www.alkoholpolitik.ch

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

Ministers from all three governing parties said there are many issues needing more urgent attention than regulating alcohol without clear research showing its consumption is a serious national problem.
Some members of Zimbabwe’s Cabinet are distancing themselves from reports that the government is drafting a tough national alcohol policy that will regulate the sale of beer and other intoxicating beverages with sales forbidden after noon on Sundays. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/15/11) voanews, 08/8/11 Comment: Now we can see that many politicians in Western World are on the same level as in Zimbabwe.

Before October 1, 2002, Maryland’s regulations for relicensing drivers with 2 recorded alcohol-related traffic violations distinguished between offenders with 5 or more years between their first and second violations and those with less than 5 years.
Our research examined whether this policy was supported by differential probabilities of recidivism and violation-free survival. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/11/11)

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

Holding alcohol retailers liable for injuries or damage done by their intoxicated customers can reduce motor vehicle deaths, homicides, injuries, and other alcohol-related problems, according to the Community Preventive Services Task Force. The independent, nonfederal, volunteer body of public health and prevention experts has determined that commercial host liability, otherwise known as dram shop liability, can be an effective intervention for reducing alcohol-related harms. … (Source: Google Alcohol News, 08/10/11) finanznachrichten.de, 10.8.11

e.g. Alcohol, Drugs To Ease Anxiety Could Spur Substance-Abuse Problems
– More than half of Americans drink alcohol: report
– Zero alcohol law welcomed by SADD (New Zealand)
– New Study Highlights More Dangers Of „Alcopop“ Consumption (USA)
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/8/11)

-time for a serious international public health effort.
Together with smoking, diet and physical inactivity, consumption of alcohol is among the four most important risk factors for non-communicable disease (NCD). Alcohol consumption, especially heavy consumption, impacts on cancer, liver cirrhosis and stroke. To reduce the burden of NCD, effective alcohol
policies should be implemented locally, nationally and internationally. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/8/11)onlinelibrary.wiley.com, Addiction, 106, 1547–1548

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

…Official Says
The rate of alcohol abuse among soldiers has doubled in the past five years, says Dr. Les McFarling, Director of the Army Substance Abuse Program. McFarling attributes the rise to the stress of serving in wars, readjusting to life at home and then repeating the cycle, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He says about 13,000 soldiers were treated for substance abuse in 2010—most of them for alcohol. …
The Army announced last month it is trying to fill 130 substance-abuse counselor positions by October 1. The Army Substance Abuse Program is looking for professionals to help substance-impaired soldiers who have the potential to continue military service. (Source: Join Together, 8/8/11)