Aims

To support the free and open dissemination of research findings and information on alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. To encourage open access to peer-reviewed articles free for all to view.

For full versions of posted research articles readers are encouraged to email requests for "electronic reprints" (text file, PDF files, FAX copies) to the corresponding or lead author, who is highlighted in the posting.

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Monday, December 17, 2012

Alcohol News - 51/2012

 
 
 
The Foreigner (Norway) - Christmas stress ups Norway drinking

25 percent of Norwegians drink to relieve the stress of the Christmas period. One in three in Oslo admits to doing so, a survey conducted by Ipsos MMI suggests.


ERR News (Estonia) - Searching for Historical Roots of Affair With Bottle

Which of Estonia's historical foreign occupiers is most responsible for the firewater epidemic? The Germans were the first to set a bad example, according to historians, but only the first.


Eubusiness - Alcohol causes a quarter of Europe road deaths

Alcohol abuse is responsible for around a quarter of the 30,000 people who die in road accidents across the European Union every year, the bloc's drugs agency said in a report published on Friday.


Helsinki Times (Finland) - Holidays induce a spike in alcohol sales

The sales of Alko, Finland’s alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly, are projected to surge by 90 per cent in terms of litres over the two weeks leading up to Christmas.


Reuters (Denmark/Finland) - Lundbeck's alcohol dependency drug wins EU green light

A novel drug to fight alcohol dependency was given a green light by European regulators on Friday, providing a boost to Danish drugmaker Lundbeck at a time when its top product faces a big drop in sales.


The Local (Sweden) - Pilot sticker lands French wine with Swedish ban

The Swedish state alcohol-monopoly has banned a French wine from its shelves because the label shows a pilot in action, prompting the importer of the "Flying Solo" wine to appeal the ban.


The Local (Sweden) - Systembolaget to bring booze to Swedes' offices

After its home delivery trials failed to created a stir, Sweden’s state-run liquor store monopoly Systembolaget announced on Friday that it would be trialing delivery to customers’ work places.


Politics.co.uk (UK) - Cameron defies Clegg over 'illiberal' alcohol pricing policy

David Cameron is continuing to commit to a policy of minimum alcohol pricing of 45p per unit, despite many Cabinet members opposing the move.


Deutsche Welle (Germany) - Too much meat and alcohol

Many Germans still stick to their unhealthy diet of too much meat and alcohol. Though there are some positive trends, too many Germans are still overweight and also at risk of other illnesses like cancer.


Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - David Cameron fights to save minimum alcohol pricing

David Cameron is fighting to save his plans for minimum alcohol pricing to tackle Britain's binge drinking epidemic, after a revolt among senior Cabinet ministers.


Deccan Herald - Alcohol, marijuana worsen white-matter integrity

Chronic alcohol and marijuana consumption during youth is associated with compromised neurocognitive abilities in later adolescence and adulthood, researchers say.


WalesOnline (Wales) - Minimum price on alcohol will help save lives

ALCOHOL consumption in the UK has increased rapidly in recent years, and now, according to the World Health Organisation, it is the leading risk factor for premature death and disability in developed countries after tobacco and blood pressure.


Radio 1 (UK) - Thousands of people at risk through Christmas drinking

Thousands of people will be putting their lives at risk over Christmas because of accidents and illnesses caused by alcohol, say A&E doctors.


Eurekalert - Alcohol marketers use drinker identity and brand allegiance to entice underage youth

While exposure to alcohol marketing is prevalent, and associated with both initiation and progression of alcohol use in underage youth, exactly how it works is not well understood. A new study of alcohol-specific cognitions – whether someone thinks of him/herself as a drinker or having a favorite brand of alcohol – has found that drinker identity and brand allegiance are indeed factors linking alcohol marketing and problematic drinking among experimental underage drinkers.


The Hindu - In 2010, high BP, smoking and alcohol were the big killers

The leading risk factors for global disease burden in 2010 were high blood pressure, tobacco smoking (including second-hand smoking) and alcohol use; 20 years earlier, they were childhood underweight, household pollution from sold fuels and tobacco smoking, including passive smoking.


BBC News - Alcohol dependency: When social drinking becomes a problem

Alcohol-related health issues among baby boomers are on the rise. Daily drinking can start off as a social event but turn into dependency, addiction experts say. So when does social drinking become alcoholism?


The Nation (Thailand) - Alcohol sales set to be banned at roadside stalls

Starting from the New Year holiday period, roadside food stalls will be banned from selling alcoholic drinks, while all sales of alcoholic beverages will be limited to 11am-2pm and 5pm-midnight, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said yesterday.


The Guardian (UK) - Social workers need more training on drug and alcohol issues

Alcohol and other drug issues are a central part of much of social work practice, and if key issues in this area are missed, interventions linked to other behaviours or problems will not be so effective. So why are so many social work degrees leaving students uneducated about problematic substance use?


Science Daily - Alcohol Pricing Policies Save Lives and Increase Profits, Experts Say

Setting minimum prices for alcohol increases health and economic benefits, say international experts, who met December 10 for a seminar on alcohol pricing and public health.


Forbes (USA) - A Sober Assessment of High-Risk Drinking on College Campuses

A few years ago, in the middle of a snowy night, an officer of the Cornell University Police Department found a shirtless young man sitting on a rock in the creek in one of our gorges, dangling his feet in the water. Asked what he thought he was doing, the student explained that he was calling a friend to pick him up.


Medical Xpress - Alcohol hinders recovery from injury, research finds

A Massey University researcher has found drinking alcohol after suffering a soft tissue injury significantly increases recovery times.


Scoop.co.nz (New Zealand) - Kapiti Police: strong line to prevent alcohol-related harm

Kapiti Police are extremely happy with the decision of the Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) to not renew the on-licence for the Retro Bar in the Kapiti Lights Complex.


Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - New alcohol alliance predicts 300 drink deaths this summer

HEAVY drinking will kill 300 people and cause thousands more to be assaulted or put in hospital this summer, according to fresh analysis from a new body, the NSW/ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance.


The Age (Australia) - The national abuse of alcohol makes it our most harmful drug

THE hundreds of ways we describe being drunk, many of an unprintable nature, are a measure of a pervasive and damaging drinking culture. In this season of schoolies week, Christmas and New Year, Australia's drinking habits are on display in all their mindless and all-too-often tragic excess.