www.alkoholpolitik.ch

New CASA* Report Finds: In 2006 65 percent of all U.S. inmates meet medical criteria for substance abuse addiction, only 11 percent receive any treatment.
Drugs, alcohol implicated in 78 percent of violent crimes, 83 percent of property crimes, 77 percent OF weapon, public order, other crimes.
Of the 2.3 million inmates crowding our nations prisons and jails, 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; …
The new 144-page report also reveals that alcohol and other drugs are significant factors in all crime.
Press Release: Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population

Dear Legislator,
I support AB 1694 — The Alcohol-Related Services Program It’s time for Big Alcohol to pay its fair share of California’s annual $38.4 billion in alcohol-related trauma care, hospitalization, treatment, prevention and criminal justice costs. (Source: Marin Institute, 2/20/10)

According To New Indiana University Research More Alcohol Sales Sites Mean More Neighborhood Violence.
More alcohol sales sites in a neighborhood equates to more violence, and the highest assault rates are associated with carry-out sites selling alcohol for off-premise consumption, according to new research released Feb. 21 by two Indiana University professors. (Source: Medical News Today, 2/22/10)

A sweet, caffeinated, high-alcohol wine has become a symbol of the growing drinking problems in Scottish society, the New York Times reported Feb. 4. Buckfast Tonic Wine goes by a number of popular names that reflect its reputation, including “Wreck the Hoose (House) Juice,” and Scotland’s former industrial heartland is sometimes referred to as the “Buckfast Belt.” One study found that 43 percent of youth offenders drank Buckfast before committing their crimes, and in one district alone the wine was mentioned in more than 5,600 crime reports over a three-year period. Buckfast is not a new product, but contains a potent mix of 15 percent alcohol and as much caffeine per bottle as eight cans of Coca-Cola. It’s particularly popular among groups of young male hooligans, Scots say. (Source: Join Together, 2/12/10)

Alcohol increases the risk of violence in couples – especially violence both to and by the female partner. A new study of couples found that experienced intimate partner violence found 30.2 percent reported alcohol use before or during the event. Severe partner violence was more than twice as likely when the woman drank alcohol, said study co-author Raul Caetano, M.D. The likelihood of severe male-on-female violence tripled and the likelihood of severe female-on-male violence more than doubled when the woman drank. (Source: Medical News Today, 1/29/10)

In a new published study on alcohol harm in California, Marin Institute researchers found that Hispanics are more likely to die in alcohol-related homicides than non-Hispanics. Also, while Blacks and Whites experience similar numbers of traffic fatalities, the alcohol-related homicide rate for Blacks was five times higher than for Whites. This is disturbing because it’s similar to data from 20 years ago, indicating that not much progress has been made in reducing racial disparities from alcohol harm. (Source: Marin Institute, 1/22/10)

More than one in four girls ages 12-17 was involved in fighting within the past year, according to new survey data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
HealthDay News reported Jan. 15 that a SAMHSA survey of more than 33,000 adolescents found that 19 percent of the girls surveyed reported involvement in a serious fight at school or work, 14 percent took part in group fights, and about 6 percent said they attacked someone else intending to cause serious injury.
Girls who avoided alcohol or other drug use, got good grades and came from higher-income families were at the least risk of involvement in violence, researchers found. (Source: Join Together, 1/21/10)

Prior studies have not only demonstrated a clear connection between alcohol outlets and alcohol-related problems, they have also shown that certain types of outlets are associated with different types of problem outcomes. A new study shows that a particular group, underage youth and young adults, have specific problems – injury accidents, traffic crashes, and assaults that are related to specific types of alcohol outlets – off-premise outlets, bars and restaurants. (Quelle: Medical News Today, 12/21/09)

“Rape educators want to train New Zealand’s bar staff to intervene when they see ‘predatory males’ plying women with drinks during the Rugby World Cup. Rape Prevention Education (formerly Rape Crisis) has teamed up with the police, Accident Compensation Corporation and the hospitality industry to train 130 bar staff in Auckland and Wellington in a pilot programme this year. Director Kim McGregor said she hoped the other agencies would help to extend the programme nationally in the lead-up to the World Cup, which kicks off in September 2011. ‘We need to do much more on prevention and social attitudes, for example around the [Cup],’ she said. ‘For us it’s an opportunity. We have two years to prepare for it.’ The programme targets bars because three-quarters of sexual offenders and half of all “date rape” victims were drinking or taking drugs before offences occurred. A fifth of sexual violence happens in or around licensed premises.” (Source: Harvard World Health News, 12/17/09) The New Zealand Herald, 12/12/09

Drinking alcohol is a deeply ingrained part of the European society; each year, the average intake per adult is equivalent to 1,400 small beers (11 litres of pure alcohol). The consequences of drinking go far beyond the individual drinker’s health and well-being. They include acts of drunken violence, vandalism, sexual assault, road accidents, harm to the unborn fetus, child abuse, and a huge health burden carried by both the National Health Systems and friends and family who care for those damaged by alcohol.
Place: European Parliament – Brussels (Room: A3G-3)
Date: Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Time: 12h30 – 14h30 (Lunch will be provided)
Deadline for registrations:
* 23 January (If you DO NOT have a permanent pass to the European Parliament)
* 1 February (if you do have a pass)
Source: Eurocare Newsletter, 12/1/09