www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Plans for a minimum unit price for alcohol have been approved in principle by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish government’s alcohol bill passed its first major parliamentary hurdle without opposition, by 86 votes to nil, with 32 abstentions on Wednesday afternoon.
After a debate at Holyrood, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats supported the legislation, while Labour abstained. …

The Scottish government said it accepted that minimum pricing was not a „magic bullet“ but was an important part of its strategy.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood that decisive action must be taken to „stem the flow of cheap high-strength drink“. „The link between price and consumption, and between consumption and harm, is irrefutable”. She added: „It’s not some sort of magic bullet that will solve all of our nation’s problems with alcohol. However, it is essential if we are to make a significant contribution to reducing consumption.“
Ms Sturgeon promised she would announce what the minimum price per unit would be before Holyrood’s final vote on the legislation later in this parliament. …
(Source: Alcohol Reports, News, 03/19/12) bbc.co.uk, 03/14/12

Alcohol consumption affects the health and well being of people in the United States in many negative ways: drunk driving, violent crime, spousal and child abuse, and diseases such as liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Though these problems often result from underage drinking, binge drinking, and alcoholism, even moderate alcohol consumption can contribute to health problems, especially various forms of cancer.

If consumers knew the nutritional value of the alcohol they are about to consume, they might make better choices and help reduce the risks of consumption.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority and is about to finalize a new rule on national nutrition labeling standards for restaurant menus that should include alcohol. At the moment it does not.

Let’s tell President Obama that considering all the health and societal harms associated with alcohol consumption, it’s time to direct his administration to include alcohol in the final restaurant labeling rule to best inform consumers so they can make healthier choices.

Email this Alert to a Friend — TAKE ACTION
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 03/12/12)

A free special edition of the Drug and Alcohol Review journal has been released exploring the evidence and reasons behind low risk drinking guidelines.

The special edition includes commentaries from Professor Nick Heather on the importance of drinking guidelines and a critical perspective from Sally Casswell who asks why have guidelines at all.

The issue comes shortly after a the Science and Technology Committee review into UK guidelines, from which MPs called for greater efforts to help the public understand alcohol guidelines.

The Government recently released a new Change4Life alcohol campaign warning against the risks of regularly exceeding the recommended guidelines.
(Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 03/06/12)

A special committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies is expected to vote Tuesday on the “General Law of the Cup” (“Lei Geral da Copa”), but relations between the government and the head of the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) have completely melted down after macho comments by Secretary General Jérôme Valcke. Last month, Valcke stated “Alcoholic drinks are part of the FIFA World Cup, so we’re going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that’s something we won’t negotiate.”

Valcke caused an explosive response in Brazil when he stated on Friday: “You have to push yourself, get a kick up the backside and just deliver this World Cup.“ That arrogant comment led to a powerful response by Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo on Saturday, „In light of these statements, which are inadequate and unacceptable comments for any type of relationship, the Brazilian government… no longer accepts Secretary-General Valcke as an interlocutor.“ Brazilian presidential adviser Marco Aurelio Garcia added fuel to the fire Sunday, calling Valcke a loudmouth and a bum (“boquirroto” and “vagabundo”).

In an effort to reduce alcohol-related sports violence and protect public health in general, alcohol sales have been banned from football stadiums in Brazil since 2003. A World Health Organization study that included Brazil showed that about 46% of violent incidents seen in the emergency room were related to alcohol use. …
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 03/06/12)
See also press release by IOGT-International

PS Unfortunately, the special committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies has accepted the “General Law of the Cup”. It’s a shame! Now it is up to the parliament.

A major overhaul of guidelines for the safe consumption of alcohol seems to have had no impact on Australians.
Only 5 per cent of the population can identify safe drinking levels nominated in the National Health and Medical Research Council’s guidelines for reducing health risks from alcohol consumption.
The latest guidelines, which were published in 2009, say women and men can reduce their lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury by having a maximum of two standard alcoholic drinks a day.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 03/07/12) brisbanetimes.com, 03/06/12

Online comment: Before we can expect people to take notice of and accept drinking guidelines they must know why. But for decades the fields of information and propaganda have been left over to the alcohol industry, which may invest giant sums into advertising and marketing.

