www.alkoholpolitik.ch

The paper aims to discuss the thorny issues of industry-funded social marketing campaigns. Can the tobacco industry be trusted to educate our children about the dangers of smoking? Is a brewer the best source of health promotion? The paper argues for transparency and critical appraisal. The paper looks at the issues of tobacco and alcohol in more detail, emphasises the need for caution and suggests guidelines for future practice. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 02/12/11) emeraldinsight.com

Active and partners launch action week for children of alcohol addicts.
Today, Active – sobriety, friendship and peace and partners from all over Europe join to pool and concentrate resources to bring attention to the situation of children and young people who have to grow-up in families harmed by alcohol abuse.
Approximately 9 Million children in the European Union are affected by their parents’ drinking problems. These children suffer from neglect, feelings of shame and selfblaming for their parents’ addiction and from continuous conflicts at home. Many children and young people have to witness and suffer violence. … (Source: Active/Eurocare Press Release, 02/14/11) Comment: I think this is one of the worst effects of alcohol in our societies. Who cares?

Alcohol sponsorship should be banned for sports and cultural events in Wales in order to help cut the boozy culture, according to an alcohol awareness charity.
Alcohol Concern Cymru has said that the marketing on view at such events is distorting the public’s view of how “safe” drinking is. However, the Portman group, the representative for drinks manufacturers, commented that there was little proof to show that advertising bans worked. It claimed that it is more effective to promote responsible drinking rather and encourage people to drink sensibly….(Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/13/11) carrentals.co.uk, 02/13/11 our Online-Comment: It is proofed by many studies that alcohol ads do influence youth drinking. It is also clear that the alcohol industry always is in favour of prevention measures which do not reduce their profits. Alcohol sponsoring should be banned.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Several hundred concerned citizens and people with developmental disabilities marched Friday on the state Capitol in support of raising the alcohol tax to help fund services they need.
The dime-a-drink legislation would raise an estimated $215 million. Maryland alcohol taxes are among the lowest in the nation, and the legislation has wide support. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/12/11) wbaltv.com, 02/12/11 our Online-Comment: Those critical to a tax rise on alcohol should remember that they are paying a life long without beeing asked the awful amount of alcohol related social costs each year with taxes and insurance premiums. If alcohol taxes could reduce alcohol consumption the total burden of alcohol related harm would decrease too. Therefor higher alcohol taxes are a good investment, especially for moderate consumers.

…AIDS Second
Today the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that alcohol is to blame for just about 4% of, or 2.5 million deaths worldwide annually. Alcohol attributable injuries are of a growing concern to the public health community, with alcohol-related injuries such as road traffic accidents, burns, poisonings, falls and drownings making up more than a third of the disease burden attributable to alcohol consumption. AIDS was a close second with 2.1 milion deaths in 2009.
Yet alcohol control policies are weak and remain a low priority for most governments despite drinking’s heavy toll on society from road accidents, violence, disease, child neglect and job absenteeism. … (Source: Medical News Today, 02/11/11) WHO: Global status report on alcohol and health analyses our Online-Comment: For those persons who don’t like them, figures from other sources are always incorrect. But nobody can deny that governments do not care enough about them. And that is the main sorrow of the WHO. The alcohol industry could not hinder that in May 2010 the WHO General Assembly accepted a resolution on a global alcohol strategy. Now it puts pressure on the national governments that they don’t implement the proposals in their legislation. The civil societies come off a loser.

Alcohol abuse is killing 2.5 million people each year and governments must do more to prevent it, the World Health Organization said Friday.
Some 4 percent of all deaths worldwide are attributable to alcohol, the U.N. body said. The main causes of alcohol-related deaths are injuries incurred when drunk, cancer, liver cirrhosis, heart disease and strokes.
„It’s a killer and it’s not good from a public health point of view,“ Melvin Freeman of South African’s Ministry of Health and a contributor to the report, told reporters in Geneva.
Worldwide, over 6 percent of male deaths are related to alcohol, but only just over 1 percent of deaths in women. Almost one in 10 deaths among young people aged 15-to-29 is from alcohol-related causes — about 320,000 each year — WHO said. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/11/11) Washington Examiner: 02/11/11

The Queenstown Lakes District Council’s submission on the Alcohol Reform Bill is expected to be approved by the Community Services Committee next Tuesday, just in time for its February 18 deadline.
Agreed on by a working party of over a dozen affected parties including licensees, community wardens, police, hoteliers and community groups, the submission identifies consensual goals for the control of liquor and the tools required to achieve it.
The submission on the Bill, which was released for public consultation on November 11 last year, stated the wording of the Bill must be „clear, concise and avoid potential ambiguity“ for terms. … Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/11/11) odt.co.nz, 02/11/11

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — During the month of January, detectives with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Rural Crime Investigation Unit and investigators with the State of California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, working under a GAP Grant funded by the State of California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, conducted alcohol enforcement operations resulting in the arrest of 7 individuals.
Detectives and investigators conducted a variety of operations including the use of minor decoys and undercover enforcement targeting Bakersfield, Oildale, Rosedale, Boron, North Edwards, Rosamond and the City of McFarland. As a result of these enforcement operations the following suspects were arrested…. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/10/11) turnto23.com, 02/10/11

by Sally Casswell in The Lancet, 02/05/11
It was heartening to read of the forthcoming UN high-level meeting on chronic non-communicable diseases and the excellent strategic analysis by Robert Geneau and colleagues (Nov 13, p 1689),1 which addressed the links between chronic disease and poverty and the reasons for inaction.
As Geneau and colleagues‘ Series paper states, alcohol (a fast-growing risk factor in the populous, disproportionately young countries with growing economies) is a contributor to important chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and tuberculosis. It therefore qualifies for attention in this forum because of its contribution to premature mortality, the basis on which Geneau and colleagues suggest that resource allocation should be made. However, alcohol differs somewhat from other risk factors mentioned in the Series in that its contribution to the global burden of disease and injury is, in large part, via its effect on morbidity (injury from violence and motor vehicle crashes, alcohol dependence, and depression). Much of the effect is in young people, and disability-adjusted life-years are equivalent to those of tobacco globally.

ALCOHOL LABELLING POLICIES TO PROTECT YOUNG PEOPLE
Place: European Parliament (Brussels), Date: Thursday 17 March 2011, Time: 12h00 – 15h00, Room: JAN6Q2
Pick up just about any beverage on store shelves and you’ll find on the packaging information about the calories, ingredients… etc. Unless, that is, the beverage is alcohol. In 2011, it’s inexcusable that alcohol is still the only product sold in the European Union for which you cannot tell what is inside. Do consumers deserve more information?
Furthermore, alcohol, like tobacco, is one of the leading risk factors for death and ill health in the EU, especially among young people. Should health information and warning labels be introduced on all alcoholic beverages in order to allow consumers to make more informed decisions about their drinking?
This lunch seminar will be a unique opportunity to learn more about the potential impact of alcohol labelling, its advantages and drawbacks as well as the actions which could be put in place in Europe, both at the institutional and industry levels.
Due to the limited amount of available seats, prior registration is needed. Please click here