www.alkoholpolitik.ch

In the Netherlands, children start to drink at an early age; of the Dutch 12-year olds, 40% reports lifetime alcohol use, while 9.7% reports last-month drinking. Starting to drink at an early age puts youth at risk of developing several alcohol-related problems later in life. Recently, a home-based prevention program called „In control: No alcohol!“ was developed to delay the age of alcohol onset in children. The main aim of this project is to conduct a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. … (Source: biomedcentral.com, 08/4/11

Companies will no longer be able to produce or sell beer infused with caffeine in California starting Jan. 1 after Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed legislation introduced because of the health risks of the beverages.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) wrote SB 39 in response to several incidents in which young drinkers were hospitalized for alcohol overdoses while using caffeinated beer. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/3/11) latimesblogs.latimes.com, 08/1/11

Background: Despite many activities to prevent risky alcohol consumption among adolescents and young adults there is an increase of alcohol intoxications in the group of ten to twenty year old juveniles.
This report gives an overview about the recent literature as well as the German federal prevention system regarding activities concerning behavioral and policy prevention of risky alcohol consumption among
children, adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, effective components of prevention activities are identified and the efficiency and efficacy of ongoing prevention programs is evaluated. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/3/11)egms.de, 07/22/11

Vermont has the highest rate of underage drinking in the nation, a new federal report reveals. The state ranks second in youth marijuana use, the Burlington Free Press reports.
The report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a state-by-state analysis of a range of behavioral health issues. The report found 36.6 percent of 12- to 20-year-olds in Vermont said they drank alcohol in the previous month, the highest rate in the nation. Utah had the lowest underage drinking rate, 14.2 percent. … (Source: Join Together, 08/4/11)

A report by doctors at New York’s Bellevue Hospital describes how 11 young people—10 of them under the legal drinking age of 21—were rushed to the emergency room after drinking the “alcopop” Four Loko. Some of the patients ended up in potentially deadly situations, according to NY1. One patient fell onto the subway tracks, another was unconscious at school, and a third was found alone in a park…. (Source: Join Together, 08/3/11)

Heineken’s new online marketing deal to reach 103 million minors monthly Heineken and Google have started a global partnership which will see the international beer producer increase its YouTube activity. The deal also sets out to use mobile internet as primary marketing channel in emerging markets. This new deal will very likely mean that at least 103 million minors around the world will be exposed to the harmful effects of alcohol marketing on a monthly basis.
According to MarketingWeek.co.uk the agreement spans 20 countries and ‘will see the Dutch brand execute homepage takeovers and use pre-roll ad slots on Google’s YouTube site.’ … (Source: EUCAM, 07/5/11)

The use of alcohol locks became mandatory as of Monday for all authorized vehicles taking children to school and daycare. An alcohol lock prevents a car from starting if a breathalyzer test shows the driver is over the legal limit.
The use of alcohol locks is from now on required in school and daycare transportation that has been organized by the municipality, the school or public facility, or is otherwise supported by the state or the municipality. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/1/11)yle.fi, 08/1/11

When parents find out their teen is abusing drugs or alcohol, the family’s immediate focus is generally on getting help for the teen. But parents are often in great need of help themselves. They may need advice on what to say to their teen, how to evaluate whether he or she needs professional treatment and where to find the appropriate substance abuse treatment program if one is needed. A new toll-free telephone helpline is providing that assistance.
The Parents Toll-Free Helpline, 1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373), is staffed by clinical social workers with practical experience in substance abuse prevention and treatment. … (Source: Join Together, 07/29/11)

Latest figures from a national survey of 11-15 year old pupils suggests fewer young people are drinking, and are less accepting of drunkenness. However it also finds no clear trend in consumption levels for those that do drink. The findings come from an annual survey which in 2010 included 7,296 pupils from 246 schools.
Some key findings from the report includes:
Between 2009 and 2010 the percentage of 11-15 year olds who had tried alcohol fell from 51% to 45%.
In 2010, the mean amount consumed by pupils who had drunk in the last week was 12.9 units. Mean consumption levels have varied between 11.6 units and 14.6 units since 2007, with no clear trend. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 07/28/11)

Following the institution of an Indiana law requiring anyone buying and carrying out alcohol to show identification, regardless of their age, state inspectors report fewer of the state’s liquor stores, bars and restaurants are selling alcohol to those under 21. Under a recent revision to the law, store clerks are no longer required to ask customers for ID if they reasonably appear older than 40. …
The Associated Press reports that State Excise Police conducted more than 5,000 inspections in the first half of 2011, in which people ages 18 to 20 accompany officers and try to purchase alcohol. They found that 8.8 percent of bars and restaurants violated the law, as did 4.3 percent of liquor stores, compared with more than 40 percent in 2009. (Source: Join Together, 07/28/11)