www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Prevention of Teen Substance Abuse Must Start with Tackling America’s Underage Drinking Epidemic. Let’s Make it Cool for Teens Not to Drink!

Joseph A. Califano, Jr.A recent survey of 7th through 11th graders in the Connecticut gold coast town of Westport, Connecticut, nails the importance of targeting alcohol use among teens for parents, teachers, pediatricians and public health professionals who seek to prevent teen substance abuse and addiction.

The survey by the Governor’s Prevention Initiative for Youth revealed that 25 percent of the town’s 9th graders, 37 percent of 10th graders, and 60 percent of 11th graders had been drinking alcohol in the previous 30 days. Translated from substance abuse statistical jargon to plain English, this means that these high school freshman, sophomores and juniors are current drinkers, likely drinking regularly. … (Source: CASA, Chairman’s Corner, 11/15/11)

our online-comment:
As long as politicians are not willing to reduce the harmful impact of the alcohol industry on society (TV-marketing is only one sector of many) in order to reduce alcohol consumption in general, youth will miss the good example and will hardly be convinced by educational prevention. Alcohol-lobbies are a sort of corruption. Not only in the Third World.

Alcohol is the world’s number one risk factor for ill-health and premature death amongst the 25-59 year old age group, a core of the working age population. Europe is the heaviest drinking region of the world. Consumption levels in some countries are around 2.5 times higher than the global average (WHO 2009). Alarmingly 43% among 15-16 year old European students reported heavy binge drinking during the past 30 days (ESPAD 2007) and alcohol is the single biggest cause of death among young men of age 16 to 24.
The World Economic Forum’s 2010 Global Risks Report identifies non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as the second most severe threat to the global economy in terms of likelihood and potential economic loss. NCDs are a global risk equal in cost to the current global financial crisis. NCDs account for 86% of deaths globally, cardio-vascular diseases alone cost the EU economy €192 billion a year; similarly diabetes type II affects nearly 10% of entire adult population and costs €166 billion annually. The World Economic Forum and Harvard School of Public Health estimate that NCDs will cause a €25 trillion global economic output loss over the period 2005-2030.
Alcohol abuse is one of the 4 risk factors for developing NCDS such as cancer (1 in 3 European will get cancer in the coming years) and cardiovascular disease. It is important to address alcohol in this context and give it the attention needed.
Addressing the issue of alcohol abuse through effective policies will offer measurable health system savings and enhance the growth and productivity agenda for Europe 2020.
By decreasing the level of alcohol consumption, as well as being physically active and having a healthy diet:
– 75% of deaths from cardiovascular disease could be avoided
– 30-40% of cancers could be avoided

Due to the size of the problem and the universal impact, alcohol abuse is too big for governments to solve
alone. It requires a comprehensive, coordinated response from policy and decisions makers at the
European and national levels as well as all stakeholders concerned.

With this in mind, we the signatories would like to call on the Ministers of Health in Europe to
acknowledge the need for a comprehensive alcohol policy framework. The Committee on National
Alcohol Policy and Action are meeting on 17th November and we urge you to put forward a
request to the European Commission for a future European Alcohol Strategy 2013 – 2020.
(Source: Eurocare; Link to the letter

Comment: For Swiss policy-makers too… But we know, they don’t care.

AAW is led by Alcohol Concern the national charity on alcohol misuse.

As part of AAW, Alcohol Concern have launched a Charter for a World Free from Alcohol Harm. It is a call to action on politicians and professionals to campaign for the measures necessary to enable people in the UK to live free from alcohol harms. The measures are based on WHO recommendations and on policies supported by professionals in the alcohol and health fields.

The Charter aims to promote action to reduce the risks alcohol presents to society. It sets out measures such as responsible retailing, ensuring alcohol is not sold at artificially low prices, protecting children from social marketing, limiting the number of new licences, and increasing the identification and support of people suffering from alcohol-related harms.

