www.alkoholpolitik.ch

In a new report entitled The High Cost of Cheap Alcohol, Pam Erickson from the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace examines the public health dangers associated with low-cost alcohol availability. The report „is designed to educate the public about the alcohol regulatory system and how it works. It focuses on one of the most powerful tools available to control alcohol problems: price. Time and again, research has shown that when prices go up, alcohol consumption and its attendant social problems go down.“ (Source: Marin Institute, 5/4/11) Comment: Very interesting history of American alcohol policies.

Two barmen from the Irish Republic are due to go on trial for the manslaughter of a British man who died from acute alcohol intoxication. The landmark prosecution against Gary Wright and Aidan Dalton will begin in County Tipperary on Wednesday.
They are charged with unlawfully killing a guest at the Hayes Hotel in Thurles on 1 July 2008.
It is the first case of its kind under the liquor liability laws in Ireland. In England it is an offence to ‚knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk‘ but is punishable by a fine only. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 5/4/11) bbc.co.uk, 5/3/11

So Friday is the big day. In a highly anticipated wedding, not only in the United Kingdom but the world, there is some controversy if pubs and drinking establishments will be allowed to stay open longer and be a bit lax on the rules in the UK. Some will and some won’t as the nation prepares for a four day Bank Holiday where drinking is expected to go up a notch.
Early responses from the 44 licensing boards north of the Border show some are refusing to get in line with plans in England and Wales to award additional drinking time to pubs on Friday, April 29 and the following weekend. … (Source: Medical News Today, 04/28/11) Comment by Active: The Boozification of the Royal wedding. About Grownups who don’t know how to party:
Today is the big day. Media frenzy is at its height and people’s expectations are on their peak when the highly anticipated Royal wedding in London, UK will take place. But as Britain prepares for the festivities, there’s not only controversy about wedding dresses, wedding date, etiquette and so on. There is also some controversy if pubs and bars should or should not be allowed to open longer and if it should be allowed to be “lax on the rules”.
“The world doesn’t need more booze, Europe doesn’t need more booze and Britain surely doesn’t need more booze”, says Andrea Lavesson, who is the President of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace, and continues: “Every time there is a big event, we hear these calls for a suspension of existing rules, so that grownups could use more alcohol. But more alcohol means more violence, more road accidents, more suffering and deaths. And all that certainly doesn’t belong to festive occasions like today.” …

South African media’s indecision to support alcohol advertising ban could be linked to the fact that media companies stand to lose huge revenues if the legislation were to come into effect, one media analyst charged this week. Shepherd Mpofu, of Wits University’s Department of Media Studies, said there is no logical reason why the media have to support a move that will have a negative consequence on them. …It was reported last week that the media have agreed to support the proposed ban, but that statement has since been denied and corrected by the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF), which confirmed that it will instead throw its weight behind the campaign against alcohol abuse, as it does not have a position on the proposed alcohol advertising ban.
… „The government has a right to be worried about these effects. Crime is increasing, and the spread of sexual transmissible diseases, poor work output, poor performance at school and a lot of other societal malfunctions are just some of the few effects of alcohol abuse.“
The Soul City Institute insists that an independent and vibrant media is uniquely poised to unpack and critically interrogate the role of alcohol advertising and marketing, and shape the public debate around alcohol-related harm reduction.
Mpofu said: „If the media were to play a responsible role in society, then there is every reason to support the ban on alcohol advertising. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) bizcommunity.com, 04/19/11

French riot police are outraged over plans to end a long-cherished tradition of drinking alcohol with their meals.
Under the terms of an interior ministry decree, riot police will no longer be allowed to wash down their lunch with a glass or two of beer or wine.
Officials were angered in 2010 when photos emerged of riot police drinking beer while policing a demonstration. One police union has called for alcohol to be allowed if meals are taken out of the view of the public. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) bbc.co.uk, 04/22/11

Final Report in Series 1
The growing financial cost of drug and alcohol abuse puts tremendous pressure on every social sector. The present report, part of a larger Family Funding Study project, is final in the series that examined the cost of drug and alcohol abuse to West Virginia’s criminal justice, healthcare, education, welfare, and workforce systems. This final summative report incorporates estimates from all these sectors as well as includes data from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) and the Commission on Drunk Driving prevention (CDDP). … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/21/11) prevnet.org

Friday night, 1st April, in St. Pauli district, Hamburg a football match of the highest German league (Bundesliga) was abandoned. The reason: the assistant referee was hit in the back of his head by a plastic cup full of beer thrown at him from the stands . The match had to be broken off and the referees had to be guided from the pitch by guards.
“Not many in Europe might have paid attention to this incident”, says Andrea Lavesson, President of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace. “But we think that the dramatic incident from Friday night stands a symbol for the fact that alcohol and sport does not belong together at all.”
The act of violence occurred shortly after an official hearing in the European Parliament organized by the EPP group on 30th March. By this hearing the EPP group aimed at stressing “the importance of sports. The […] Hearing on Sport […] is a very important step in bringing new ideas and suggestions…” Commissioner Mrs Androulla Vassiliou, among others, expressed the strong role that sport plays in promoting active citizenship. … (Source: active presscontact, 04/04/11)

Alcohol use may be a coping mechanism for the stressors related to forced displacement. The aim of this study was to investigate levels and determinants of alcohol disorder amongst internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Uganda.
A cross-sectional survey with 1206 adult IDPs was conducted in Gulu and Amuru districts. Alcohol disorder was measured using the AUDIT instrument. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore demographic, socio-economic, displacement and trauma exposure determinants of alcohol disorder. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 03/25/11)

Aims: This study aims to document the adverse effects of drinkers in Australia on people other than the drinker. … Conclusions: Substantial proportions of Australians are affected by other people’s drinking, including that of their families, friends, co-workers and strangers. These harms range in magnitude from noise and fear to physical abuse, sexual coercion and social isolation. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 03/26/11) onlinelibray.wiley.com

Towards a Comprehensive EU-Wide Strategy
The Silken Berlaymont Hotel, Brussels, Tuesday 14th June 2011,
Event Details – Website – Register to Attend