Welcome to the latest 'What's new on the Alcohol Information Scotland website'
New on the site
Latest publications include:
Indications of Public Health in the English Regions 8 : Alcohol		Association of Public Health Observatories
Scottish Alcohol Research Framework		Scottish Executive
	Alcohol Misuse 2006: Campaign Evaluation		Scottish Executive
	The Normalisation of binge drinking? An historical and cross cultural investigation with implications for action		The Alcohol Education and Research Council
	Highlights from latest media comment
	Date	Publication	Publisher
	21st August	Rates of alcohol-fuelled violence increase across Scotland	The Scotsman
	19th August	Scottish Ministers propose tougher sentences for drunk-related crime	Scotland on Sunday
	16th August	Ministers consider tax measures to curb youth drinking problems	The Independent
	15th August	Cheshire Police Chief calls for ban on public drinking	Various sources
	14th August	Funding injection for alcohol community work	Alcohol Focus Scotland
	14th August	Alcohol-related illness eclipsing health gains due to reduced smoking rates	The Times
	13th August	Council proposals aim to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by alcohol.	BBC News
	13th August	Survey suggests warnings about drinking and cancer link being missed	The Herald
	Parliamentary Questions - See the latest questions
	Forthcoming Events
	A list of forthcoming workshops, training courses, seminars and conferences
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Jack H. Mendelson, MD (8/30/29 - 8/15/07)





Jack H. Mendelson MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center at the McLean Hospital, died Wednesday, August 15th, 2007, after a brief illness.

Dr. Mendelson received the Jellinek Memorial Award for research on alcoholism in 1978 and the Distinguished Research Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism in 1989. He was Editor of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol from 1984 to 1991.

He leaves his wife of 33 years, Nancy K. Mello, Ph.D., two sons, John E. Mendelson, M.D. and Adam Mendelson, a daughter, Ellen Mendelson Maher, and four grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to his wife: Dr. Nancy K. Mello 1010 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02138 A Memorial Service is being planned for late autumn.

Those wishing to contribute to the establishment of an award for innovative research on substance abuse in honor of his memory, may send donations to the Jack H. Mendelson Memorial Fund, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478.

Contributor: Albert Pawlowski
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BUSINESS TAXES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES




Agenda Item No: 1
Title: Review, discussion and proposed regulations regarding the classification and tax rates of flavored malt beverages

Read Full Minutes
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Delay of First Treatment of Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Mexico

September 2007, Vol 97, No. 9 | American Journal of Public Health 1638-1643

We studied failure and delay in making initial treatment contact after the first onset of a mental or substance use disorder in Mexico as a first step to understanding barriers to providing effective treatment in Mexico.

Many people with lifetime disorders eventually made treatment contact, although the proportions varied for mood (69.9%), anxiety (53.2%), and substance use (22.1%) disorders. Delays were long: 10 years for substance use disorders, 14 years for mood disorders, and 30 years for anxiety disorders. Failure and delay in making initial treatment contact were associated with earlier ages of disorder onset and being in older cohorts.

Failure to make prompt initial treatment contact is an important reason explaining why there are unmet needs for mental health care in Mexico. Meeting these needs will likely require expansion and optimal allocation of resources as well as other interventions.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: guibor@imp.edu.mx

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ALCOHOL ACROSS THE LIFESPAN


FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FY08-13

This document, the NIAAA Strategic Plan for Research, 2008-2013, sets forth research opportunities to increase our understanding of why, how, and when people drink, as well as why and how some people develop alcohol use disorders (AUD). Throughout the years, investigators have pursued answers to these very questions through studies of alcohol’s effects on biological systems, the genetic factors underlying biology, and through the study of environmental and cultural factors. This Plan, however, proposes a significantly different direction for alcohol studies by applying the lifespan perspective -- the consideration of how the emergence and progression of drinking behavior is influenced by multiple changes (in biology, psychology, and in exposure to social and environmental inputs) over a person’s lifetime. These changes occurring throughout the lifespan affect the pattern of drinking (quantity and frequency) and the actions individuals may take to modify their drinking behavior or to seek help for an alcohol use disorder. Viewing alcohol use and alcohol problems through a lifespan perspective will provide knowledge that will, through early identification and intervention, significantly contribute to the ability to decrease the prevalence of alcoholism and other alcohol-related disorders, and to the treatment of these disorders.