Alcohol Concern are calling for as many people and groups as possible to sign up to the Charter, so that a real „grassroots“ movement is formed. They also want the Charter and its measures to be formally included in the forthcoming National Alcohol Strategy. This, they believe, will ensure that the public health of the nation is always put first, and that we will begin to live in a world which gives each of us the right to live free from the burdens of alcohol abuse.

The publishing of the Charter is the start of a range of activities by Alcohol Concern during Alcohol Awareness Week, which also include the launch of the Youth Report on Advertising and an invitation to share your local activities on their Facebook page.

For more information see here or visit the Alcohol Concern Facebook page. Alcohol Concern have also released a units poster available to help people think about their level of drinking. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 11/14/11)

A group of medical organizations from around the world this week issued a statement calling on doctors to take the lead in demanding action to reduce alcohol misuse.

The statement, issued in The Lancet, said doctors, who are valued and trusted, are in a unique position to lead and inform this initiative. It comes in advance of next week’s United Nations Summit on Non-communicable Diseases, HealthDay reports.

Two billion people worldwide consume alcohol, and of these, 76.3 million have alcohol misuse problems, the statement notes, adding that alcohol use is the third leading risk factor for preventable and premature disease.

“It is every clinician’s responsibility to address alcohol harm, both on a daily basis with individual patients and in the wider context of health harms and inequalities at the population level,” the statement says. “We ask governments to act urgently and to champion evidence-based initiatives for the implementation of effective alcohol strategies at all levels to improve the health of populations worldwide.” … (Source: Join Together, 09/16/11) Comment: Where are our doctors?

Heineken, the world’s third-largest brewing company, has signed a landmark partnership with Google aimed at taking over our computer screens – and marketing to our children. The advertising deal is estimated to reach at least 103 million minors under the age of 18 per month, plus several million more underage youth between the ages of 18 and 20 worldwide. Heineken ads will be concentrated on Google’s YouTube and will involve homepage takeovers and pre-roll ad slots. YouTube receives about 490 million visitors per month, of which an estimated 21% are under age 18. Other alcohol advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch InBev (Bud Light) have previously bought standard YouTube pre-roll ad space, but no alcohol company has ever entered into such an extensive deal that will reach so many young people. (Source: Alcohol Justice, 08/24/11)

As we prepare to send kids back to classrooms for another school year, it’s important to equip parents and caregivers with the tools for talking with their children about alcohol. This issue is especially personal for me because my beautiful 15-year-old daughter, Alisa Joy, was killed by an underage drunk driver. While the pain of losing a loved one to drunk driving is devastating, we at Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are committed to educating families about how to prevent such needless tragedies.
Teen alcohol use kills 6,000 young people each year, more than all other illegal drugs combined. However, research shows that three out of four teens say their parents are the number one influence on their decisions about alcohol. So it makes sense to provide parents with the tools to effectively harness their tremendous influence. … (Source: Join Together, 08/19/11)

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

September 7th, 2011 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM; Location Rue Wiertz 60 European Parliament Brussels, B 1047
Belgium Contact Phone: +32 (0)2 736 39 76 Email: aleksandra.kaczmarek@eurocare.org
This event is jointly organized by European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) and the Polish State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA) to mark International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is the leading known cause of birth defects and developmental disorders in the EU.
This meeting will be a unique opportunity to learn more about this condition, share experiences and good practices, and discuss with specialist working in the field the different policy options to curb its incidence. … (Source: Eurocare, 08/4/11)

We are now called „Alcohol Justice,“ the one and only alcohol industry watchdog. Our laser focus is on the world’s most harmful drug, and the companies that make and market it. This rebranding of Marin Institute reflects our global mission: To hold the industry accountable for the harm alcohol inflicts upon our many diverse communities. We use research, media and organizing to expose the industry’s products and practices, and actively advocate for effective policies such as increasing alcohol prices,restricting youth-oriented products, limiting ubiquitous and inappropriate alcohol advertising, and supporting state alcohol control. (Source: alcoholjustice.org, 07/27/11)Click here to learn more about our new name, „Alcohol Justice.“

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)