Meta-Analysis of the Association of the Taq1A Polymorphism with the Risk of Alcohol Dependency: A HuGE Gene-Disease Association Review
American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on November 7, 2007




The human dopamine 2 receptor Taq1A allele has been implicated as a vulnerability factor for alcohol dependence in a number of studies and reviews.

To determine whether this allele is associated with alcoholism, the authors conducted a Human Genome Epidemiology review and meta-analysis. Forty-four studies with 9,382 participants were included. An odds ratio of 1.38 was found for the A1A1 + A1A2 versus the A2A2 genotype.

Sensitivity analyses suggested lack of ethnic matching as a possible source of heterogeneity; a small, significant association was detected in studies with ethnic-matched controls. Significant associations were also found in analyses restricted to studies reporting use of blinding and those with adequate screening of controls for alcohol dependency. For the A1A1 versus the A1A2 + A2A2 genotype, the odds ratio was 1.22 .

Sensitivity analyses on groups of studies reporting use of ethnic-matched controls and those that screened controls for alcohol dependency still showed significant associations.

The relatively small effect for the association of the A1 allele, or another genetic variant linked to it, with alcohol dependence indicates a multigene causality for this complex disorder.

<sup>Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:</sup> lesleysmith@brookes.ac.uk ).
^{_________________________________________________________}

Deconstruction of Vulnerability to Complex Diseases: Enhanced Effect Sizes and Power of Intermediate Phenotypes
TheScientificWorldJOURNAL, Vol 7, S2, pp. 124-130, 2007

The deconstruction of vulnerability to complex disease with the help of intermediate phenotypes, including the heritable and disease-associated endophenotypes, is a legacy of Henri Begleiter.

Systematic searches for genes influencing complex disorders, including bipolar disorder, have recently been completed using whole genome association (WGA), identifying a series of validated loci.

Using this information, it is possible to compare effect sizes of disease loci discovered in very large samples to the effect sizes of replicated functional loci determining intermediate phenotypes that are of essential interest in psychiatric disorders.

It is shown that the genes influencing intermediate phenotypes tend to have a larger effect size.

Furthermore, the WGA results reveal that the number of loci of large effect size for complex diseases is limited, and yet multiple functional loci have already been identified for intermediate phenotypes relevant to psychiatric diseases, and without the benefit of WGA.


Read Full Text (PDF)
_________________________________________________________________

Effects of moderate beer consumption on blood lipid profile in healthy Spanish adults
Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
Article in Press, Corrected Proof, 31 October 2007

To analyse the association of moderate beer consumption on the blood lipid profile in healthy Spanish adults.

HDL-cholesterol, erythrocytes, haematocrit and MCV levels increased significantly after moderate beer consumption in women. In men, a decrease in HDL-cholesterol levels was observed after alcohol abstention. Haematocrit and MCV counts also increased significantly in men after moderate beer consumption. There were no dietary changes during the study.

In healthy Spanish adults, the effects of moderate beer consumption during 1 month were associated with favourable changes on the blood lipid profile.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: jromeo@if.csic.es

_____________________________________________________________

Children 'can afford cheap alcohol'


By Rebecca Smith Medical Editor

07/11/2007

Children as young as 12 can buy up to 17 units of alcohol - four times the daily limit for adult men - with their weekly pocket money, a conference will hear today.

Delegates at the Alcohol Concern conference, Cheap at Twice the Price, will hear how teenagers can binge-drink with their average weekly pocket money of £9.53.

A report for the group found that at a Co-Op supermarket £10 would buy three large bottles of Budweiser, and two big bottles of WKD Vodka Blue coming to a total of 17 units of alcohol. It also said that Sainsbury's sells 10 207ml bottles of Budweiser for £6.59, the equivalent of 10.35 units.

Don Shenker, the director of policy and services for Alcohol Concern, said: "Cheap alcohol promotions help explain just why those young people who drink can afford to do so at far greater levels than in the past."

Alcohol Concern is calling on the Government to introduce higher taxes on alcohol.
. . . . . . .

Read Full Article

______________________________________________________________

Specific visuomotor deficits due to alcohol intoxication: Evidence from the pro- and antisaccade paradigms
Psychopharmacology, Online First, 3 November 2007



Alcohol affects a variety of human behaviors, including visual perception and motor control. Although recent research has begun to explore mechanisms that mediate these changes, their exact nature is still not well understood.

The present study used two basic oculomotor tasks to examine the effect of alcohol on different levels of visual processing within the same individuals. A theoretical framework is offered to integrate findings across multiple levels of oculomotor control.

