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Punishments for drunk driving vary widely by location, ranging from receiving a ticket to landing in jail for a first-time offense, according to USA Today.
When former NBA star and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose was sentenced this week in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield for drunk driving, he was ordered to serve 20 days in the county jail for his first offense. Had he appeared in nearby Pontiac, MI, he most likely would not have gone to jail, the newspaper reports.
States that require mandatory jail time for first offenders include Alaska, Tennessee and Georgia, while no jail time is required for first-time offenders in California, Connecticut and Indiana. Wisconsin gives first-time drunk drivers a ticket. (Source: Join Together, 07/29/11)

Latest figures from a national survey of 11-15 year old pupils suggests fewer young people are drinking, and are less accepting of drunkenness. However it also finds no clear trend in consumption levels for those that do drink. The findings come from an annual survey which in 2010 included 7,296 pupils from 246 schools.
Some key findings from the report includes:
Between 2009 and 2010 the percentage of 11-15 year olds who had tried alcohol fell from 51% to 45%.
In 2010, the mean amount consumed by pupils who had drunk in the last week was 12.9 units. Mean consumption levels have varied between 11.6 units and 14.6 units since 2007, with no clear trend. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 07/28/11)

Following the institution of an Indiana law requiring anyone buying and carrying out alcohol to show identification, regardless of their age, state inspectors report fewer of the state’s liquor stores, bars and restaurants are selling alcohol to those under 21. Under a recent revision to the law, store clerks are no longer required to ask customers for ID if they reasonably appear older than 40. …
The Associated Press reports that State Excise Police conducted more than 5,000 inspections in the first half of 2011, in which people ages 18 to 20 accompany officers and try to purchase alcohol. They found that 8.8 percent of bars and restaurants violated the law, as did 4.3 percent of liquor stores, compared with more than 40 percent in 2009. (Source: Join Together, 07/28/11)

A new study has revealed how the alcohol industry is using its Drinkwise organisation to create an impression of social responsibility while promoting measures for which there is little evidence of impact and are unlikely to hurt profits.
A research team from Deakin University’s School of Psychology examined submissions to the Australian National Preventative Health Taskforce (NPHT) to determine which organisations or individuals discussed positive relationships or work by Drinkwise. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/25/11)

A report from the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) demonstrates brief interventions for alcohol are the most cost effective, followed by interventions for smoking, sexual health and physical activity.
Changing Health Choices – A review of the cost-effectiveness of individual level behaviour change interventions
Key findings include: The cost-effectiveness of brief interventions is strongest for interventions among high risk drinkers. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/25/11)

… with and without a recent history of sexual violence.
Alcohol misuse among college students is a significant public health problem that can have negative long-term implications. One important correlate of problem drinking among college female populations is sexual violence. The current study investigated: (1) past year sexual violence and its association with alcohol consumption and related psychosocial variables (stress, coping, and mental health); and (2) whether the impact of an alcohol intervention was different for college women with a history of sexual violence compared to those without such a history. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/24/11)

Underage drinking and associated problems have profound negative consequences for underage drinkers, their families, their communities, and society as a whole. Underage drinking contributes to a wide range of costly health and social problems, including motor vehicle crashes (the greatest single mortality risk for underage drinkers); suicide; interpersonal violence (e.g., homicides, assaults, rapes); unintentional injuries such as burns, falls, and drowning; brain impairment; alcohol dependence; risky sexual activity; academic problems; and alcohol and drug poisoning. On average, alcohol is a factor in the deaths of approximately 4,700 youths in the United States per year, shortening their lives by an average of 60 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] Alcohol-Related Disease Impact [ARDI] software, 2009b). … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/21/11)

Almost one-quarter of Americans age 12 or older say they participated in binge drinking in the previous month, according to a government survey. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found binge drinking rates varied among states, ranging from 14.1 percent in Utah, to 29.8 percent in North Dakota. The survey defines binge drinking as having five or more drinks on one occasion. …
The survey included interviews with more than 137,000 people between 2008 and 2009. … (Source: Join Together, 07/21/11)

Binge drinking among young people may have peaked according to official new data.
Amid the constant furore surrounding binge drinking among Britain’s young people, a quiet revolution is taking place. Increasing numbers are abstaining from alcohol in what appears to be a rejection of media stereotypes and peer pressure.
An annual survey of young people’s drinking habits, to be published by the NHS Information Centre in two weeks, is expected to show another rise in the number of young teenagers who have never had a drink. This follows nine years of steady increases in the proportion of 11 to 15 year olds who have never tried alcohol, from 39 per cent in 2001 to 49 per cent last year.
These figures coincide with a 21 per cent decline in the number of children under the age of 16 needing hospital treatment for alcohol-related diseases in the past two years, suggesting that safe drinking messages may be starting to get through. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 07/19/11) independent.co.uk, 07/06/11

A nationwide study confirms that binge drinking has reached epidemic proportions in China and argues that efforts to tackle the problem must address the country’s unique drinking culture.
In this study, published online today in the journal Addiction, binge drinking was defined as consuming 50g or more pure alcohol in one day for men (about five 330ml tins of beer), and 40g or more for women. The study found that of the almost 50,000 people surveyed across China, 55.6% of men and 15% of women were current drinkers, having had at least one drink in the previous twelve months. Among current drinkers, men averaged a daily intake of 47.8 grams of pure alcohol, with a median of 5.6 binges per year. Women fared a bit better, with an average daily intake of 19.1g and a median of 2.4 binges per year. 26% of male drinkers and 8% of female drinkers were classed as ‚frequent drinkers‘, drinking 5-7 days per week. …(Source: Medical News Today, 07/18/11)