This overview describes the origins of the lifespan perspective, highlights the complexity of alcohol issues in health, and provides a view to why solutions to these problems cannot be approached from any single discipline but must be approached in a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner. Further, the findings at any investigative level (molecular, cellular, animal model, human laboratory, human clinical to community) must be translated to other levels and eventually to clinical practice in the world environment. Transdisciplinary and translational research over the course of the next decade will be aided by the intellectual and technical developments arising from the NIH Roadmap and the NIH Neuroscience Blueprint, and their potential application to address health issues related to alcohol use has been integrated into this Plan.

Read Five Year Research Plan

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The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-IV (AUDADIS-IV): Reliability of new psychiatric diagnostic modules and risk factors in a general population sample
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Article in Press, Corrected Proof 13 August 2007

This study presents test–retest reliability statistics and information on internal consistency for new diagnostic modules and risk factors for alcohol, drug, and psychiatric disorders from the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-IV (AUDADIS-IV).

Test–retest statistics were derived from a random sample of 1899 adults selected from 34,653 respondents who participated in the 2004–2005 Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).

Internal consistency of continuous scales was assessed using the entire Wave 2 NESARC. Both test and retest interviews were conducted face-to-face.

Test–retest and internal consistency results for diagnoses and symptom scales associated with posttraumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and borderline, narcissistic, and schizotypal personality disorders were predominantly good (kappa > 0.63; ICC > 0.69; alpha > 0.75) and reliability for risk factor measures fell within the good to excellent range (intraclass correlations = 0.50–0.94; alpha = 0.64–0.90).

The high degree of reliability found in this study suggests that new AUDADIS-IV diagnostic measures can be useful tools in research settings.

The availability of highly reliable measures of risk factors for alcohol, drug, and psychiatric disorders will contribute to the validity of conclusions drawn from future research in the domains of substance use disorder and psychiatric epidemiology.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: bgrant@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

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Alcohol Consumption and HIV Disease Progression.JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. POST ACCEPTANCE, 19 July 2007

To assess the relation between alcohol consumption and laboratory markers of HIV disease progression.

Among subjects who were not on ART, heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a lower CD4 cell count (adjusted mean decrease of 48.6 cells/[mu]L compared with abstinence; P = 0.03) but not with higher log10 HIV RNA. Among subjects who were on ART, heavy alcohol consumption was not associated with a lower CD4 cell count or higher log10 HIV RNA.

Heavy alcohol consumption has a negative impact on the CD4 cell count in HIV-infected persons not receiving ART. In addition to the known deleterious effects of alcohol on ART adherence, these findings suggest that avoiding heavy alcohol consumption in patients not on ART may have a beneficial effect on HIV disease progression.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: jsamet@bu.edu

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Depressive Symptoms and Subsequent Alcohol Use and Problems: A Prospective Study of Medical Inpatients With Unhealthy Alcohol Use
J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 68: 673-680, 2007

We sought to determine whether depressive symptoms assessed during hospitalization predicted alcohol use and alcohol-related problems during the subsequent year among medically ill patients.

Of the 341 patients enrolled, 90% (men 220; women 88) provided data on at least one follow-up time point during the subsequent year. Gender-stratified longitudinal Pois-son regression models were fit for each alcohol outcome, adjusting for baseline values of age, physical symptoms, randomization group, alcohol outcome, cocaine use, and socioeconomic indicators.

Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with drinks per day (men: incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.17 per 10-unit increase in CES-D, p < .01; women: IRR 1.00 per 10-unit increase in CES-D, p .98) and alcohol-related problems (men: IRR 1.22 per 10-unit increase in CES-D, p < .001; women: IRR 1.05 per 10-unit increase in CES-D, p .39) for men but not for women.

They were not significantly associated with the number of days abstinent in men or women.

In hospitalized medical patients with unhealthy alcohol use, depressive symptoms predict subsequent drinks per day and alcohol-related problems among men. These findings suggest that symptoms of depression may be important to consider in treatment planning for male medical patients with unhealthy patterns of drinking.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: palfai@bu.edu

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2006 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment –Alcohol-Related Fatalities


In 2006, an estimated 13,470 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 g/dL or above – a decline of 0.8 percent from the 13,582 fatalities in 2005.

The 2006 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries shows that 17,602 people were killed in the United States in alcohol-related motor vehicle traffic crashes – essentially unchanged from the 17,590 alcoholrelated fatalities in 2005. Also, as shown in Table 1, fatalities n crashes where the highest BAC among any of the involved drivers, pedestrians or pedalcyclists was .08 g/dL or above increased marginally to 15,121 fatalities in 2006.
. . . . . . .

Read Full Report
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Welcome to 'Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference'





IHRA’s harm reduction conferences have been held around the world each year since 1990, and the next event in this highly successful series takes place in the stunning Mediterranean city of Barcelona in the heart of Catalonia and Spain.

Over five days, this conference will be the main meeting point for all those interested in harm reduction, and an invaluable platform for debate, discussion, and the dissemination of new and evolving good practice in addressing drug use and associated harm. For nearly two decades, these events have been the key forum for the dissemination of harm reduction ideas and practice, and have helped to put harm reduction on the map.

Read Full Conference Information

Contributor: Jaime Bridge
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8th Annual Fetal Alcohol Canadian Expertise (FACE) Research Roundtable

September 7, 2007 - WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

FACE was established in 2000 to promote open discussion and collaboration in all areas of medical and social science research related to the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy and lactation. Today the FACE Network includes researchers, clinicians, front-line workers, government and industry representatives and policy-makers from across Canada.

The 2007 FACE Research Roundtable will feature 30 and 40 minute scientific presentations on some of Canada's most interesting FASD research. Please watch this page for program details. If you will need accommodation in Winnipeg call the Delta at 1-888-311-4990 to reserve a room at the special FACE Research Roundtable rate. Download Registration Form and Call for Abstract Instructions below.

All are welcome.

Read Full Conference Information
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Alcohol consumption and risk for stroke among Chinese men
Annals of Neurology Early View Published on-line 20 August 2007

Stroke is a leading cause of death and long-term disability in China. The objective of this study was to examine the relation between alcohol consumption and risk for stroke among Chinese men. Over the course of 493,351 person-years of follow-up, we documented 3,434 incident strokes (1,848 stroke deaths). After adjustment for age, body mass index, physical activity, urbanization (urban vs rural), geographic variation (north vs south), cigarette smoking, history of diabetes, and education, compared with nondrinkers, relative risk (95% confidence interval) of incident stroke was 0.92 for participants consuming 1 to 6 drinks/week, 1.02 for those consuming 7 to 20 drinks/week, 1.22 for those consuming 21 to 34 drinks/week, and 1.22 for those consuming 35 or more drinks per week. The corresponding relative risks for stroke mortality were 0.93, 0.98, 1.15, and 1.30, respectively. These results suggest that heavy alcohol drinking may increase the risk for stroke in Chinese men and should be the target of strategies for prevention. Read Full Abstract Reprint Request E-Mail: lbazzano@tulane.edu ______________________________________________________________________

Mechanisms of Action in Integrated Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Versus Twelve-Step Facilitation for Substance-Dependent Adults With Comorbid Major Depression
Journal of Studies Alcohol and Drugs Volume 68, 2007 > Issue 5: September 2007



In a population of veterans with co-occurring substance use disorders and concomitant major depressive disorder, the current study compared mechanisms of change and therapeutic effects relevant to both disorders between integrated, dual disorder-specific cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) and twelve-step facilitation (TSF).

