www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Philadelphia’s Treatment Research Institute (TRI) is launching a new center designed to help parents address alcohol and drug use by their children, TRI announced in a Sept. 14 press release.
The Parents Translational Research Center, funded with a five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), will conduct research to aid parents and caregivers, and disseminate its findings by collaborating with the Partnership at DrugFree.org (formerly the Partnership for a Drug-Free America). (Source: Join Together, 9/16/10)

An expert working group recommended on Sept. 15 to replace the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) with a new Institute on Addictions within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to an email sent to NIAAA liaison representatives. … Source: Join Together, 9/17/10)

Native Scots are more than twice as likely to die of alcohol-related causes than Scottish residents born south of the border, according to a new study.
Research by two universities and NHS statisticians also indicated large differences between the drinking habits of different ethnic groups in Scotland. The findings emerged in a study into the causes of death of ethnic groups living in Scotland from 2000 to 2005. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 9/17/10) bbc.co.uk, 9/17/10

Violent crimes rates are no higher for mentally ill people with substance abuse than for others who abuse drugs and alcohol, The Guardian reported Sept. 6. Researchers in Sweden and the United Kingdom reviewed crime-registry data for 3,700 patients with bipolar disorder and 8,000 patients with schizophrenia over a 30-year period and compared results with the general population. Crime rates were six to seven times higher for patients with mental illness and substance abuse than for the population overall, but no higher than those for people with substance abuse who had no mental-health problems. …
„The relationship between violent crime and serious mental illness can be explained by alcohol and substance abuse,” said Dr. Seena Fazel, M.D., forensic psychiatrist and senior lecturer at the University of Oxford and lead author of the research. (Source: Join Together, 9/13/10)

Millions of Americans suffer from severe addictions that can ruin lives and are extremely difficult to control. Nearly 2 million enter roughly 12,000 addiction treatment programs in the U.S. each year. And each month, some 15,000 people turn to Adi Jaffe’s All About Addiction websites and at Psychology Today, which provide information, the latest research and answers to readers‘ questions. (Source: Medical News Today, 9/10/10)

Prior research has shown that alcohol abuse and dependence are typically associated with higher rates of obesity, as evidenced by a high body mass index (BMI). Findings from a new study of the relationship between BMI and regional measures of brain structure, metabolite concentrations, and cerebral blood flow suggest that alcohol-related brain injuries may result from a complicated fusion of hazardous drinking, chronic cigarette smoking, and even elevated BMI. (Source: Medical News Today, 9.9.10) Comment: And if some of them become abstainers, they will be misused for research as control group vs. moderate drinkers.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s ill-conceived plan to privatize the sale of spirits in his state will jeopardize the public’s health and cost the state money, as findings from peer-reviewed studies illustrate. One such study was published this month in the journal Addiction.
The new study concluded that privatizing Sweden’s government monopoly on the sale of alcohol would significantly increase alcohol-related harm, including violence. Depending on the type of privatization enacted, total alcohol consumption in Sweden is predicted to increase by 17 – 37%, with thousands more alcohol-related deaths, assaults, and drunk driving offenses per year and as many as 11 million more days of sick leave. (Source: Marin Institute, 9/06/10)

Acamprosate reduces the number of patients being treated for alcoholism who return to drinking, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The drug showed moderate benefits in trials when used in addition to non-drug treatments. (Source: Medical News Today, 9/08/10)

Background: The mass media has enormous potential to influence health-related behaviours and perceptions. Much research has focused on how the media frames health issues. This study sought to explore how journalists in Australia select and shape news on health issues.
Results: Journalists routinely attempted to balance different, sometimes competing, aims amidst significant operational constraints. They perceived the most trusted sources on health issues to be respected and independent doctors. Specialist health and medical reporters had a more sound technical knowledge, channels to appropriate sources, power within their organizations, and ability to advocate for better quality coverage.
Conclusions: An awareness of how to work with the media is essential for health communicators. This includes understanding journalists‘ daily routines, being available, providing resources, and building relationships with specialist health reporters. (Source: BMC Public Health, 9/08/10) Comment: Unfortunately regarding studies on alcohol there are more criteria, e.g. the policy of the editor (his dependence on the alcohol industry) and a possible more or less alcohol dependency of the journalist.

A study published in the scientific journal Addiction argues that privatising Sweden’s government monopoly on the sale of alcohol will significantly increase alcohol-related violence and other harms. Depending on the type of privatisation, experts predict that total alcohol consumption in Sweden will increase by 17 – 37%, with thousands more alcohol-related deaths, assaults, and drunk driving offences per year and up to 11 million more days of sick leave. …(Source: Medical News Today, 9/02/10)