew (not his real name) would go out drinking with friends at least four days a week.
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Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia) - NGOs call for government ban on alcohol advertising
Two local NGOs called for a ban on all forms of advertising for alcoholic beverages, saying it was driving an increase in alcohol consumption in the Kingdom and leading to traffic accidents.
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Full Fact (UK) - MPs cannot claim for alcohol from expenses
A Facebook post claims MPs earn a starting salary of £81,932, plus “expenses + allowance for food and booze”. It compares this to the starting salaries for nurses, midwives, paramedics and radiographers (all of which it says start on £25,655) and junior doctors (£28,808).
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Medical Xpress (Australia) - Revised health guidelines urge much less alcohol consumption
Late in 2020, the National Health and Medical Research Council released its latest Guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. These lowered the recommended maximum that health adults Australians should drink over a week from 14 standard drinks to 10.
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Travel Daily - Lufthansa Cuts Economy Complementary Alcoholic Drinks
On long-haul flights, Lufthansa will no longer provide complimentary alcoholic beverages for economy and premium economy passengers. It will instead introduce a buy-on-board menu to accompany the main meal. The new service will be widely available in approximately a week.
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Homeland Security (USA) - Alcohol Continues to Be a Major Contributing Factor in Unruly Passenger Incidents
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing $161,823 in civil penalties against eight airline passengers for alleged unruly behavior involving alcohol. Since Jan. 1, 2021, the FAA has received nearly 300 reports of passenger disturbances due to alcohol and intoxication.
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InSight - Talking about the booze: keep it simple. Less is safer.
WHEN it comes to alcohol consumption, there’s a simple message to convey to patients: less is better. It’s an important message that clinicians need to share positively, by using the context of improving health and avoiding long term outcomes.
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BBC (UK) - Drug and alcohol treatment sees rise in deaths in England
There has been a 27% rise in people dying while in treatment for drug and alcohol addiction during the pandemic, an official report shows.
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British Liver Trust (UK) - No escape: How alcohol preys on children and vulnerable people
As a member of the Alcohol Health Alliance, the British Liver Trust has welcomed its new report on how alcohol advertising preys on children and vulnerable people.
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Korea Biomedical Review - Bits of drinking every day raises gastrointestinal cancer risk by 39%
It is well known that heavy drinking raises the chance of cancer. How about drinking a little bit of alcohol every day, then? A recent study showed that frequent drinking was a more important risk factor for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer than alcohol consumed per occasion.
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