www.alkoholpolitik.ch

For the first time a made in Europe youth drug prevention project was developed and tested thanks to funding from the European Commission. After six years the European Drug Addiction Prevention Project has ended and has left behind an effective program to prevent the use of drugs. In short, EU-Dap developed and tested a school-based alcohol, tobacco and drugs prevention program in seven European countries. The drug prevention program named Unplugged is still being used today by not only the EU-Dap study group but also many other countries beyond Europe.
The EU-Dap school materials named Unplugged are available free of charge. The materials involve a 12-lesson teacher manual, a student workbook and two card games for youth. Please visit www.eudap.net to download these free materials.

18 November 2009 marked the start of the EU-SPR. A Meeting in Rome founded the Society. See Website

Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history and star of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, (eight-record breaking Olympic medals in short-track speed skating) has partnered with The Century Council and its Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix program. Today in Greenwood Village, Ohno, in conjunction with the newly formed Apolo Anton Ohno Foundation, began a five-city tour to schools throughout the U.S. encouraging kids to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to underage drinking. The Apolo Anton Ohno Foundation, established by the eight-time Olympic medalist, will focus on providing youth of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds with the opportunity to play sports, be active and learn about the benefits of making responsible and positive choices. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/8/10)

Poll: Maryland Residents Support Alcohol Tax Increase to Support Treatment. A poll commissioned by the Maryland chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence found that 72 percent of state residents back a proposed 10-cent-per-drink tax if the revenues were used to pay for addiction treatment, services for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled, and healthcare for uninsured residents. (Source: Join Together, 3/5/10)

‘Side Stepping Alcohol Misuse’, an alcohol awareness project run by London Active Communities and Premier Rugby, is due to kick off across the country this month after receiving £100,000 funding from the charity, Drinkaware. The ground-breaking new youth inclusion project will see specially trained community staff from Premiership Rugby Clubs and local youth workers deliver sports-based alcohol education to young people aged 13 to 19. The programme will target hard to reach and disadvantaged communities in 12 areas, including Newcastle, Leeds and London. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/5/10)

People who have drunk a moderate amount of alcohol before a traumatic event report more flashbacks than those who have had no alcohol, according to new research at UCL (University College London). The results may give new insight into why some individuals develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a traumatic event and others do not. Published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers also found that those who drank a large amount of alcohol before a traumatic event did not report an increase in the number of flashbacks. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/4/10)

Liquor stores are suing and neighbors are complaining as the Walgreens pharmacy chain seeks permits to sell alcohol at its stores in Indiana, the Indianapolis Star reported Feb. 27. Walgreens stopped selling alcohol about a decade ago but wants to resume such sales in central Indiana. Opponents in Indianapolis and other areas say that the area already is oversaturated with alcohol outlets, and the state’s beverage retailers have filed suit over the issue. (Source: Join Together, 3/3/10)

A measure that would have raised the alcohol tax in West Virginia and used the revenues to pay for addiction treatment and prevention programs has been killed. The Charleston Gazette reported Feb. 24 that the bill died in a legislative committee. However, lawmakers separately approved a pair of bills that would put a $300-million cap on Medicaid spending and dedicate any excess to paying for addiction services. Some estimates put the reserve amount at $60 million. The bill had called for raising the beer tax from 2 cents per bottle to 7 cents. (Source: Join Together, 3/1/10)

A new 6 million pound NHS campaign to reveal alcohol’s hidden effects warns people of the unseen damage caused by regularly drinking more than the advised limits and highlights drinkers’ affected organs while they sup their drink in the pub or at home. The campaign was launched recently by Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron. It forms part of a government-wide strategy to tackle the harmful effects of alcohol and is backed by major health charities. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/1/10) Online-Comment: I have been wondering for some time already why people in the U.K. get the advise to drink double the amount of alcohol as advised in other countries on the continent. Is it the climate or the good relations between alcohol industry and government?

A growing number of colleges are alerting parents whenever their children under age 21 are involved in alcohol-related incidents at school. Previously, schools like Virginia Tech would only inform parents if the student’s alcohol use resulted in arrest or a hospital visit. …Colleges also have realized that parents can be very effective in changing student drinking behavior. “Students are more concerned about their parents being notified than they are of the legal consequences,” said Edward Spencer, vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech. (Source: Join Together, 2/26/10)