www.alkoholpolitik.ch

More than a quarter of youth aged 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states such as North Dakota and Vermont.
In a major effort to combat the epidemic of underage drinking, SAMHSA and the Ad Council today launched a new series of national public service advertisements to encourage parents to talk to their children about drinking alcohol at an early age. The campaign and study are being released in conjunction with Alcohol Awareness Month (April) and as part of the Surgeon General’s „Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.“ The PSAs are being distributed to media outlets throughout the country and will also be available on line at the campaign’s online fulfillment here. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/26/10)

Before Spring Break: Explain The Science Of Why Girls Can’t Drink Alcohol Like Boys.
Spring break is here and many teenage girls may be tempted to take their first drink. The Science Inside Alcohol Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science suggests that parents, teachers and caregivers help girls delay that first drink by telling them what scientific research shows regarding their ability to handle alcohol compared to boys.
There’s reason to worry. The number of teens who use alcohol rose 11% from 2008 to 2009, according to a new report from the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Teens are drinking younger and more often. In the 1960s, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only 7% of girls reported having their first drink between the ages of 10 and 14. Now, 31% try alcohol before high school. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/19/10)

Ads Enticing Them to Drink. Youth Demand State Ban on Alcohol Ads on Their “School Buses”.
Boston, MA (March 15, 2010) — Demonstrators will gather March 16th, 2010, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Boston Common, across from the State House, to show public support for ending alcohol advertising on state property, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which serves as the public transit system for Greater Boston.
Brought together by the Supporting an Alcohol-Ad Free Environment – Massachusetts coalition (SAFE-MA), youth and community supporters will protest against the MBTA’s use of T trains—which serve as “school buses” for 9,600 Boston youth—to promote alcohol use. By this action, they hope to gain additional support from The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, who will decide March 17th, 2010 whether to advance HB 1113: an act prohibiting alcohol advertising on Commonwealth property, introduced by Representative Martin J. Walsh (D – 13th Suffolk). (Source: Marin Institute, 3/15/10)

Dear Legislator,
I support AB 1694 — The Alcohol-Related Services Program It’s time for Big Alcohol to pay its fair share of California’s annual $38.4 billion in alcohol-related trauma care, hospitalization, treatment, prevention and criminal justice costs. (Source: Marin Institute, 2/20/10)

The Royal College of Nursing today (17th December) welcomed the launch of new guidance for parents, children and young people on alcohol consumption, published by the Chief Medical Officer. Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said: „Both in A&E departments and in classrooms nurses see the devastating effects alcohol is having on young people everyday – it is damaging not just their health but also their education, development and general wellbeing. (Source: Medical News Today, 12/17/09) // guardian.co.uk, 12/17/09

HELP US MEET OUR GOAL – FOR FREE THE BOWLTM
Marin Institute created the Free The BowlTM contest last year to raise awareness around SPORTS and ADVERTISING by Big Alcohol companies. Anheuser-Busch InBev spends over $14 million a year creating the hottest beer ads to launch on Super Bowl Sunday. This event boasts over 100 million television viewers and is a CASH COW for the alcohol industry. The PROBLEM with SPORTS and BIG ALCOHOL ADS is that our children love watching professional sports as much as parents do! On Super Bowl Sunday, 20 million youth under the age of 21 will be sitting with their families watching these pervasive and excessive ads. … (Source: Marin Institute, 12/16/09)

Our Holiday Gift Wish: Help us get Super Bowl Beer Ads Off The Air! Give the people on your holiday list
a Free The Bowl donation in their name.
During Super Bowl 2008, the most watched commercial, with 103.2 million viewers, was the Bud Light Lime ad.
18 million youth under 21 are exposed to beer ads on Super Bowl Sunday. Anheuser-Busch InBev spent over $14 million on ad time for Super Bowl 2009 beer ads. On Super Bowl Sunday 2007, there was a 25% increase in total alcohol beverage cooler sales and a 13% increase in beer sales. Every year alcohol sales are the highest in the two-week period before the Super Bowl. Marin Institute Donation

Host of the 36th Symposium is the Swiss Institute on Alcohol and other Drugproblems in Lausanne. May 31 – June 4, 2010. Website of the Symposium: http://www.kbs2010.ch (Source: Infoset Newsletter December 2009)

Council invites Member States and Commission to keep alcohol high on the agenda. The Council of the EU adopted today its Conclusions on Alcohol and Health. Today’s Council conclusions on Alcohol and Health
The Council reiterates that harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption is the third most significant risk factor for ill health in the EU and that many Community policies have a potential positive or negative impact on health and well-being.
The Council also notes that the level of alcohol-related harm is still high in the Member States, that 15 % of the EU population drinks at harmful levels and that the impact of harmful use of alcohol is greater in young people.
It also remarks that these issues are of Community relevance because of the cross-border element and highlights the negative effect on both economic and social development and public health.
The Council conclusions also mention that alcohol marketing increases the likelihood of young people to start drinking, that alcohol has became more affordable between 1996 and 2004 and that alcohol pricing policies can reduce alcohol consumption and related harm.
It also points at the relationship between alcohol consumption and communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
The Council invites the Member States to:
* implement the good practices included in the EU Alcohol
* foster a multi-sectoral approach
* make use of effective measures
* consider the role of alcohol pricing policies
* address the well-being of the aging population

The Council invites both the Commission and the Member States to:
* Keep alcohol policy high on the agenda
* strengthen the identification and dissemination of effective policies
* recognize the reduction of health inequalities as a priority
* engage the alcohol industry to enforce regulatory measures
* consider how to improve EU regulations on alcohol marketing
* implementation of brief interventions
* raise awareness of the impact of harmful consumption

The Council invites the Commission to:
* Continue to provide strong support to the Member States
* Ensure that alcohol is taken into account in other EU policy areas
* Consider further steps to reduce exposure to alcohol marketing
* Report to the council in 2012 at the latest on the progress and outcome of the Commission work , and;
* Define the priorities for the next phase of the Commission’s work on alcohol after the end of the current strategy in 2012. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter 12/1/09member st) Comment: At least the EU-Council sees clearly.

The city of Paris has launched an awareness raising campaign targeting young people that aims at warning them about the dangers of binge drinking. The campaign is based on a shortfilm contest: Binge drinking: Drinking too much is a nightmare. The six winners will receive an award of 250 to 1 500 euros and their video will be broadcasted on the home page of MSN France. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter 12/1/09) For more information visit: www.thebinge-lefilm.com