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Research showing that some alcohol is now cheaper than bottled water, published in today’s New Zealand Medical Journal, is very concerning and backs the view that price rises are an essential part of addressing binge drinking, says the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA).
„We were disappointed when the Government ruled out raising excise tax on alcohol, as recommended by the Law Commission report. International evidence shows that cheap alcohol leads to increased consumption,“ says NZMA Chair Dr Peter Foley. (Source: Medical News Today, 10/15/10)

An exploratory randomised controlled trial
Licensed premises offer a valuable point of intervention to reduce alcohol-related harm.
Conclusion: The methodology of an exploratory trial is presented and despite challenges presented by the study environment it is argued an exploratory trial is warranted. Initial investigations in recruitment methods suggest that study premises should be recruited with the assistance of police officers. Police data were of sufficient quality to identify disorder and street surveys are a feasible method for measuring intoxication at the individual level. (Source: BMC Public Health 2010, 10:607doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-607; Published: 14 October 2010

More than 80 percent of alcohol problems that occur following disasters are among people with a preexisting or ongoing drinking problem, Internal Medicine News reported Oct. 4.
Researchers at the VA North Texas Health Care System examined data from 10 disaster studies and identified nearly 700 survivors who had undergone both pre- and post-disaster alcohol assessments. All subjects had been directly affected by the disaster: More than one-third had been injured, and 20 percent had disaster-related post-traumatic stress disorder. (Source: Join Together, 10/12/10)

One-quarter of American teens and young adults engage in binge drinking, new statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate, HealthDay News reported Oct. 5.
Although binge drinking was also widespread among adults, the CDC said the findings for young people are particularly troubling, since their brains may be more susceptible to damage from heavy drinking than those of older drinkers. (Source: Join Together, 10/6/10)

The Navy has signed a five-year contract with Hazelden to provide online recovery support services for sailors, the Associated Press reported Oct. 3.
The new, $3.25 million program was developed in partnership with Hazelden for the 10,000 patients in the Navy’s Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Services program. Although the program is tailored for younger sailors and those on active duty, retired Navy personnel and family members will also be able to access it. (Source: Join Together, 10/04/10)

135 university presidents and chancellors have opened a debate on the minimum legal drinking age in the U.S. Should it be lowered? Researchers say decades of data make the answer clear as gin. (Source: THE GLOBE, 2/2010)

The original manuscript of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Big Book is being published for the first time, along with edits that changed its references to religion, the Washington Post reported Sept. 22.
The first AA manual, called: „Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism,“ was published in 1939, the Associated Press (AP) reported Sept. 28. (Source: Join Together, 10/1/10)

New research suggests obesity in heavy drinkers increases the severity of alcohol-related brain injury, HealthDay News reported Sept. 9.
Investigators conducted brains scans of 54 alcohol-dependent men participating in a treatment program and compared results with their body mass index (BMI). Even when taking into consideration age, smoking status, and other health problems, participants who were obese had higher rates of brain injury than those who were not. (Source: Join Together, 9/22/10)

Survey results show that although more Americans now believe that mental illness and alcohol dependency are medical or genetic in origin than did so in the mid-1990s, they are just as likely to reject those who suffer from them. (Source: Join Together, 9/21/10)

New government data released demonstrate the continued, urgent need for more Americans to have access to drug and alcohol addiction treatment, according to an analysis by the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) initiative. If implemented properly, federal health care reform legislation could help remove financial barriers to treatment for millions of Americans. (Source: Medical News Today, 9/18/10)