Self-efficacy increased among both TSF and ICBT participants during treatment, whereas self-reported ability to regulate negative affect did not change.

Consistent with predictions, TSF participants increased community TSA during treatment, whereas those receiving ICBT reduced TSA. Changes in self-efficacy and TSA were associated with improvement in substance use outcomes at the end of treatment. Hypothesized changes in social support were not supported.

Both ICBT and TSF produce improvements in self-efficacy, and these changes are related to substance use outcomes for depressed substance abusers. In TSF, intervention-specific changes in TSA occur during the course of treatment and are related to substance use outcomes.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: sglasner@ucla.edu
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Examining the effect of linkage disequilibrium between markers on the Type error rate and power of nonparametric multipoint linkage analysis of two-generation a multigenerational pedigrees in the presence of missing genotype data
Genetic Epidemiology Early View Published Online: 8 Aug 2007

Because most multipoint linkage analysis programs currently assume linkage equilibrium between markers when inferring parental haplotypes, ignoring linkage disequilibrium (LD) may inflate the Type I error rate.

We investigated the effect of LD on the Type I error rate and power of nonparametric multipoint linkage analysis of two-generation and multigenerational multiplex families.

Using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism, we modified the original data set into 30 total data sets in order to consider six different patterns of missing data for five different levels of SNP density.

To assess power, we designed simulated traits based on existing marker genotypes. For the Type I error rate, we simulated 1,000 qualitative traits from random distributions, unlinked to any of the marker data. Overall, the different levels of SNP density examined here had only small effects on power (except sibpair data).

Missing data had a substantial effect on power, with more completely genotyped pedigrees yielding the highest power (except sibpair data). Most of the missing data patterns did not cause large increases in the Type I error rate if the SNP markers were more than 0.3 cM apart.

However, in a dense 0.25-cM map, removing genotypes on founders and/or founders and parents in the middle generation caused substantial inflation of the Type I error rate, which corresponded to the increasing proportion of persons with missing data.

Results also showed that long high-LD blocks have severe effects on Type I error rate.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: hokim@snu.ac.kr
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Equality and difference: persisting historical themes in health and alcohol policies affecting Indigenous Australians
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2007;61:759-763;

Disseminating national health and alcohol policies to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia has been a challenging task for governments and public servants.

This has been for a number of reasons, including the enduring (negative) legacy of past "Aboriginal affairs" policies, the fact that Indigenous health programmes and alcohol programmes have been treated separately since the 1970s, and a more recent context in which the recognition of cultural difference was privileged.

Confronted with the politics of difference, health departments were slow to examine avenues through which best practice advice emanating from WHO, and alcohol policies such as harm minimisation and early identification and treatment in primary health care, could be communicated in culturally recognisable ways to independent Indigenous services.

In addition, there was hostility towards harm minimisation policies from Indigenous service providers, and Indigenous treatment programmes remained largely committed to abstinence-oriented modalities and the disease model of alcoholism, despite moves away from these approaches in the mainstream.

However, genuinely innovative acute interventions and environmental controls over alcohol have been developed by Indigenous community-based organisations, approaches that are reinforced by international policy research evidence.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: Maggie.brady@anu.edu.au
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Externalizing symptoms among children of alcoholic parents: Entry points for an antisocial pathway to alcoholism.
J Abnorm Psychol. 2007 Aug;116(3):529-42.




The authors examined heterogeneity in risk for externalizing symptoms in children of alcoholic parents, as it may inform the search for entry points into an antisocial pathway to alcoholism.

