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Latest figures from a national survey of 11-15 year old pupils suggests fewer young people are drinking, and are less accepting of drunkenness. However it also finds no clear trend in consumption levels for those that do drink. The findings come from an annual survey which in 2010 included 7,296 pupils from 246 schools.
Some key findings from the report includes:
Between 2009 and 2010 the percentage of 11-15 year olds who had tried alcohol fell from 51% to 45%.
In 2010, the mean amount consumed by pupils who had drunk in the last week was 12.9 units. Mean consumption levels have varied between 11.6 units and 14.6 units since 2007, with no clear trend. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 07/28/11)

Following the institution of an Indiana law requiring anyone buying and carrying out alcohol to show identification, regardless of their age, state inspectors report fewer of the state’s liquor stores, bars and restaurants are selling alcohol to those under 21. Under a recent revision to the law, store clerks are no longer required to ask customers for ID if they reasonably appear older than 40. …
The Associated Press reports that State Excise Police conducted more than 5,000 inspections in the first half of 2011, in which people ages 18 to 20 accompany officers and try to purchase alcohol. They found that 8.8 percent of bars and restaurants violated the law, as did 4.3 percent of liquor stores, compared with more than 40 percent in 2009. (Source: Join Together, 07/28/11)

A report from the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) demonstrates brief interventions for alcohol are the most cost effective, followed by interventions for smoking, sexual health and physical activity.
Changing Health Choices – A review of the cost-effectiveness of individual level behaviour change interventions
Key findings include: The cost-effectiveness of brief interventions is strongest for interventions among high risk drinkers. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/25/11)

New recommendations issued by the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG) call for annual alcohol screening for women, and screening in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The guidelines state that for women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant, it is important for obstetrician-gynecologists to “give compelling and clear advice to avoid alcohol use, provide assistance for achieving abstinence, or provide effective contraception to women who require help.” ACOG’s new recommendations also note that health care providers should advise women that low-level consumption of alcohol in early pregnancy is not an indication for terminating the pregnancy. … (Source: Join Together, 07/22/11)

Almost one-quarter of Americans age 12 or older say they participated in binge drinking in the previous month, according to a government survey. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found binge drinking rates varied among states, ranging from 14.1 percent in Utah, to 29.8 percent in North Dakota. The survey defines binge drinking as having five or more drinks on one occasion. …
The survey included interviews with more than 137,000 people between 2008 and 2009. … (Source: Join Together, 07/21/11)

A nationwide study confirms that binge drinking has reached epidemic proportions in China and argues that efforts to tackle the problem must address the country’s unique drinking culture.
In this study, published online today in the journal Addiction, binge drinking was defined as consuming 50g or more pure alcohol in one day for men (about five 330ml tins of beer), and 40g or more for women. The study found that of the almost 50,000 people surveyed across China, 55.6% of men and 15% of women were current drinkers, having had at least one drink in the previous twelve months. Among current drinkers, men averaged a daily intake of 47.8 grams of pure alcohol, with a median of 5.6 binges per year. Women fared a bit better, with an average daily intake of 19.1g and a median of 2.4 binges per year. 26% of male drinkers and 8% of female drinkers were classed as ‚frequent drinkers‘, drinking 5-7 days per week. …(Source: Medical News Today, 07/18/11)

This paper describes, for the first time, trends in alcohol-related deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, as recorded by the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) for the years 2004−2008. The main findings of the analysis are:
The NDRDI recorded 672 poisoning deaths in which alcohol was implicated in the five-year period. This total comprised almost equal numbers of alcohol-only poisonings and alcohol polysubstance (alcohol plus other substance/s) poisonings. The annual number fluctuated over the period, being highest in 2007 (170 deaths) and lowest in 2006 (111 deaths). Alcohol was the substance most frequently
implicated in all fatal poisonings in Ireland in the five-year period. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/15/11) HRB Trends Series 10

To examine the proportion of self-reported alcohol consumed by different gender and age groups in Brazil over the past year, and to examine whether the “prevention paradox” applies to Brazilian data on alcohol-related problems.
A multistage cluster sample, representative of the Brazilian household population 14 years of age or older (N=3007). The response rate was 66.4%.
The top 2.5% of the drinkers by volume consume 14.9%, the top 5% consume 27.4%, and the top 10% consume 44.2% of all alcohol consumed in Brazil. Men consume 77.8% of the total alcohol, and 18 to 29 year olds consume 40.3%. Individuals below risky drinking guidelines for weekly volumetric intake account for 49-50% of all problem drinkers and 45-47% of all problem types reported. Individuals who do not binge or who binge infrequently (1-3 times/year) account for 50-51% of all problem drinkers and 45-46% of all reported problem types. Most binge drinkers are low volume drinkers. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/13/11)

Binge drinking can cause permanent genetic damage especially to the unborn children of women in the earliest stage of pregnancy, according to a study which shows for the first time how alcohol destroys DNA.
Scientists have identified the precise molecular mechanism leading to the breakdown of the body’s natural defences that protect DNA against damage from excessive alcohol in the bloodstream. They believe the results demonstrate that binge drinking causes a build-up of toxins within the body, causing irreversible genetic damage, which may explain the phenomenon known as foetal-alcohol syndrome, when babies of mothers who drink during pregnancy are born with congenital learning problems. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/08/11)

Swedes are drinking less alcohol than before. The trend is visible among the younger generation; older people drink as much
The alcohol consumption in Sweden was 13% lower in 2010 compared with 2004 when the consumption peaked. This development has come as a surprise for many researchers since the import restrictions for private use was liberalized in 2004.
-When the quotas were liberalized in 2004 and the alcohol consumption reached record levels, not many people foresaw this development. It seems like the mechanisms are more complex than we thought; said Mats Ramstedt, researcher about alcohol at SoRAD (Centre for research on Drugs and Alcohol) to the news site forskning.se. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/04/11) stockholmnews.com, 06/27/11