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Russia’s winemaking industry should be developed to help tackle widespread alcohol abuse, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.
“Winemaking is one of the branches that should be developed and contribute to the eradication of alcoholism. Countries where this branch is strong, have no problems with alcohol abuse,” the president said at a meeting with the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory, Alexander Tkachev. Medvedev said problems with alcohol abuse stem from “other drinks.” … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/27/11) Comment: Wine producing countries have no alcohol-problem. Very funny.

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

Drugs, alcohol and gambling are all vices that have ruined the lives of athletes. Even the greatest and most talented players in the world have succumbed to these vices, which inhibit their ability to play and drain them financially.
The vices may be different, but the outcome is generally the same: Athletes that get caught up in these worlds ruin their careers and never live up to their potential.
Here are the athletes that had their playing and coaching days cut short and ruined perfectly good careers. … (Source: Join Together, 08/12/11) bleacherreport.com, 08/8/11

Commentary on Laslett et al. (2011).
In their paper, Laslett et al. [1] have done a service not just to the research community, but to the millions of people who are affected by alcohol production, distribution and consumption every day in every corner of the world. In brief, the authors have provided a national-level assessment of how the drinking of individuals can affect the social fabric of a society. The impact is widespread and significant in terms of psychological, physical, social and economic costs. Negative effects from others’ drinking were reported by over 70% of Australians in the past year, with 51% experiencing serious adverse effects. Although Australia may not be representative of countries with lower levels of per capita income and alcohol consumption, the article raises some fascinating questions about the ways in which alcohol-related problems are defined, conceptualized, measured, and controlled. For example, what other legally available consumer product (tobacco, automobiles, gambling, etc.) has a comparable negative impact on the majority of the population of an advanced industrialized country? … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/8/11)Addiction, 106, 1612–1613 onlinelibrary.wiley.com, 2011

The Coalition Government is committed to a new strategy for the way government, health and community services, businesses, families, and communities work together to address alcohol and drug related harms in Victoria, Minister for Mental Health, Mary Wooldridge said today.
Announcing the Expert Advisory Group which will inform the development of the whole of government Victorian Alcohol and Drugs strategy, Ms Wooldridge said the appointment of the 17-member expert taskforce, chaired by Professor Richard Larkins is an important step forward. … More information about the whole of government Victorian Alcohol and Drug Strategy, including details about how to make a submission are available on www.health.vic.gov.au/aod/strategy. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 8/8/11)media release, 08/7/11

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)

Hosted by MEP Elzbieta Lukacijewska (EPP, Poland)
Key note speaker European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy Mr John Dalli
Place: European Parliament – Brussels; Date: Wednesday 7th September; Time: 12h30 – 15h00; Room: A3 E2
This event is jointly organized by European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) and the Polish State Agency for State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA) to mark International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day.
For more information please contact: aleksandra.kaczmarek@eurocare.org. Click to register

79 NGOs from various sectors have issued a statement of concern to the President of the UN General Assembly. The NGOs are concerned about the lack of clarity of roles for the industry sector in the recently held UN interactive hearing for civil society and the UN High Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCD) in September.
2011-06-23
The statement was addressed to Dr. Joseph Deiss, President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Sylvie Lucas, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, and Ambassador Raymond Wolfe, Permanent Representative of Jamaica. All are key actors in the ongoing process on NCD in UN.

The 79 signatories draws from various fields of interest, including Baby Milk Action, alcohol, tobacco, essential medicines, consumers groups and various health groups. While the organisations strongly support the objective of raising the profile of NCDs globally they express concerns over the lack of clarity regarding the role of the private sector. … (Source: add-resources.org, 06/23/11),

Important informations on alcohol politics. Issued June 19, 2011 Content:
News From Eurocare Members – News From the EU – News From the WHO – News from across Europe – News From Around the World – Upcoming events – Questions from MEPs

After 21 years of valuable service to Eurocare, Dr. Michel Craplet from ANPAA resigned from his post as Chairman of the organization. The former vice Chairman of Eurocare, Ms. Tiziana Codenotti was elected to be the new president. The General Assembly elected as well a new Board. … (Source: Eurocare Newsletter May – June 2011)