That is, they tested whether the number of alcoholic parents in a family, the comorbid subtype of parental alcoholism, and the gender of the child predicted trajectories of externalizing symptoms over the early life course, as assessed in high-risk samples of children of alcoholic parents and matched controls.

Through integrative analyses of 2 independent, longitudinal studies, they showed that children with either an antisocial alcoholic parent or 2 alcoholic parents were at greatest risk for externalizing symptoms. Moreover, children with a depressed alcoholic parent did not differ from those with an antisocial alcoholic parent in reported symptoms.

These findings were generally consistent across mother, father, and adolescent reports of symptoms; child gender and child age (ages 2 through 17); and the 2 independent studies examined.

Multialcoholic and comorbid-alcoholic families may thus convey a genetic susceptibility to regulation's along with environments that both exacerbate this susceptibility and provide few supports to offset it.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: hussong@unc.edu
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Nonnormality and divergence in posttreatment alcohol use: Reexamining the Project MATCH data "another way."
Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2007 May Vol 116(2) 378-394






Alcohol lapses are the modal outcome following treatment for alcohol use disorders, yet many alcohol researchers have encountered limited success in the prediction and prevention of relapse.

One hypothesis is that lapses are unpredictable, but another possibility is the complexity of the relapse process is not captured by traditional statistical methods.

Data from Project Matching Alcohol Treatments to Client Heterogeneity (Project MATCH), a multisite alcohol treatment study, were reanalyzed with 2 statistical methodologies: catastrophe and 2-part growth mixture modeling.

Drawing on previous investigations of self-efficacy as a dynamic predictor of relapse, the current study revisits the self-efficacy matching hypothesis, which was not statistically supported in Project MATCH.

Results from both the catastrophe and growth mixture analyses demonstrated a dynamic relationship between self-efficacy and drinking outcomes. The growth mixture analyses provided evidence in support of the original matching hypothesis: Individuals with lower self-efficacy who received cognitive behavior therapy drank far less frequently than did those with low self-efficacy who received motivational therapy.

These results highlight the dynamical nature of the relapse process and the importance of the use of methodologies that accommodate this complexity when evaluating treatment outcomes.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: kate19@u.washington.edu
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Correspondence -
Alcohol consumption and public health in Russia


We thank Jürgen Rehm and Gerhard Gmel for their Comment (June 16, p 1975)1 on our paper (p 2001)2 on alcohol-related mortality in Russia. It is, however, necessary to correct some factual errors. They state that we provided no chemical analysis of non-beverage alcohols and that we did not consider the possibility that methanol poisoning might be important. In fact we
did provide data on the composition of non-beverage products, on the basis of our earlier detailed analysis of these substances (which Rehm and Gmel also cite).

Our key finding was that eau de colognes and medicinal tinctures were highly concentrated sources of ethanol, with no detectable quantities of methanol or long-chain alcohols. Although Rehm and Gmel are correct that we did not collect data on samogon (a home-produced spirit mainly found in rural areas), methanol is not usually found in home-produced Russian spirits because they are made from grain or sugar.
. . . . . .

Read Full Correspondence (PDF)


Contributor: Philippe Arvers
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September Is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month

For 18 years, Recovery Month has promoted the social benefits of alcohol and drug treatment, applauded the contributions of treatment providers, and increased awareness that recovery from these disorders is possible!

SAMHSA urges you to join the voices for recovery by supporting this year’s theme—Saving Lives, Saving Dollars. Alcohol and drug addiction exact an enormous financial and human toll on our society. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to invest in treatment! It benefits you, your family, and your community.

How can you support Recovery Month? It’s easy! You can:

• Plan events that will help raise awareness about the cost of substance use disorders.
  
• Publicize your event before Recovery Month even starts! You can tailor the media outreach templates in the Recovery Month toolkit and distribute them to local media outlets. You can even promote your event on the Recovery Month Web site!
  
• Provide information at your event by distributing the fact sheets in the toolkit. You also can use them throughout the year!
  
