www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Alcohol is one of the key health determinants in the European countries which needs to be tackled. Europe is the continent where per capita alcohol consumption is the highest in the world. In established market economies such as the EU Member States the burden of disease and injury attributable to alcohol is estimated to be situated between 8 and 10%.
Combating alcohol-related harm therefore is a public health priority in many Member States, and at EU level. It is not only health consequences in a narrow sense which raise concern. The social dimension has also to be considered: violence, hooliganism, crime, family problems, social exclusion, problems at the workplace and drink driving. All these are areas where political action is needed. There is agreement among the Member States that, beyond individual national efforts, a joint alcohol strategy at Community level is needed. EU-review, 9/22/09

A new study finds that adults who legally were able to purchase alcohol before the age of 21 in their states are more likely than others are to be alcoholics or addicted to drugs. Researchers are not certain how to explain the difference, but it is possible that a higher drinking age could cut back on the intensity of alcohol use before the age of 21, said lead study author Karen Norberg, M.D., a research instructor in psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. (Source: Medical News Today, 9/19/09)

UPCOMING CASACONFERENCES: How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope
This important and timely CASACONFERENCE is designed especially for those who want to know how to help children make it to age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using illegal drugs: parents, pastors, principals, teachers, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and community leaders.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 8:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m., The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Conference Center
633 Third Avenue, NYC 10017. Keynote Speaker: Nora D. Volkow, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (Source: CASA, Columbia University, 9/11/09)

Under the influence – The damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people – by The British Medical Association (BMA) September 2009

All alcohol marketing should be banned, including sponsorship of major sporting and music events, and cut price promotions like happy hours, doctors leaders have warned. A report by the British Medical Association said tough measures were needed to tackle the medical, psychological and social harm caused by excess drinking. (Source: Google Alkohol Alert, 9/9/09) Channel 4 News, 9/8/09

Commenting on the publication on Wednesday of surgical mortality rates, which showed that alcohol abuse was a factor in 1 in 15 reported deaths, the BMA called on politicians to be bold and implement a raft of tough measures to tackle Scotland’s destructive relationship with alcohol. (Source: Medical News Today, 9/4/09)

A three-part series recently published in The Lancet (the British equivalent of the Journal of the American Medical Association) brings attention to the substantial harm that alcohol causes around the world, most of which could be prevented or reduced. (Source: Marin Institute, 9/3/09) (We reported earlier on it)

WHO’s upcoming report Global health risks will identify the global and regional mortality and disease burden associated with 24 health risks. These risk factors range from environmental risks such as exposure to smoke from indoor solid fuel use, to metabolic risks such as high blood pressure. The report finds that five leading risk factors (childhood underweight, unsafe sex, alcohol use, unsafe water and sanitation, and high blood pressure) are responsible for one-quarter of all deaths in the world and one-fifth of all disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Success in reducing exposure to these five risk factors alone would increase global life expectancy by nearly 5 years. (Source: Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2009;87:646-646. doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.070565)

SAMHSA Launches Funding Website: A new website launched last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) includes current information on addiction and mental-health funding for treatment, prevention, and interventions, as well as a archive of funding-related reports, news and other information. This and other funding news on the latest newsletter of Join Together (to register)

Click here to download the complete journal in pdf format. (Source: THE GLOBE 2/2009 with articles )