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 6, 2010

Alcohol News - 49/2010


Bertelsmann Stiftung (Finland) - An attempt to ban evocative alcohol advertising
In summer 2009 the Finnish Government set up a working group to evaluate, among others, whether restrictions on evocative (visual) alcohol advertising were necessary. The working group finished its work in summer 2010 and concluded that no additional measures were needed concerning evocative alcohol advertising. This raised opposition, and consequently a bill proposing that only product information would be allowed to be shown in the commercials was introduced in Parliament in September 2010.
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Stylish Classic (Denmark) - Alcohol may affect sperm health
The decrease in sperm count seen in men, in Europe and the United States in recent decades could be due, at least in part, to exposure to alcohol in utero. In a study published recently in the journal Human Reproduction, Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen and colleagues at the University Hospital of Aarhus (Denmark) show that men whose mothers drank more than one drink per day during pregnancy have sperm production reduced by one third, and the effects are already noticeable after only two drinks per week, or 24 grams of alcohol. This is the first time such a link is highlighted.
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Baltic News Network (Lithuania) – Lithuania extends alcohol sale time
Starting from January 1, spirits will be sold from 8.00 AM to 12.00 AM, reports Runet.lt. 60 Parliament deputies voted for the amendments, while 40 were against, nine deputies refrained.
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UPI.com (Canada) - Quebec nixes lower drivers' alcohol limit
Quebec's government has reversed itself on a plan to lower the maximum blood-alcohol limit for drivers to 0.05 per cent from 0.08 per cent, officials said.
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WebProNews - Google Adjusts AdWords Alcohol Policy
Google has made changes to its advertising policy on alcohol for AdWords. The company now allows ads to promote the sale of hard alcohol and liquor.
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Renal and Urology New - Alcohol May Adversely Affects Vision in Type 2 diabetics
Moderate and heavy alcohol consumption may be associated with an increased risk of declining visual acuity, but not diabetic retinopathy, in patients with type 2 diabetes, data suggest.
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Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Ltd (Fiji) - Cigarettes and alcohol abuse kills: Ministry
More then 82% of Fiji’s population die of non-communicable diseases says the Health Ministry and two major contributing factors are the excessive use of cigarettes and alcohol.
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Herald.ie (Ireland) - Teens' horror at seeing mums and dads being drunk
THE vast majority of teenagers believe parents should not get drunk in front of their children, new research has shown.
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WalesOnline (Wales) - North Wales: ‘Smoking, alcohol and drugs are key concerns’
The lifestyles of people living in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area, which covers Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham are generally in line with the Welsh average.
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Medical Daily - Stigma discourages those with alcohol disorders from receiving treatment
Despite the existence of effective programs for treating alcohol dependencies and disorders, less than a quarter of people who are diagnosed actually seek treatment. In a recent study by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health researchers report that people diagnosed with alcoholism at some point in their lifetime were more than 60% less likely to seek treatment if they believed they would be stigmatized once their status is known.
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The Korea Herald (South Korea) - Share of household spending on alcohol, cigarettes drops
The ratio of Koreans’ spending on alcohol and cigarettes to their total spending fell to a record low in the third quarter as people grew concerned about their health, data showed Monday.
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TMCnet (WHO) - Itransition Helps WHO Launch Initiative to Prevent Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Itransition Software Development Company, an international software development company, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Dutch Ministry of Health, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (the Trimbos), have launched a new pilot project with the objective to prevent alcohol and substance abuse in Brazil, India, Mexico and Belarus.
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InsideVandy (USA) - STUDY: Alcohol consumption has an impact on final grades
Final exams are less than a week away, and students will be confronted with choices that will have an impact on their academic performance. A recent study conducted at the U.S. Air Force Academy found that alcohol consumption before and during final exam period is detrimental to students’ performance.
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The Guardian (UK) - David Nutt: 'The government cannot think logically about drugs'
If someone were to invent a perfectly safe ecstasy pill, what would be done about it? It's the sort of scenario clubbers like to speculate about, usually at around 6am, a little the worse for wear after a big night out. It's less common to hear it from a neuropsychopharmacologist and former government scientist – but it is, Professor David Nutt says earnestly, "the key question". So what does he think the government would do?
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Radio New Zealand (New Zealand) - Full strength beer ban at all cricket internationals
New Zealand Cricket says full-strength beer will not be sold at any venue during international matches this summer.
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Irish Medical Times (Ireland) - Ireland paying heavy price for alcohol
“We are all paying a high price for cheap alcohol,” the national charity for alcohol-related issues, Alcohol Action Ireland, has warned, while calling on the Government to implement budgetary measures it says could earn the Exchequer up to €182 million additional revenue and help reduce the estimated €3.7 billion in avoidable costs caused by alcohol-related harm each year.
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WalesOnline (Wales) - Call for zero alcohol drink-drive limit
PARENTS who have lost children to drink-drivers last night attacked the Government for failing to introduce an immediate “zero” alcohol limit for motorists.
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Jerusalem Post (Israel) - Many women unaware alcohol and pregnancy don’t mix
Less than a quarter of Israeli women are aware of the risk of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, according to a study conducted by pediatrician Dr. Yehuda Santzky and the Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva.
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Washington Post (USA) - Experts debate merit of making drinking age 21
What role does the 21-year-old drinking age play in the phenomenon of young adults bingeing on alcohol? This has become a fiercely debated topic in the past few years.
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