• Share your success with others! Tell others about the lessons you learned from your campaign and your accomplishments at the Recovery Month Web site!

Be Sure To Check Out These Materials

The following items are available to download or order to help you promote Recovery Month in your community.

• Recovery Month Toolkit
• Recovery Month Flyer (AVD237)
• Recovery Month Brochure (AVD238)
• Recovery Month Poster (PDF) (RMPOS-07)

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Party's over? Curbs planned on cheap drink to beat binge culture

Ministers ready to outlaw cut-price promotions to make young sober up

Alan Travis, home affairs editor
Thursday August 16, 2007
The Guardian

Ministers are close to a decision to crack down on the promotional sale of cheap alcohol and happy-hour discounts as part of a drive to tackle Britain's binge-drinking culture.

They are also to launch a public education campaign with new guidance to parents and young people to challenge the idea that "drinking to get drunk" in public places is in any way socially acceptable.

An urgent review is under way by the Home Office and the Department of Health into how, and in what circumstances, the price of alcohol, including discounting, advertising and other forms of promotion, drives the overall consumption of alcohol and problem drinking in particular.
. . . . . .

Read Full Article

Contributor: Tom Colhurst
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Alcohol ban is no answer; proper policing is


By David Green

6/08/2007

The alleged murder of Garry Newlove, after he challenged a gang of vandals, prompted Cheshire's Chief Constable, Peter Fahy, to call for stronger controls on alcohol.

The price should be increased, the legal age for drinking raised from 18 to 21, and drinking in the street banned. He went on: "We are doing everything we can, within our resources and powers."

First of all, the police are not doing everything they can. We have all seen the neighbours of Mr Newlove telling television cameras that there had been a problem with gangs for some time. What would a well-run police force do when told about a persistent problem with unruly youths?
. . . . . .
Read Full Article

Contributor: Tom Colhurst
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Indications of Public Health in the English Regions| 8: Alcohol





2007 Report by the North West Public Health Observatory on the impact of alcohol consumption on public health in England. Keywords: public health, England, alcohol misuse, binge drinking, consumption, alcohol policy.

Download Report (PDF)

Contributor: Rowdy Yates
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Half of under-age drinkers who admit to being drunk are given alcohol by parents

By JAMES SLACK - 15th August 2007

Drunk teens are getting alcohol from their parents

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More detailed results »

Half of all under-age drinkers are supplied with the alcohol by their parents, Home Office research reveals.

And tens of thousands of feckless mothers and fathers are turning a blind eye while children as young as ten get "very drunk".

The findings from the authoritative Offending Crime and Justice Survey show that 56 per cent of the 5.4million ten-to-17-year-olds in England and Wales admitted drinking in the past year.
. . . . . .

Read Full Article

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Media Release - New Study: Hispanics’ Drug Use Rises with Acculturation

08-13-07

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Substance abuse increases among recent Hispanic immigrants as they replace their traditional cultural beliefs with those of white Americans, according to new research that was presented Aug. 12 by Oregon State University assistant professor Scott Akins at the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting in New York.

The study surveyed 6,713 adults in Washington – of which 1,690 persons identified themselves as “Hispanic.” It is the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Previous research on the effect of acculturation on drug use has been conducted in states with larger Hispanic enclaves such as California, Florida and the Southwest. In these states Hispanics are more likely to live in heavily concentrated ethnic communities, which may slow their acculturation or assimilation.

The results were striking. Acculturated Hispanics were nearly 13 times as likely to report using illegal drugs as non-acculturated Hispanics. Acculturation involves the adoption of new cultural information and social skills by an immigrant group, which often replaces traditional cultural beliefs, practices and social patterns.

“In general, recent Hispanic immigrants are more family-oriented and have less tolerant views of drug and alcohol use,” Akins said. “Although acculturation and assimilation will provide some migrants with benefits such as wealth and job stability, immigration and acculturation can be a difficult process which has negative consequences as well.”
. . . . . .

