www.alkoholpolitik.ch

—Results From a Multicenter Cross-sectional Study
To assess alcohol use and problem drinking among university students in the German Federal State of North Rhine–Westphalia (NRW) and to examine the associated factors.
A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in 16 universities in 2006–2007 in NRW by a standardized questionnaire and 3,306 students provided information (response rate of 88%). Problem drinking was measured by the CAGE questionnaire. …
Overall, heavy drinking and problem drinking are common among university students in this sample. Intervention programs should be designed for students at a particularly high risk. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/14/11)

by Fiona Ryan, Director of Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues.
WE LOVE TO talk about Ireland’s alcohol culture – it allows us to speculate about how we drink and why we drink, without ever actually doing anything about it.
We can engage in romantic notions of the dark Celtic soul, or question if as a nation we just have an addictive personality. In the meantime, one person dies every seven hours from an alcohol-related cause. Alcohol is the biggest killer of young people in Ireland and 100,000 kids – enough to fill Croke Park and then some – are impacted by their parents’ drinking. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/15/11) businessinsider.com, 08/10/11

Ministers from all three governing parties said there are many issues needing more urgent attention than regulating alcohol without clear research showing its consumption is a serious national problem.
Some members of Zimbabwe’s Cabinet are distancing themselves from reports that the government is drafting a tough national alcohol policy that will regulate the sale of beer and other intoxicating beverages with sales forbidden after noon on Sundays. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/15/11) voanews, 08/8/11 Comment: Now we can see that many politicians in Western World are on the same level as in Zimbabwe.

Koforidua, Aug 9, GNA – Dr Eugene Dordoye, a psychiatrist with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has suggested that alcohol should be declared a public health hazard. He said alcohol intake was resulting in many diseases claiming lives but because alcohol was not a national health issue its related diseases were not being measured. Dr Dordoye, who spoke to the GNA after addressing a five- day Youth Alive Camp in Koforidua, said alcohol effects were measured by the psychiatric hospitals because of its known effects on mental health. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/15/11) ghananewsagency.org, 08/10/11

The Finnish Customs and Finnish State Railways (VR) are planning closer inspection of express train services between Finland and Russia. A scanning of an entire train was tested for the first time in Helsinki on Tuesday.
Currently on-board train inspections are carried out using sniffer dogs in addition to a manual check of all possible hiding places. This procedure is time consuming and often ineffective. …
Chief Inspector Kai Vehmersalo of the National Customs Board says the use of scanners could improve the search for illegal immigrants in addition to consignments of contraband tobacco, alcohol and drugs hidden in isolated train compartments. However, the cash for scanners is not yet on the financial timetable in either country. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/15/11) yle.fi, 08/9/11

An online course that demonstrates the consequences of excessive drinking appears to significantly reduce the most common types of alcohol-related problems among freshman, including binge drinking and sexual assault. The program, called AlcoholEdu for College, has students imagine themselves in real-life situations, such as being with a friend who drinks too much and goes wild, and asks them what they would do. … (Source: Join Together, 08/15/11)

Die Kantonspolizeien Aargau und Zürich haben auf Autobahnen um Zürich in der Nacht auf Sonntag Alkoholkontrollen durchgeführt. 37 Lenker mussten wegen Alkohol oder Drogen den Führerschein abgeben, 3 wurden verzeigt (0,5 – 0,8 Promille). (Quelle: NZZ, 15.8.11)
267 ärztliche Interventionen (Vorjahr 248) waren auf übermässigen Alkohol- oder Drogenkonsum zurückzuführen. Einer liegt mit Stichwunde im Koma, einer schwebt in Lebensgefahr nach 6m-Sturz bei Streit. (Quelle: Tages-Anzeiger, 15.8.11)
Der Zürcher Trance-Star DJ Energy ist tot: Wenige Stunden nach einem Auftritt an der Street-Parade verstarb der 37-Jährige. Die Todesursache ist unbekannt und wird untersucht. (Quelle: Tages-Anzeiger, 15.8.11)
Die Polizei hat am Sonntag auf der Autobahn A1 die Fahrfähigkeit von Fahrzeuglenker überprüft. Dies hauptsächlich im Hinblick auf Rückkehrer von der Street Parade, so die Kantonspolizei Bern. 16 Führerausweise mussten auf der Stelle abgenommen werden. (Quelle: Google Alkohol News, 16.8.11) bernerzeitung.ch, 15.8.11

Unter der Rubrik „Aufgefallen“ bringt die Neue Zürcher Zeitung eine Glosse über das Verhältnis der Schotten zum Alkohol. Literarische alkoholpositive Quellen und das gegenwärtige Edinburgh Festival mit Alkohol an Theateranlässen auf der einen Seite und die Bemühungen der schottischen Regierung, die vom immensen Alkoholproblem sagt, es untergrabe das Land in jeder Beziehung, auf der andern Seite werden genüsslich gegenübergestellt. (Quelle: NZZ, 15.8.11, nicht online) Kommentar: Wie schön ist es doch, über andere Länder zu schnöden, im eigenen aber das Problem geflissentlich zu übersehen und Verbesserungen sogar zu bekämpfen.

The WTO, on 15 August 2011, issued the report of the panel that had examined complaints by the European Union and the United States regarding “Philippines – Taxes on distilled spirits” (DS396 and DS403). Panel report

Bremens Innensenator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD) erwägt die Einführung einer Sperrstunde für Diskotheken. «Das sind erste Überlegungen», sagte eine Sprecherin der Innenbehörde am Samstag. Danach könnten die Öffnungszeiten von Discos auf Basis einer freiwilligen Vereinbarung mit den Betreibern eingeschränkt werden. Dem «Weser-Kurier» zufolge erhofft sich Mäurer dadurch eine Beruhigung der Disco-Meile, wo am Wochenende oft Tausende bis in die frühen Morgenstunden feiern. Dabei gebe es einen offensichtlichen Zusammenhang zwischen Alkohol und Gewalt. … (Quelle: Google Alkohol News, 14.8.11) bild.de, 13.8.11