Putting Tobacco in Movies and TV shows has long been politically unacceptable, except for certain period pieces. Now it’s booze under the spotlight with a report in April 2012 Pediatrics (published online March 5), showing that the more teenagers watched movies that featured consumption of alcohol, the more they were likely to drink themselves. The news is hardly surprising, considering how past generations were fed the cool of the cigarette or cigar in previous productions.

The data was collected in Europe and gathered from more than 16,500 youngsters aged 10 to 19. The students from Germany, Iceland, Italy,The Netherlands, Poland and Scotland were asked how often they had had 5 or more drinks on one occasion, and what popular movies they watched (in each country, the majority were Hollywood blockbusters). Movies were content coded for screen depictions of alcohol use. …
(Source: Medical News Today, 03/05/12)

Abstract
Aims: To provide an overview of alcoholics attending a socio-ecological treatment programme [Clubs of Alcoholics in Treatment (CATs)] and to identify factors associated with abstinence and self-perceived improvement in lifestyle.

Methods: A national sample of 7522 subjects (76% males and 24% females, mean age 53.2 ± 11.3 years ± SD) attending CATs was evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire completed at a weekly meeting in 2006.

Results: Of participants, >70% reported no alcohol use in the last year and around 90% indicated no use in the previous month, whereas 4% of them declared no alcohol use before club attendance. Abstinence and lifestyle improvement were related positively to the number of years of club attendance but negatively to the presence of other problems in addition to the alcohol-related one. Moreover, being older or female was associated with more likely achievement of abstinence as well as with the perception of a better lifestyle. Finally, attending the club with one or more family members was associated with achievement of better lifestyle.

Conclusion: These data provide an overview of alcoholics attending the CAT programme and are a first step toward developing a surveillance system. In addition, on the basis of this preliminary picture further research (notably longitudinal studies) can be planned considering this method and its effectiveness.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 02/27/12) oxfordjournals.org, 02/23/12
Comment: I visited one of the first clubs at the beginning of their work in Udine. It was very impressing and I am glad they have such a success over the many years.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest promoter of violent cage fighting events and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), makers of the Bud Light family of beers, are delivering harmful content to millions of youth. The underage viewers are treated to people beating one another to a bloody pulp, brought to them by Bud Light…or is it Blood Light?
Protect Youth, Pull the Plug on Bud Light Ads at UFC Fights

In its 2011 announcement of Bud Light’s UFC sponsorship renewal, ABI boasts that it “will continue to immerse the beer into all areas of the world’s premier mixed martial artsorganization.” This includes a thinly veiled effort to target underage youth with graphic violence and sexually explicit ads. According to UFC president Dana White, „…Our target audience is anywhere from age 17 to 35.“ …
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 02/27/12)

Students at the University of Edinburgh have banned the sale of SABMiller’s 200+ beer brands on campus after learning about the conglomerate’s business practices in some of the world’s poorest countries. According to the international advocacy group Action Aid, the world’s second largest brewer (with headquarters in London) has been dodging taxes in Africa for years. By shifting profits made in Africa into tax havens like Switzerland or the Netherlands, SABMiller can avoid paying taxes to the countries where it produces beer–countries that desperately need the revenue for basic public services such as education and healthcare. The University of Edinburgh student body’s move to ban SABMiller products sends a strong message to the company. Send your own message here.
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 02/23/12) studenttimes.org, 02/13/12
(We have reported on this issue before.)

If people see news coverage of alcohol’s role in violent crime and fatal injuries, they may give more support to alcohol-control laws, according to a study in the March issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. It’s estimated that drinking is involved in almost one third of deaths from accidents and violent crime. But the news reports on those deaths often make no mention of alcohol.

„People have some awareness of the social cost that alcohol can have,“ said the study’s lead author, Michael D. Slater, Ph.D., of Ohio State University in Columbus. „But only a small fraction of news stories on violent crime and non–motor vehicle accidents acknowledge the contributing role of alcohol.“ As a result, many people may not realize how often drinking contributes to accidents off the roadways, as well as to violence, Slater noted.

And that lack of awareness might dampen the public’s support for alcohol-control laws, such as the strict enforcement of underage-drinking laws or prohibitions on serving alcohol to intoxicated customers. …
(Source: Google alcohol news, 02/22/12) innovations-report.de, 02/22/12
Comment: It seems often as if it is the internal policy of medias not to show the role of alcohol. Uninformed people will not ask for stronger alcohol regulations. The alcohol industry is happy. We pay for the immense social costs and have the lack of quality of life.