Press Release - ALCOHOL ATLAS OF INDIA RELEASED
AN ACTIVE AND RESPONSIVE MEDIA SUPPORT IS ESSENTIAL TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM OF ALCOHOL ABUSE: DR. RAMADOSS

Releasing the manual “Alcohol Atlas of India” prepared by the Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance (IAPA), the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss asked the media to create awareness about the adverse social, economic and medical effects of alcohol abuse among the masses. He said the reach of media has multiplied manifold and this issue should form an important agenda of the media. Besides Shri Swami Agnivesh, Chairman, Bandua Mukuti Morcha, Dr. Vijay Chandra, Regional Advisor, WHO-SEARO, representatives from the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) and various NGOs were also present at the function.
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WHO SEARO RELEASES PUBLICATIONS ON ALCOHOL CONTROL SERIES

WHO South East Asia Regional Office based in New Delhi, as part of its endeavour to support Member Countries in South-East Asia in the promotion of mental health and the reduction of the burden associated with mental and neurological disorders, particularly substance abuse and harm from alcohol, has come out with several innovative programmes aimed at mental health promotion and delivery of appropriate care at all levels of society.

Recently WHO SEARO has published six resourceful publications on Alcohol Control Series with the objective to empower individuals and communities to prevent harm from alcohol use and abuse and thereby achieve a sustained reduction in per capita consumption of alcohol in the region. The resourceful publications under Alcohol Control Series are:

Series 1 - Burden and Socio-Economic Impact of Alcohol (The Bangalore Study)

Series 2 -Public Health Problems Caused by Harmful Use of Alcohol (Gaining Less or Gaining More)

Series 3 - Alcohol Control Policies in the South-East Asia Region: Selected Issues

Series 4 - Alcohol Use and Abuse: What You Should Know

Series 5 - Reducing Harm from Use of Alcohol: Community Responses

Series 6 - Current Information on Use and harm from Alcohol in the WHO South-East Asia Region

Download the Publications
1 - Burden and Socio-Economic Impact of Alcohol (The Bangalore Study)	2 - Public Health Problems Caused by Harmful Use of Alcohol (Gaining Less or Gaining More)	3 – Alcohol Control Policies in the South-East Asia Region: Selected Issues
4 – Alcohol Use and Abuse: What You Should Know	5 – Reducing Harm from Use of Alcohol: Community Responses	6 – Current Information on Use and harm from Alcohol in the WHO South-East Asia Region ________________________

ALCOHOL ATLAS OF INDIA

The Launching Ceremony of the “Alcohol Atlas of India” will be held at the Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 29th April 2008. Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss (Hon’ble Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India) is the Chief Guest on the occasion and he will release the Manual by handing over the first copy to Dr. Vijay Chandra (WHO Regional Advisor on Mental Health & Substance Abuse for South East Asia). Swami Agnivesh (Veteran Social Activist & Chairman, Bandhua Mukti Morcha) will be the Guest of Honour. Mr. Derek Rutherford (Chairman, Global Alcohol Policy Alliance - GAPA) will deliver the Keynote Address. Dr. S. Arul Rhaj (Chairman, IAPA & President, Commonwealth Medical Association) will preside over the function.

“Alcohol Atlas of India” is the first major manual from Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance (IAPA), as part of its commitment to prevent alcohol related harm through evidence based policy intervention, advocacy and capacity building.
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SPRING 2008 SYMPOSIA SERIES ON MECHANISMS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

Escaping the Tyranny of Small Decisions: A Proposal and Pathways to Self-Destruction: How & Why People Screw Themselves Up

Escaping the Tyranny of Small Decisions: A Proposal and Pathways to Self-Destruction: How & Why People Screw Themselves Up
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Category: Special
Warren Bickel, University of Arkansas and Roy Baumeister, Florida State University
Total Running Time: 01:56:03
Podcasts available here

more information
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Big boozer, big loser

PHILIPPA DUNCAN
Political reporter

April 29, 2008

RAISING taxes to make all alcohol more expensive is one way to curb Australia's booze problem, a visiting academic says.

