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Self-regulation is not an answer
AMMIE Final Report: European alcohol industry fails in protecting young people towards alcohol marketing
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Actis: Loss of income if the pubs close one hour earlier

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(Source: Eurocare, 05/03/12)

Around 50 Norwegian municipalities currently have places that sell alcohol to three o’clock at night. If these pubs have to close the sale of alcohol an hour earlier, the income of each club will probably be reduced by around 10 percent, according to a new report from the Norwegian National Institute of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research (SIRUS).

– The main conclusion is that a one-hour reduction in the sales hours will reduce revenue per pint with an average of 9 to 12 percent, said SIRUS researcher Hans Olav Melberg.

– This is an average. Some restaurants and bars will experience a larger drop in sales, while others will experience a smaller effect, said Melberg.

The figures from the research are good news for all those who are working for an reduction of binge drinking and violence, says Sten Magne Berglund, Deputy Secretary General of Actis – a Norwegian Policy Network on alcohol and drugs. …
(Source: Eurocare Newsletter 4/2012)

Contemporary Swedes drink significantly more alcohol and eat more meat since the country joined the European Union in 1995, according to a new report by the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket).

„With regards to alcoholic drinks and meat, the liberalisation of imports and price developments have contributed to increased consumption,“ the board explained in a statement.

One of the key points of negotiation during Sweden’s EU membership application process concerned the issue of the state-controlled alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget.

Sweden secured the right to retain the monopoly until 2004 after which time import restrictions were eased for private individuals. The board’s report notes that the easing of import restrictions has led to an increase in consumption. The report shows that the consumption of alcoholic beverages increased by 56 percent from 1995 to 2009, primarily of high-alcohol beer and wine.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, News 18/2012) thelocal.se, 04/28/12

FLASH REPORT FROM THE CHAIR – PLENARY MEETING OF 26 APRIL 2012
The 10th Plenary meeting of the European Alcohol and Health Forum (EAHF) took place on 26 April 2012 in Brussels. The topic of the forum was
responsible marketing.

The session focussed on responsible marketing started with a brief overview of ongoing activities and commitments to action under the Forum. Results from three studies financed from the EU Health Programme were then presented. …
(Source: EU, 04/30/12)

Background: Response rates for surveys of alcohol use are declining for all modes of administration (postal, telephone, face to-face). Low response rates may result in estimates that are biased by selective non-response. We examined non-response bias in the NZ GENACIS survey, a postal survey of a random electoral roll sample, with a response rate of 49.5% (n = 1924). Our aim was to estimate the magnitude of non-response bias in estimating the prevalence of current drinking and heavy episodic (binge) drinking.
Methods: We used the ‘‘continuum of resistance’’ model to guide the investigation. In this model the likelihood of response by sample members is related to the amount of effort required from the researchers to elicit a response. First, the demographic characteristics of respondents and non-respondents were compared. Second, respondents who returned their questionnaire before the first reminder (early), before the second reminder (intermediate) or after the second reminder (late) were compared by demographic characteristics, 12-month prevalence of drinking and prevalence of binge drinking.
Results: Demographic characteristics and prevalence of binge drinking were significantly different between late respondents and early/intermediate respondents, with the demographics of early and intermediate respondents being similar to people who refused to participate while late respondents were similar to all other non-respondents. Assuming non-respondents who did not actively refuse to participate had the same drinking patterns as late respondents, the prevalence of binge drinking amongst current drinkers was underestimated. Adjusting the prevalence of binge drinkers amongst current drinkers using population weights showed that this method of adjustment still resulted in an underestimate of the prevalence.
Conclusions: The findings suggest non-respondents who did not actively refuse to participate are likely to have similar or more extreme drinking behaviours than late respondents, and that surveys of health compromising behaviours such as alcohol use are likely to underestimate the prevalence of these behaviours.

(Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/26/12) Open source

School of Humanities and Cultural Industries, Bath Spa University, Newton Park, Bath BA2 9BN, UK

Aims: To provide a snapshot content analysis of social media marketing among leading alcohol brands in the UK, and to outline the implications for both regulatory policies and further research. Methods: Using screengrab technology, the complete Facebook walls and Twitter timelines for 12 leading UK alcohol brands in November 2011 were captured and archived. A total of 701 brand-authored posts were identified and categorized using a thematic coding frame. Key strategic trends were identified and analysed in the light of contextual research into recent developments in marketing practice within the alcohol industry…..
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/12) alcalc.oxfordjournals.org, 04/23/12

Los Angeles emergency rooms are reporting a growing number of teenagers coming in drunk after drinking cheap liquid hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizers, which contain over 60% ethyl alcohol and can make a 120-proof liquid, are becoming an increasingly popular route for getting drunk.

According to the Los Angeles Times, six teens have been reportedly taken to emergency rooms in the San Fernando Valley and treated for alcohol poisoning after drinking the hand sanitizers. In some cases, salt was used to separate the alcohol, so that it could be drunk straight, like a shot. Learning how to distill the sanitizer is not so difficult if you know how to look things up online.

Public health officials in the San Fernando Valley have described these cases as possibly a signal of a dangerous trend. ….
(Source: Medical News Today, 04/24/12)

Countries need to recognize that alcohol consumption is a big and growing public health threat and take appropriate action, experts concluded at a WHO regional meeting on the prevention and control of the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) through reduction of alcohol-related harm.

WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr Shin Young-soo opened the four-day meeting on 10 April by calling alcohol a „chief culprit“ behind the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases, which accounts for four out of every five deaths in the Western Pacific. …
Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/24/12) wpro.who.int, 19 April 2012

An exploration of alcohol research in history is available on the Alcohol Research UK blog. It is taken from a presentation by Professor Virginia Berridge given at the launch of Alcohol Research UK.

It highlights the connection between evidence and policy and practice is relatively recent – a connection which has risen with some force since the 1970s. The post explores:

– temperance investigation and how it became science
– interest in the action of alcohol on the body
– the particular impact of the First World War
– drink driving and science
– new influences coming from the US and WHO
– new directions in Britain after the Second World War
– the rise of ‘evidence’
– international networks

(Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 04/20/12)

TELL L.A. City Public Safety Committee to Stop Sitting on the Motion to Ban Alcohol Ads on Public Property. Last summer, with your help, we banned alcohol ads from 6,000 bus benches in the City of Los Angeles. Now let’s ban alcohol ads completely from all Los Angeles public property.

Councilmember Richard Alarcón introduced a motion to ban alcohol ads city-wide last year, but the Public Safety Committee is refusing to bring the motion forward.
It’s time to mobilize, and organize to protect our children from „city-authorized“ alcohol ads!

SEND your letter to the L. A. Public Safety Committee Telling them to MOVE THE MOTION to Ban Alcohol Ads from All L.A Public Property!
TAKE ACTION NOW (Source: Alcohol Justice, 04/19/12)