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The WHO Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (GISAH) provides easy and rapid access to a wide range of alcohol-related health indicators. It is an essential tool for assessing and monitoring the health situation and trends related to alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm, and policy responses in countries. For country profiles, maps, reports, and links please see the theme page by clicking on the „Analysis“ tab above.

GISAH is overseen by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Canada). The financial support from the Valencian Autonomous Government, Spain is gratefully acknowledged.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/2/12)

The proportion of those failing a breath test has not fallen significantly, figures from the latest police drink and drug campaign and enforcement drive show.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) announced that 4,857 (5.8%) of the 83,224 drivers tested during the month long campaign in June 2012 tested positive, refused or failed a breath test. Although a slight improvement on the 6% rate the previous year, ACPO said they are „disappointed“ that a small proportion are refusing to the get the message about the dangers of drink and drug driving. ….
(Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 07/25/12)

Preliminary results show alcohol-related traffic fatalities dropped in the year since the state began requiring an ignition interlock for those convicted of drunken driving.

The Kansas Department of Transportation reported Friday that the state recorded 59 alcohol-related traffic fatalities between July 1, 2011 — when the law took effect — and June 30 of this year. That compares with 125 and 137, respectively, for the previous two years. …
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/25/12) sfgate.com, 07/20/12

Most children who are exposed to large quantities of alcohol in utero do not develop fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Population-based prospective data on the risk of developing components of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), however, are limited.

This was a prospective cohort study of 9,628 women screened during their first prenatal appointment in Chile, which identified 101 who consumed at least 4 drinks/d (exposed) matched with 101 women with no reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy (unexposed). Detailed alcohol consumption data were collected during the pregnancy. Children were evaluated up to 8.5 years of age by clinicians masked to exposure status. …

After exposure to heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy, 80% of children had 1 or more abnormalities associated with alcohol exposure. Patterns of alcohol use that posed the greatest risk of adverse outcomes were binge drinking and high total weekly intake. Functional neurologic impairment occurred most frequently and may be the only sign to alert physicians to prenatal alcohol exposure. ….
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/23/12) onlinelibrary.wiley.com, 07/23/12

Certain types of alcohol use after age 65 may affect memory and thinking, according to two studies that raise new questions about earlier research that suggested drinking may stymie cognitive decline.

People 65 and older who regularly consumed four or more alcoholic beverages at a time, a situation described in the study as binge-drinking, were more likely to have the highest drop-off in brain function and the most memory decline, according to one result. A second study reported that women who indulged heavily early in life or were moderate drinkers after 65 were more likely to have cognitive impairment.

Drinking alcohol had been thought to reduce the risk of cognitive decline in some older people, the Alzheimer’s Association said in a statement. Today’s reports, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver, suggest more research is needed. …
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/25/12) businessweek.com, 07/18/12

The findings, presented at an international conference, challenge the notion that some alcohol could be good for ageing brains.

People who stick to recommended alcohol limits are still at risk, as well as bingers and heavy drinkers, according to the work.

The study tracked the health over 20 years of 1,300 women in their mid-60s.

The risk, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to full blown dementia, was higher among those who reported drinking more alcohol.

Women who switched from abstinence to drinking over the course of the study also increased their risk.

Those who drank alcohol „in moderation“, meaning seven to 14 alcoholic drinks a week, were also more likely to develop problems with memory and brain functioning that can be a warning sign of future dementia. …
(Source: Google alcohol news, 07/18/12) (news-ad-hoc.de, 18.7.12) bbc.co.uk, 07/18/12

The study found increased cigarette prices due to taxes did not decrease smoking rates in people under 30, The Atlantic reports.

The researchers based their findings on data from the 2001-2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys, which included 1.3 million people. They found increases in state cigarette prices were associated with increases in current drinking among people ages 65 and older, and binge and heavy drinking among those ages 21 to 29. They found reductions in smoking among adults ages 30 to 64, drinking among those ages 18 to 20, and binge drinking among those 65 and older.

“Researchers, practitioners, advocates, and policymakers should work together to understand and prepare for these unintended consequences of tobacco taxation policy,” the researchers wrote in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.
(Source: Join Together, 07/17/12)

For generations we have been told that marijuana is the gateway drug to harder drugs, but a new study from the University of Florida contradicts that claim. Researchers believe that the true “gateway drug” is alcohol.

Marijuana has shouldered the blame for leading adolescents down the path to bigger and more addictive drugs, when in fact most teenagers begin drinking alcohol before they ever experiment with marijuana. …
View slideshow: Study: Alcohol is more of a „gateway“ drug than marijuana
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/17/12) examiner.com, 07/12/12

Around seven percent of adults suffer from an intolerance to wine. This is the result of a survey presented by Peter Wigand and co-authors in the current edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012; 109 (25): 437-44).

The authors evaluated 948 questionnaires that were returned from the 4000 sent out to randomly selected people between the ages of 20 and 69 years. They found that women (8.9%) were more often affected by an intolerance to wine than men (5.2%). The most commonly reported reactions included flushed and itchy skin and a runny nose. The symptoms were particularly common after drinking red wine. Additionally, people with a wine intolerance were more likely to report other food intolerances. …
(Source: Medical News Today, 7/7/12)

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