www.alkoholpolitik.ch

DrugScope, the national membership organisation representing the drug sector, has today responded to the release of figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which show that 79,360 people who claim Incapacity Benefit (IB) have either a drug or alcohol dependency.
The DWP figures show that of the total number of IB claimants (2,082,570, figures from August 2010), 1.8 per cent (37,000) have a drug dependency and 2 per cent (42,360) an alcohol dependency. However, a drug or alcohol dependency alone would not make someone eligible to receive IB. Martin Barnes, Chief Executive of DrugScope, said:
„Most people with a drug or alcohol dependency also have physical or mental health problems which can affect their ability to work. While a drug or alcohol dependency can be extremely debilitating, it does not of itself give an entitlement or ‚passport‘ to benefit, which may be suggested by the publication of today’s figures. People with drug or alcohol problems must satisfy all the conditions for benefit entitlement, including proof of incapacity, and may be required to undergo a medical examination to determine eligibility. (Source: Medical News Today, 04/26/11)

Es wird weniger geraucht, aber weiterhin viel getrunken – das ist das Ergebnis des Jahrbuchs Sucht 2011, das die Deutsche Haupt­stelle für Suchtfragen heute in Berlin vorstellte. Geschäfts­führer Raphael Gaßmann nannte die Situation bezüglich des Alkohols „dramatisch“.
„Der Aklkoholverbrauch bleibt entschieden zu hoch, zu riskant, zu folgenreich“, erklärte er. Die Hauptstelle ging davon aus, dass jeder fünfte Deutsche zwischen 18 und 64 Jahren ein Alkohol­problem habe. Zwar ging die jährlich konsumierte Menge reinen Alkohols leicht zurück, doch falle diese Entwicklung „zu gering“ aus, um Gesundheitsschäden zu vermeiden.
Der Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen zufolge ist die Anzahl an Alkoholvergiftungen zwischen 2000 und 2009 um fast 112 Prozent gestiegen. Besonders dramatisch fällt die Entwicklung mit einem Plus von etwa 194 Prozent in der Altersgruppe der 20- bis 25-Jährigen aus. (Quelle: aerzteblatt.de, 26.4.11) Kommentar: Die Regierung hat ein Alkoholproblem und tut nichts Wirksames dagegen. (Die Bierbrauer sind natürlich mit den Forderungen der DHS nicht einverstanden und beten wieder ihre falschen Behauptungen herunter.)

South African media’s indecision to support alcohol advertising ban could be linked to the fact that media companies stand to lose huge revenues if the legislation were to come into effect, one media analyst charged this week. Shepherd Mpofu, of Wits University’s Department of Media Studies, said there is no logical reason why the media have to support a move that will have a negative consequence on them. …It was reported last week that the media have agreed to support the proposed ban, but that statement has since been denied and corrected by the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF), which confirmed that it will instead throw its weight behind the campaign against alcohol abuse, as it does not have a position on the proposed alcohol advertising ban.
… „The government has a right to be worried about these effects. Crime is increasing, and the spread of sexual transmissible diseases, poor work output, poor performance at school and a lot of other societal malfunctions are just some of the few effects of alcohol abuse.“
The Soul City Institute insists that an independent and vibrant media is uniquely poised to unpack and critically interrogate the role of alcohol advertising and marketing, and shape the public debate around alcohol-related harm reduction.
Mpofu said: „If the media were to play a responsible role in society, then there is every reason to support the ban on alcohol advertising. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) bizcommunity.com, 04/19/11

There is growing pressure for the government to tighten up New Zealand’s alcohol laws following a report into the death of a teenager from binge drinking.
Sixteen-year-old James Webster died from acute alcohol poisoning after attending a party in Auckland’s Grey Lynn in May last year.
Coroner Gordon Matenga recommended in the report that parents and schools develop alcohol awareness programmes to improve education around the issue.
However principals and health promotion experts have said this morning that it will take more than education to tackle the problem. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) tvnz.co.nz, 04/21/11 Comment: This is what has to be said to most governments in the western world.

A NORTH-EAST academic with a worldwide reputation in her field has criticised the Government for failing to back a cheap and effective method of curbing heavy drinking.
The UK is facing a deepening crisis over the availability of cheap booze but according to Professor Eileen Kaner of Newcastle University, the Government is missing a golden opportunity to start turning the tide.
It has been estimated that damage caused by drinking costs the country about £25bn every year in terms of costs to the NHS, the criminal justice system and the economy.
One in five people are drinking at dangerous levels and alcohol-related liver disease is claiming ever increasing numbers of young lives.
But Prof Kaner said past and present Governments had failed to back an inexpensive and successful form of counselling – called Brief Intervention – which has an impressive track record in helping people curb their drinking. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) thenorthernecho.co.uk, 04/24/11

The Swedish government Tuesday launched a new comprehensive strategy to deal with alcohol, drugs, doping and tobacco problems together, Xinhua informs.
„The overall objective is to make Swedish society free from illicit drugs and doping with fewer medical and social damage caused by alcohol and tobacco,“ Maria Larsson, Swedish Minister for Children and Elderly, said in a statement.
The goal is to address the overall problem caused by the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs, doping and tobacco.
Statistics show that 15 percent of the total disease burden in Sweden is due to the harmful effects that may be linked to the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs, doping and tobacco.
The strategy is proposed for 2011-2015 and was passed in the parliament at the end of March this year.
The government will invest 260 million kronor (about 40 million U.S. dollars) per year to support effort such as parents whose children take drugs or children who are abused at home. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) focus-fen.net, 04/20/11

French riot police are outraged over plans to end a long-cherished tradition of drinking alcohol with their meals.
Under the terms of an interior ministry decree, riot police will no longer be allowed to wash down their lunch with a glass or two of beer or wine.
Officials were angered in 2010 when photos emerged of riot police drinking beer while policing a demonstration. One police union has called for alcohol to be allowed if meals are taken out of the view of the public. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) bbc.co.uk, 04/22/11

The politics of drinking.
Two and a half years ago I sat down to write a history of the pub industry since the 1989 Beer Orders. Trouble is, the bloody thing keeps moving. I can’t hold it down. I can see why historians write about things that happened in the distant past now, things that have ossified into something stable you can get a grip on.
Pub industry history has taken another lurch in the last few days with the conclusion of Punch Taverns’ strategic review. It’s just one company, but it’s a big deal. The end of an era in some ways. … (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 04/26/11) philmellows.com, 03/25/11

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature related to the measurement of the economic impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in different countries and to categorize the available literature. … Existing estimates of the economic impact of FASD demonstrate significant cost implications on the individual, the family and society. However, these estimates vary considerably due to the different methodologies used by different studies. Limitations and gaps in the existing methodologies of calculating the economic costs of FASD are discussed. It is evident that there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive and sound methodology for calculating the economic impact of FASD to the society. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/22/11)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—the pathogen responsible for the current pandemic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)—targets the body’s immune system. HIV infection puts a person at risk for a multitude of diseases that someone with a healthy immune system generally would fight off. When HIV was recognized in the 1980s, testing positive for HIV infection was, in fact, a death sentence. Now, however, the availability of anti-HIV medications has made living with the virus a reality….People with HIV are now living longer and healthier lives. Nevertheless, many challenges remain in preventing both infection with the virus and progression of the disease. One of the many factors that thwarts efforts to prevent the spread of the infection and the treatment of infected patients is the use and abuse of alcohol by those who are at risk for infection or who already are infected. Scientists are gaining a better understanding of the complex relationship between alcohol consumption and HIV infection. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/23/11)