Read Full Press Release

Researcher E-Mail: sakins@oregonstate.edu

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Press Release -

New test reveals risk-level consumption of alcohol and early abuse

It will soon be easy to determine whether a person has an alcohol problem. With a tiny prick of the finger a new method (developed in Lund in Sweden) can detect any abuse from the last two weeks. It can also reveal injurious and risky consumption, such as repeated weekend binges. The method is quicker, cheaper, and more accurate than present variants, which makes it interesting to primary care clinics, workplaces, and other venues where it is important to carry out health checks.

"People with incipient alcohol abuse often try to obscure their problems, both from themselves and from others. This makes it important to uncover problems in time. And for pilots, chauffeurs, and other vocational groups alcohol abuse can directly jeopardize their ability to perform their jobs," says Arthur Varga, the researcher in applied biochemistry at Lund University Faculty of Engineering, LTH, where the method was developed. . . . . . . . Read Full Press Release ______________________________________________________________

Thirty-month follow-up of drinking moderation training for women: A randomized clinical trial

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2007 Jun Vol 75(3) 501-507

This study examined the durability of a group-based drinking moderation training for heavily drinking women reporting low physical dependence on alcohol.

A 30-month follow-up of participants was conducted based on a previous study of 144 women randomly assigned to treatment conditions.

Thirty-month follow-up results indicated that women who at baseline were relatively heavier drinkers had significantly greater benefit from the drinking moderation training when exposed to intervention enhancements entailing life skills training and booster sessions. Further, the initial improvements in drinking, relative to baseline levels, did not statistically deteriorate over the 30-month follow-up.

The findings support the application of treatment enhancements among women in this population who at baseline are relatively heavier drinkers.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-Mail: walitzer@ria.buffalo.edu


Contributor: Don Phillips
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Officials OK tax hike for sugary alcohol drinks

The decision, which affects "alcopops" such as Mike's Hard Lemonade, is a victory for a group of California teens.

By Nancy Vogel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 14, 2007

SACRAMENTO -- A group of California teenagers working to curb underage drinking scored a victory today when state officials voted to impose steep new taxes on sugary alcohol drinks such as Smirnoff Ice and Mike's Hard Lemonade.

The Board of Equalization decided to treat flavored malt beverages as distilled spirits rather than as beer, which will boost taxes on a six-pack of the drinks by nearly $2.

"The ruling will send a signal to youth that these drinks are hard liquor because they have costs similar to hard liquor," said board member Judy Chu of Monterey Park, one of the three Democrats to vote for the change.

The "alcopop" drinks mimic lemonade, cola, fruit punch and other flavors. They don't fit neatly into California's alcohol classifications of beer, wine and distilled spirits.

Before the tax change can take effect, the state must study the content of all flavored malt beverages sold in California, board staff members said. That could take a year.

The 3-2 vote came eight months after a group of teenagers from around the state petitioned the board for the higher taxes.
. . . . . .

Read Full Article
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Ban drinking in street, says police chief

By Martin Beckford

15/08/2007

A senior police officer yesterday issued a devastating critique of the way towns were being blighted by violent, drunken youths who had made people afraid to walk the streets.

Speaking after the death of a father allegedly at the hands of teenage yobs, Peter Fahy, the Chief Constable of Cheshire, blamed parents for abdicating responsibility for their children and shops that sold cheap alcohol.
. . . . . .

Read Full Article

Contributor: Tom Colhurst

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Board of Equalization raises tax on flavored malt beverages

By Danielle McNamara - Bee Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The state's tax policy board voted Tuesday to tax flavored malt beverages at the same rate as liquor rather than beer, in an effort to curb underage drinking.

The California Board of Equalization approved by a 3-2 vote to classify the beverages as distilled spirits, which will raise the tax rate from 20 cents per gallon -- the rate for beer -- to the hard liquor rate of $3.30 per gallon.

