BBN (Estonia) - Government approves alcohol-tax increase from January
Estonia’s government agreed to raise alcohol taxes from January in spite of having pledged in May that it would not raise the alcohol excise in 2012.
The Local.se (Sweden) - Drunken Swedes choose knives to kill: study
The average murderer in Sweden and neighbouring Finland are drunk men armed with knives who kill on the spur of the moment, according to a new study.
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - Children and young adults express displeasure over parents' drinking habits
The drinking habits of parents, or more specifically the drinking problems of parents, become most unpleasant in the eyes of their offspring when they lead to reneging on what has previously been agreed and promised.
IceNews (Denmark) - WHO calls for Denmark drinking age hike
The World Health Organisation has warned the new Danish government that it should take steps to reduce the amount of alcohol being consumed by teenagers.
The impact of small changes in bar closing hours on violence. The Norwegian experience from 18 cities
The Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research presents findings and conclusions from research on the relation between bar closing hours and violence.
BBC News (Scotland) - Online loopholes in Scottish alcohol bill
Online deals are being used to get round new laws banning discounted promotions on alcohol in Scotland.
BBC News - What damage does alcohol do to our bodies?
We know that drinking too much alcohol is bad for us. It gives us hangovers, makes us feel tired and does little for our appearance - and that is just the morning afterwards.
The Economist (Africa) - Keep on walking
THE Q bar in the Westlands district of Nairobi is the sort of place that makes marketers salivate. A few pool tables, a few flat-screen televisions (not all tuned to English football), some prostitutes, but not enough to scare off girlfriends, the bottles tidily arranged behind the bar, a soft gangsta soundtrack, and a crowd full of wage-earning 20-something men.
The Canberra Times (Australia) - Call to end watering-down alcohol prices
Cheap wines selling for less than a bottle of water would increase to $7 or $8 under a plan by health groups to tax alcoholic drinks by strength and volume.
Belfast Telegraph (UK) - Cut drink-drive limit even further: charity
Environment Minister Alex Attwood has been urged to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy to drink-driving by significantly slashing the blood alcohol limit for all drivers.
Sudan Tribune (Sudan) - Sale of alcohol to minors widespread in South Sudan – report
An internal report from South Sudan ministry of gender,child and social welfare seen by Sudan Tribune on Saturday said that children under the legal limit of 18 are involved in the sale and widespread consumption of alcohol.
MarketWatch (Canada) - National Report Sheds Light on Student Alcohol and Drug Use
Authors of a new report released today on alcohol and drug use by high school students across Canada raise concern about the prevalence of alcohol and cannabis use among senior high school students (grades 10-12). Specifically, they highlight the percentage of 12th graders who report drinking to excess, using cannabis daily, and/or driving after drinking or using cannabis.
New York Times - Risks: Alcohol Deaths and the Solo Life
Researchers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health studied deaths before and after a reduction in the price of alcohol in Finland, and tracked the fatalities attributable to alcohol abuse — liver disease, alcohol poisoning, alcohol-related violence or accidents, among others. The results appear in the September issue of PLoS Medicine.
Independent Online (South Africa) - Foetal alcohol syndrome is on the rise, says study
FOETAL alcohol syndrome is ravaging Western Cape farming communities, with hundreds of children affected, research has found.
News24 (South Africa) - Ad industry unites against booze ban
Members of the advertising industry have come together in an effort to prevent the government's proposed ban on alcohol advertising, it emerged on Friday.
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (Ghana) - Feminine Face Of Alcohol In Ghana
It’s all common to find our women dancing, exposing part of their body, and singing all in the name of alcohol. For the past one decade in the history of Ghana, our country has witnessed the proliferation of alcohol products with major advertisement in either a huge bill board in town or ads on our major television stations.
Nigerian Tribune (Nigeria) - Why alcohol is deadlier than cocaine, heroin
Illegal substances such as heroin, cocaine, marijauna and the like are considered by many people as deadly forms of recreation, not knowing that alcohol may be just as deadly as hard drugs or even worse.
Irish Times (Ireland) - Radical steps urged to tackle drink abuse
GOVERNMENT PLANS to put alcohol abuse alongside drug abuse have been welcomed by leading activists in the treatment of addiction problems.
Zee News - Booze hits body’s ability to ward off viral infections
Alcohol changes the anti-viral and inflammatory functions of monocytes. “Alcohol has a profound effect of inhibiting IFN production in monocytes regardless of whether the danger signal is intracellular (TLR8) or surface-derived (TLR4). Such a reduction would impair the body’s ability to fight off infection,” Prof Szabo said.
Active Quote (UK) - Alcohol and its effect on the NHS, society and individual health
Private health insurance customers could avoid the consequences of boozing Britain, as increasing levels of alcohol related hospital admissions will cost the NHS nearly £4bn over the next few years.
Malta Independent Online (EU) - MEPs propose alcohol ban for newly-licensed drivers
Newly qualified motorists in Europe should not be allowed to drink any alcohol before driving until they have held a full licence for two years, European parliamentarians proposed this week.
Reuters (EU) - New drivers should stay dry, EU lawmakers say
Newly qualified motorists in Europe should not be allowed to drink any alcohol before driving until two years after they have passed their test, EU lawmakers proposed on Tuesday.
Pharmaceutical Processing (USA) - Health Officials Eye Measures to Curb Harmful Use of Alcohol
Top health officials from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean have endorsed a series of actions that the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) says could significantly reduce the public health impact of alcohol.
Fiji Times (Fiji) - Scale up action to control alcohol and tobacco use
World Health Organisation South Pacific officer in charge Steve Iddings said non-communicable diseases were claiming victims at increasingly younger ages, even during childhood, depriving many people of their most productive years.
