Euroalert.net (EU) - Commission stresses the need for action to protect young people from alcohol-related harm at the EU Alcohol and Health Forum
Although minimum drinking age in most EU Member states is set at 18 years old, the most recent European surveys show that half of school children aged 15 to16 years have drunk alcohol in the past month. In order to tackle this situation and take action to protect young people, experts, industry and other stakeholder have met at the the 9th plenary meeting of the European Alcohol and Health Forum held in in Brussels on 19 October.
The Local.se (Sweden) - Queen under fire for giving kids wine
The admission that the Royal children were allowed a glass of wine at festive occasions, followed by Coca Cola, despite being under age, has sparked criticism from Swedish temperance campaigners.
The Local (Sweden) - Teen alcohol programme has 'no effect': study
A nationwide programme aimed at tackling drinking among young people has 'no effect' at all on drinking habits, according to a new study.
World Trademark Review (Norway) - Alcohol brand owners might be allowed to advertise on Norwegian TV
Norway is on the verge of involuntarily allowing the advertising of alcoholic beverages on television, contrary to the country’s strict alcohol policy. This change may take place as a result of pressure from the European Commission, which requested an immediate implementation of the EU ‘Television Without Frontiers’ Directive (89/552/EEC).
Huffington Post (USA) - Excessive Alcohol Consumption Costs U.S. Economy Over $200 Billion Per Year
Heavy drinking is costing the U.S. economy more than $200 billion a year, mostly in lost workplace productivity, a U.S. health agency said on Monday.
LiveScience.com - Recession Fuels Risky Drinking for Both Jobless and Employed
People drink more during an economic downturn, suggests a new study showing that binge drinking, drunk driving and alcohol dependence increase when times are tough.
BBC (UK) - Avoid alcohol three days a week, doctors warn
Doctors say the government's alcohol guidelines could be improved to ensure they do not sanction daily drinking.
MedPage Today (USA) - Medicare to Cover Alcohol, Depression Screening
Medicare will pay for annual screenings for alcohol misuse and depression, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced.
Telegraph.co.uk (UK) – Two thirds of drunk teenagers given alcohol by parents
Officers in Newquay, Cornwall, said that when they contacted parents to tell them that they had confiscated drink from their children they were often abused and accused of spoiling the youngsters’ “fun”.
TheGloss - ‘Drunkorexia’ Is A Growing And Terrible Trend, Say Scientists
Not eating enough and drinking too much might be a practice familiar to many slightly un-hinged urbanites, but now scientists at the University of Missouri have released a study showing just how widespread this so-called “drunkorexia” problem is, especially among young people (our future!). According to findings released on Monday, 16% of college women surveyed reported restricting food calories in order to “save them” for alcohol.
UPI.com - Study: Music links alcohol, degrading sex
A U.S. adolescent who listens to 2.5 hours of popular music per day is heavily exposed to alcohol brands associated to degrading sex, researchers say.
Ivanhoe - Alcohol Linked to Lung Cancer
Having a beer belly should be of least concern for alcohol users. According to three recent studies, heavy alcohol consumption is linked to a great risk of developing lung cancer, while specific ethnic groups, including African American men and Asian women, had slightly higher risks for lung cancer.
Daily Mail (UK) - BBC blows £70,000 on alcohol and leaving parties for staff as job cuts loom
The BBC has spent £70,000 on leaving parties at exclusive restaurants for its staff and on alcohol in the past year.
RTE.ie (Ireland) - Government plans to tackle alcohol misuse
Minister Roisin Shortall has told a seminar in Dublin that she is taking legal advice on how to tackle below-cost selling of alcohol.
EurekAlert - Association of quantity of alcohol and frequency of consumption with cancer mortality
A paper from the National Institutes of Health in the United States has evaluated the separate and combined effects of the frequency of alcohol consumption and the average quantity of alcohol drunk per occasion and how that relates to mortality risk from individual cancers as well as all cancers. The analysis is based on repeated administrations of the National Health Interview Survey in the US, assessing more than 300,000 subjects who suffered over 8,000 deaths from cancer. The research reports on total cancer deaths and deaths from lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancers.
NEWS.com.au (Australia) - Anger at Aldi's booze for a buck
DISCOUNT supermarket giant Aldi will begin stocking its shelves with $1 beers - including 80c cans of light - across New South Wales from next year, despite objections from NSW Health.
UCSD Medical Center - Genetically Influenced Responses to Alcohol Affect Brain Activation
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that differences in brain activation in individuals with a low level of response to alcohol may contribute to their inability to recognize modest levels of alcohol intoxication.
Medical News Today - Popular Music Linked To Top Alcohol Brands - Is Industry Exploiting Underage Drinking?
Music like rap, hip hop and R&B often contain references to branded alcoholic beverages that are commonly linked to a luxury lifestyle which degrades sexual activity, violence, wealth, partying, and the use of drugs. Researchers at the University in Pittsburgh conducted a study published online in the international journal Addiction that reports that the average U.S. adolescent is heavily exposed to alcohol references in popular music.
NEWS.com.au (Pakistan) - Pakistan overturns ban on booze . . . for export
IT IS an Islamic republic where alcohol is forbidden to 97 per cent of the population and drinkers can face 80 lashes of the whip under holy law - but in a move set to anger religious conservatives, Pakistan is poised to become an exporter of beer.
The Guardian (UK) - Young people want more protection from alcohol advertising, survey says
Most young people would like more protection from alcohol advertising, but under-18s do not recognise that drink logos on football shirts are a form of marketing, according to a survey.
ABC Online (Australia) - Alcohol-free homes to be declared to reduce violence
Authorities are hoping the ability to declare any house in Western Australia an alcohol-free zone will lead to a reduction in domestic violence.
Bend Bulletin - Drinking studies show increase
An analysis of 31 studies on alcohol drinking patterns worldwide has found that people born in North America after World War II are more likely than other groups to engage in binge drinking and develop alcoholism. Younger groups consistently consume more alcohol than older generations.
7thSpace Interactive (Hong Kong) - Action plan launched to reduce alcohol-related harm in Hong Kong
An action plan was officially launched today (October 24) to reduce alcohol-related harm, combat the rising tide of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and enhance the quality of life for the community.