Professor Robin Room said alcohol was too cheap and readily available from a public health point of view.

"If you want to seriously do something about alcohol in Australia, then raising taxes is a good way to do it," he said.

"From a public health point of view, the higher the better.

"It's a big problem, alcohol is responsible for a lot of health and social problems."
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Time could be up for 'happy hour'

Cameron Houston and Jill Stark
April 30, 2008

THE Australian tradition of "happy hour" could be scrapped under new measures to combat binge drinking and alcohol-fuelled violence.

A crackdown on alcohol promotions that encourage people to get drunk is expected to be among a range of recommendations made by Premier John Brumby's Ministerial Taskforce on Alcohol and Public Safety.

Findings from the high-level taskforce will be released by the Premier within the next few days under the Victorian Alcohol Action Plan.

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News Release - IMAGING STUDY SHOWS ALOCHOL'S EFFECT ON THREAT-DETECTING BRAIN REGIONS

Findings Help Explain Why People Engage in Risky Behavior While Intoxicated

Washington, DC April 29, 2008 – New brain imaging research published this week shows that, after consuming alcohol, social drinkers had decreased sensitivity in brain regions involved in detecting threats, and increased activity in brain regions involved in reward. The study, in the April 30 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, is the first human brain imaging study of alcohol’s effect on the response of neuronal circuits to threatening stimuli.

“The key finding of this study is that after alcohol exposure, threat-detecting brain circuits can’t tell the difference between a threatening and non-threatening social stimulus,” said Marina Wolf, PhD, at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, who was unaffiliated with the study. “At one end of the spectrum, less anxiety might enable us to approach a new person at a party. But at the other end of the spectrum, we may fail to avoid an argument or a fight. By showing that alcohol exerts this effect in normal volunteers by acting on specific brain circuits, these study results make it harder for someone to believe that risky decision-making after alcohol ‘doesn’t apply to me’,” Wolf said.
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Press Release - INDUSTRY MARKETING CAN HELP TO REDUCE HARMFUL DRINKING
25/04/2008


Drinks producers and alcohol retailers are considering how their marketing can help to make drunkenness socially unacceptable among young adults.

Companies are being invited to support the development of an industry initiative aimed at positively influencing young adults’ drinking.

This follows a seminar on 24 April, hosted by the Portman Group, where Government and industry representatives exchanged information on existing responsible drinking campaigns.

They also examined the potential of social marketing to change the behaviour of the significant minority of young adults who drink irresponsibly.

The seminar was held as the Portman Group published a report on the social responsibility work of the major drinks producers.
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CHIS 2007 Data Collection Complete - Questionnaires Now Available for Download

CHIS conducts separate surveys for three age groups: adults (18 years of age and older); adolescents (12 to 17 years of age); and children (birth to 12 years of age).

Insurance information for adolescents is collected from the adult respondent (CHIS 2003) or from a permission-giving adult (CHIS 2001). CHIS otherwise interviews adolescents directly about their own health and behaviors.

For children under 12 years of age, CHIS interviews the adult in the household who is most knowledgeable about that child's health.

The following are technical documents that contain the actual questionnaires used in the field, including question numbers and skip patterns.

CHIS 2007
		Adult Questionnaire (PDF, 822k)
		Adolescent Questionnaire (PDF, 173k)
		Child Questionnaire (PDF, 475k)
CHIS 2005
		Adult Questionnaire (PDF, 1280k)
		Adolescent Questionnaire (PDF, 426k)
		Child Questionnaire (PDF, 477k)
CHIS 2003
		Adult Questionnaire (PDF, 1769k)
		Adolescent Questionnaire (PDF, 868k)
		Child Questionnaire (PDF, 752k)
CHIS 2001
		Adult Questionnaire (PDF, 733k)
		Adolescent Questionnaire (PDF, 190k)
		Adolescent Insurance Questionnaire (PDF, 76k)
		Child Questionnaire (PDF, 269k)
		CHIS-CAM Questionnaire (PDF, 111k) _________________________________________________________________