www.alkoholpolitik.ch

This new publication looks at the links between violence and tourism and the role played by the abusive consumption of alcohol and other drugs as well as by the context. Each chapter closes with a series of recommendations or descriptions of measures already in place or which could be introduced to deal with the problem at hand. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter January-February 2011)

Alcohol’s role in everything from injury and relationship breakdown to trouble with the police, emerges in a poll of 2,221 people commissioned by the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG).
According to the survey, some 11% of people polled have seen a friend or relative’s relationship end as a direct result of heavy drinking. One in five (21%) know someone who has driven while over the legal alcohol limit. And 51% know someone who has been a victim of alcohol-related violence, or has been attacked themselves.
The survey also found that 14% of children are being brought up in a family where at least one adult has a drink problem.
The YouGov poll paints a graphic picture of alcohol’s many negative consequences. The survey found that:… (Source: Eurocare Newsletter January-February 2011)

There’s a big snag with Ontario’s plan to make the province a hotbed for all-inclusive Caribbean-style vacations: booze prices, tour operators and resort owners say.
They’re pleased Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government, in a tough fight to win the Oct. 6 election, wants to loosen liquor laws allowing alcohol to be included in package deals with rooms and meals. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 03/01/11) thestar.com, 02/24/11 Comment: That’s not acting responsibly. The damage is exported.

It can be easy to get so inundated with reports on alcohol-related harm to people around the globe, that another side of the Big Alcohol behemoth gets overlooked – the vast destruction caused to land, water and air by producing the alcohol products themselves.
Recently, Fox News published an expose on the environmental havoc being wrecked by tequila producers such as Brown-Forman, Fortune Brands, and as many as 146 others. Their „dirty little secret“ is that for every liter of tequila they make, producers dump ten times that amount of liquid waste plus five to six kilograms of solid waste – often illegally. … (Source: Marin Institute, 02/22/11)

Food and alcohol firms are obliged to maximise profit. To include them in health policy planning is a recipe for disaster.
by Anna Gilmore and Jeff Collin
Alarm bells rang in the public health community when Andrew Lansley announced last summer that leading food and alcohol companies were being invited to join a „partnership“ with government to help address the obesity and alcohol epidemics. As further details of the Public Health Responsibility Deal for alcohol emerge, much through investigative work by the Guardian, the bells ring ever louder.
The Public Health Responsibility Deal, part of the government’s „big society“ idea, is just one of several such deals. For alcohol and obesity, it brings together large numbers of food and alcohol company representatives with far fewer government and public health representatives in a series of „networks“ charged with encouraging and enabling consumers to adopt better diets and drink sensibly. However, full details of their function or how they relate to broader public health policies have yet to emerge. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 02/22/11) guardian.co.uk, 21 February 2011 our Comment: This is a very competent article. But most of the readers are not informed enough to understand and accept it. Education is needed. Not in order to reduce alcohol harm but to understand the problem and which control measures are necessary to reduce consumption and alcohol related harm. We are all passiv-drinkers. We suffer from reduced quality of life and we pay without beeing asked to, our whole life for immense alcohol related social costs. This is a big loss of freedom.

Authors: Rebecca Gordon, Peter Anderson.
Aims: To describe the extent to which the content of the European Commission’s Communication on alcohol reflects public health-based scientific evidence.
Findings: …
Conclusions: The Communication reflects the science, in that it acknowledges the significance of alcohol as a social and health determinant in Europe. However, it places more emphasis on policy actions with less evidence for effectiveness than on those with strong evidence. It also focuses its efforts more on mapping member state actions and coordinating knowledge exchange than on providing concrete recommendations for action or developing Europe-wide policy measures. This may be a compromise between the rights of Member States to develop national policy and legislation and the obligation of the European Union as a collaborative body to protect health. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the European Union’s roots as a trading block emphasizes collaboration with industry stakeholders and this influences the ability to prioritize health over trade considerations. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 02/20/11) onlinelibrary.wiley.com, 02/16/11

ATLANTA — Senate Republicans decided behind closed doors not to bring up a bill for a roll-call vote on allowing the public to decide if their communities can sell alcohol on Sunday afternoons.
Senate Republican Leader Chip Rogers told reporters gathered outside his office Thursday that the GOP Caucus didn’t have enough support to guarantee passage of Senate Bill 10. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/18/11) chronicle.augusta.com, 02/17/11

…but momentum must last.
From Norway to Turkey have Active members worked for raising awareness about the problems that children and young people have to grow up in families with alcohol addicted parents.
“We’ve been on the streets, have established co operations, been in contact with both politicians and the media and we’ve occupied the cyberspace,” says Andrea Lavesson, President of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace, and continues: “We need this momentum that Active and many, many other organizations created all over Europe to continue and grow because one week is not enough to bring about change. 9 Million children in the EU alone long for change and we need NGOs, authorities and the media and their long-term commitment to make that happen.” … Source: Active press release, 02/18/11)

Six DeKalb County firefighters have been disciplined in an alcohol investigation. Four of the firefighters have been demoted, including an assistant chief.
Channel 2’s Jodie Fleischer attended a Tuesday news conference where acting Fire Chief Eddie O’Brien made the announcement.
„They didn’t just let me down. They let everybody down,“ O’Brien said. „They know they did wrong.“
As Channel 2 Action was first to report, several firefighters were accused of showing up to Fire Station 24 drunk during the Jan. 11 snowstorm. The group included fire apparatus operator …. The group went drinking at Twains Billiards and Tap in Decatur, according to the Fire Department’s investigation. That night, they chose to sleep at the station on Redan Road instead of driving on icy roads for their shift the next day. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/16/11) wsbtv.com, 02/16/11

Active and partners launch action week for children of alcohol addicts.
Today, Active – sobriety, friendship and peace and partners from all over Europe join to pool and concentrate resources to bring attention to the situation of children and young people who have to grow-up in families harmed by alcohol abuse.
Approximately 9 Million children in the European Union are affected by their parents’ drinking problems. These children suffer from neglect, feelings of shame and selfblaming for their parents’ addiction and from continuous conflicts at home. Many children and young people have to witness and suffer violence. … (Source: Active/Eurocare Press Release, 02/14/11) Comment: I think this is one of the worst effects of alcohol in our societies. Who cares?