www.alkoholpolitik.ch

While moderate drinking – one to less than three drinks per day – is linked to a decrease in mortality in middle-aged and older adults, there is also concern that the health benefits of moderate drinking have been overestimated. A new study of the association between drinking and mortality during a 20-year period, which controlled for confounding factors such as previous problem drinking, confirms an association of moderate drinking and reduced mortality among older adults. … “Our findings demonstrate that abstainers were significantly more likely to have had prior drinking problems, to be obese, and to smoke cigarettes than moderate drinkers and scored significantly higher than moderate drinkers on health problems, depressive symptoms, and avoidance coping,” he said. “In addition, abstainers were significantly lower than moderate drinkers on socioeconomic status, physical activity, number of close friends, and quality of friend support and significantly less likely to be married than moderate drinkers. Moreover, all of these factors that were associated with abstention significantly predicted mortality.” … (Source: Medical News Today, 8/27/10) our online-comment: This study is the end of all those alcohol friendly research we have had in the last decade. We always said, that the control group of abstainers used in those studies was a swindle, now that’s the proof. In German newspapers the headlines still say the contrary. Perhaps they learn now that the wind has changed. We have to thank a lot to that team of researchers!

Some people whose drinking habits do not change over the years and decades may find that they develop problems with alcohol when they get older – aging lowers the body’s tolerance for alcohol. A drink now and again as one ages will not usually cause any harm. However, alcohol can become a problem for older adults, especially if they are taking certain prescription medications, have health conditions, or do not control their alcohol intake. (Source: Medical News Today, 8/13/10)

IOGT International is the largest international non-governmental organization working for the promotion of an alcohol-free lifestyle. At its Congress this month it published the following statement:
According to the World Health Organization, WHO, alcohol is the third most prominent cause of ill health in the world, killing 2.6 million people every year. Alcohol is an obstacle to development and closely linked to poverty, inequity, violence, traffic accidents and the spread of various diseases such as HIV.
The Congress of IOGT International sees the need for a strong and global action and highly supports the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy, undertaken by the World Health Assembly in 2010.
IOGT International:
- Demands the governments within the member states to use the strategy in their policy work to reduce the harm of alcohol, with particular attention to alcohol as an obstacle to development.
- Supports the evidence-based and cost effective methods within the strategy, such as taxation and restrictions of marketing and availability
- Welcomes the formulation saying that non drinkers should get support and protection from any pressure from the alcohol-industry or others to drink
- Will support the policy makers with experience from the work of our member organizations as well as knowledge in alcohol prevention, rehabilitation and policy work (Source: IOGT International)

According to a Lancet Comment, “alcohol remains conspicuously absent from the larger field of research and programming in HIV and substance use. … Patterns of hazardous alcohol consumption prevail in countries with the most severe HIV epidemics, notably eastern and southern Africa.” In addition, “hazardous drinking patterns also dominate in the concentrated epidemics of eastern Europe and Asia, where alcohol use by injecting drug users and other marginalised groups might be an additional barrier to effective efforts to prevent HIV infection.” The comment notes that both men and women are harmed by excessive alcohol use and calls for more research “focused on reducing alcohol-related sexual-risk behaviour, [which] might offer valuable lessons for the wider field of HIV and substance-use research” (Fritz et. al, 8/7). (Source: Medical News Today, 8/09/10) our Online-Comment: “Conspicuously” is the correct wording in this connection. Alcohol is
“tabu” regarding HIV, poverty, developing aid and sexual-risk behaviour. Public health authorities and politicians are afraid they would have to fight for less alcohol consumption.

The greatest and most costly failure of the medical profession and public health community is their failure to explain to the American people that addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a disease.
Against the scientific knowledge we now have, physicians’ refusal to give alcohol- and other drug-addicted patients the same medical care and attention they provide individuals with other chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes is inconsistent with their Hippocratic oath to “prescribe regimen for the good of my patients…and never to do harm to anyone.” The harm due to this long term failure of the medical profession and public health community is measured in untold lives lost and ruined and the incalculable human misery of families, friends and colleagues of alcoholics and drug addicts. (Source: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 7/19/10)

Price levels for food, beverages and tobacco across the European market differ significantly. Comparative price levels in 37 European countries for 2009.
Price levels for food, beverages and tobacco among the EU Member States vary considerably. In
2009, the prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages in Poland were 64% of the EU average, while
in Denmark they were 139%. Alcohol was priced in Finland at 170% of the EU average, but at 70%
in Romania. For tobacco the highest prices were observed in Ireland (217% of the EU average),
while the lowest were recorded in Bulgaria (46%). Source: Eurocare Newsletter June-July 2010) eurostat 30/2010 Comment: Switzerland and Norway are on top.

28 June 2010, Brussels. In 2004, the Commission produced a report which recommended that the minimum rates of duty laid down in 1992 should be revalorised to take account of the inflation that has occurred since then (COM(2004) 223 final).
The present report has been prepared by the London School of Economics and it analyses whether the current tax system is causing distortions of the internal market and whether adaptations would be appropriate. Full text of the study (pdf 2.45 Mb) (2.45 Mb) Executive summary (pdf 186 Kb) (186 Kb) (Source: Eurocare Newsletter June-July 2010)

The Australian Drug Foundation is astonished to see not one mention of alcohol and other drugs in all thirteen recommendations from the House of Representatives inquiry into the impact of violence on young Australians. The report, Avoid the Harm – Stay Calm, is due to be released today.
“The report states that the links between alcohol and violent behaviour have been well established, so we can’t understand why there’s no mention of alcohol and other drugs in any of the recommendations,” said John Rogerson. (Source: Medical News Today, 7/16/10) with our online-comment: In Switzerland it took years, till the political authorities accepted officially that alcohol is one of the main reasons of violence. Even public health professionals were afraid to speak about it. Now the wind has changed. Fortunately.

Kinderstimmen. Wenn Kinder mit Drogen und Alkohol-Problemen konfrontiert werden: Die Publikation (pdf, 38S., 260Kb) “Children’s voices. Experiences and perceptions of European children on drug and alcohol issues” der Europäischen Beobachtungsstelle für Drogen und Drogensucht (EBDD) ist online erhältlich. (Quelle: Infoset Newsletter Juli 2010

A new report released las week on the state of Australia’s health shows half of all Australians (48.2 per cent) are taking action to reduce their drinking. “We know that drinking alcohol contributes to the leading causes of disease in Australians -heart disease, strokes and cancer, so it’s very positive that so many people are trying to cut down,” said Robin Room, Director – AER Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s biennial Australia’s Health 2010 report shows that the impact alcohol has on health far outweighs any possible benefits. The report quotes National Health and Medical Research Council findings, which show benefits from alcohol might occur at very low levels of drinking, but it is doubtful there are any benefits at all. “Consumers deserve to know that there is very little protective effect for their physical health from drinking,” said Mr Room. (Source: Medical News Today, 7/2/10)