. . . . . .

Read Full Article

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Faces & Voices of Recovery


eNewsletter 14 August 2007 eNewsletter: August 14, 2007

Become a Founding Member!
Thanks to your commitment and support, Faces & Voices of Recovery and our recovery advocacy movement continue to grow and make a difference in the lives of our families, friends and neighbors.
In September 2006, we launched our founding member campaign, which runs through September 2007, Recovery Month. If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to become a founding member of Faces & Voices of Recovery Learn more…

Rally for Recovery! and Recovery Month 2007
Over 50 organizations are participating in this year’s Rally for Recovery! to speak out about the power and proof of long-term recovery and call for policies to support recovery. Advocates in New Jersey and New York are coming together on September 15th in a “hub event” to bring national attention to Rally for Recovery! Advocates in Missouri and Illinois are combining forces for Hands Across the Bridge and in the nation’s capital, the first every Recovery Weekend. Use our sample media advisory and press release to publicize your events. Learn more…

Congress recesses – Act to end insurance discrimination!
We are at a critical point in the fight to end insurance discrimination against people still struggling with addiction and mental illness. We need your help to urge Congress to act quickly on the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (HR 1424) when members of Congress return to Washington, DC on September 3rd. Learn more…

Second Chance Act Advances
Thanks to the advocacy of a broad coalition of organizations and advocates around the country, the Second Chance Act continues to gain momentum in Congress this summer. The Senate Judiciary committee has approved the bill and the next steps are votes in the full House and Senate. Learn more…

Resources
Job Opportunity: The HERO House (Higher Education Recovery Option), a recovery house for college students in early sobriety, is looking for a Program Director. Learn more…

CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION (BOE)
MAKES HISTORIC DECISION

Alcopops To Be Taxed As Distilled Spirits



SAN RAFAEL, CA (August 14, 2007) --- The California State Board of
Equalization (BOE), under the strong leadership of State Controller John
Chiang, made history today when they set in motion a rulemaking procedure
to tax alcopops as distilled spirits, instead of the current "beer"
classification. The decision was immediately applauded by alcohol activists
and youth from the California Youth and Alcopops Coalition, the group that
initiated the drive with a petition to the BOE last fall.

“Flavored Malt beverages should be taxes as distilled spirits because they
fall under the category of distilled spirits, as written in California
law,” stated Chiang. “While today’s vote is about fair taxation,” he added,
“taxing flavored malt beverages as liquor will also help reduce their
popularity with young people by simply pricing the product out of their
reach.”

“This is an enlightened step forward in controlling underage consumption of
alcohol,” said Bruce Lee Livingston, MPP, Executive Director of Marin
Institute. “For generations, Big Alcohol has evaded proper taxation on
these products. Now, the state will benefit and the health and well-being
of our youth will be improved.”

A recent Marin Institute report detailed the true costs of the consumption
of alcopops by underage youth in California. The report concluded that
alcopops cost California $1.25 billion, 60 lives, and 50,000 incidents of
harm. With the new tax in place, the lives of 21 youth will be saved, as
well as $437 million in societal costs. The tax is also expected to reduce
underage alcopop consumption in the state by 35 percent.

“Public policy trumped corporate-influenced politics today,” said Michele
Simon, Director of Research and Policy at Marin Institute. “It’s a great
victory not just for the people and state of California but for other
states that are taking a keen interest in our process because they desire
similar outcomes. If we can do it, so can they,” she added.

In addition to Controller Chiang’s “yes” vote, board members Judy Chu and
Betty Yee also voted for the change. Members Bill Leonard and Michele
Steele voted no. The proposed tax could increase the average price of
alcopops by an estimated 25% and generate over $40 million for the state
treasury. In addition, the funds could be used for alcohol prevention
programs and emergency medical center expenses.

Listen live to Board Hearing

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