Error rates were not influenced by alcohol intoxication in either task. However, there were significant effects of alcohol on saccade latency and peak velocity in both tasks. Critically, a specific alcohol-induced impairment (hypermetria) in saccade amplitudes was observed exclusively in the anti-saccade task.

The saccade latency data strongly suggest that alcohol intoxication impairs temporal aspects of saccade generation, irrespective of the level of processing triggering the saccade. The absence of effects on anti-saccade errors calls for further research into the notion of alcohol-induced impairment of the ability to inhibit prepotent responses.

Furthermore, the specific impairment of saccade amplitude in the anti-saccade task under alcohol suggests that higher level processes involved in the spatial remapping of target location in the absence of a visually specified saccade goal are specifically affected by alcohol intoxication.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: radach@psy.fsu.edu
___________________________________________________________

Impulsivity and addiction: a tribute to Henri Begleiter.
TheScientificWorldJOURNAL 7(S2), 121–123


The 2007 NIDA-NIAAA Symposium, part of NIDA's Mini-Convention on Frontiers in Addiction Research, chaired by Drs. Nora Volkow and T.K. Li, and featuring speakers K. Kendler, B. Porjesz, and D. Goldman, was held in honor of Henri Begleiter, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, who passed away on April 6, 2006. Henri was an exceptional scientist of international acclaim, whose innovative approaches to research and scientific vision were an inspiration to us all. He was one of the truly great, wise, and charismatic leaders in the field, who possessed incredible professional and personal gifts. He enjoyed reading voraciously on wide ranging topics, always in pursuit of new knowledge and exciting ideas. He had the astonishing ability to integrate information from a wide variety of fields. With his scientific vision and encyclopedic knowledge in multiple fields, he almost single-handedly brought together the fields of neurophysiology, genetics, and alcoholism, and his ideas are the basis and inspiration for this symposium. Henri very much lived in accordance with his favorite quote from Louis Pasteur, which he hung in large letters over his desk:

"Dans les champs de l'observation, l´hazard ne favorise que les esprits préparés"
[When it comes to observation, chance only favors the prepared minds.]
. . . . . .

Read Full Text (PDF)
___________________________________________________________________

The relationship of 5HTT (SLC6A4) methylation and genotype on mRNA expression and liability to major depression and alcohol dependence in subjects from the Iowa Adoption Studies
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, Early View, 6 November 2007


Serotonin Transporter (5HTT or SLC6A4) mRNA transcription is regulated by both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Unfortunately, despite intense scrutiny, the exact identity and contribution of each of these regulatory mechanisms, and their relationship to behavioral illness remain unknown. This lack of knowledge is critical because alterations in SLC6A4 function are posited to be central to a wide variety of CNS disorders.

In order to address this shortcoming, we quantified 5HTTLPR genotype, SLC6A4 mRNA production and CpG methylation using biomaterial from 192 lymphoblast cell lines derived from subjects who participated in the latest wave of the Iowa Adoption Studies. We then analyzed the resulting data with respect to clinical characteristics.

We confirmed prior findings that the short (s) 5HTTLPR allele is associated with lower amounts of mRNA transcription, but there was no significant effect of the Long G allele on mRNA transcription. We also found that CpG methylation was higher (P <>P <>SLC6A4 mRNA. There was a trend for an association of increased overall methylation with lifetime history of major depression.

Finally, we confirm our prior findings that the exact levels of 5HTT mRNA expression are dependent on how it is measured.

We conclude that both genetic variation and epigenetic modifications contribute to the regulation of SLC6A4 function and that more in-depth studies of the molecular mechanisms controlling gene activity and the relationship of these mechanisms to behavioral illness are indicated.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: robert-philibert@uiowa.edu
_________________________________________________________________

News Release - FACTORS PREDICTING HEAVIER ALCOHOL CONSUMPTFION AND LIBERAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS DRINKING

6 November 2007, NZ Drug Foundation

Interviews with 14 to 17 year olds indicate that the ready availability of alcohol is a factor in how often they drink and how much they drink on a typical occasion.

Research findings from 1171 telephone interviews with Auckland-based 12-17 year olds indicate that, for 14 to 17 year olds, the ready availability of alcohol, obtained either from their social networks or bought for themselves, is a significant factor in the number of occasions they drink alcohol, and in the amount they typically consume.

This information was presented by Paul Sweetsur and a research team from the SHORE Research Centre at the Two Nations, Ten Cultures? The Combined APSAD and Cutting Edge Addiction Conference.

The aim of the study was to determine factors associated with patterns of drinking among young people and data was collected on alcohol consumption over the last year, weekly drinking, the frequency of drinking and amount of alcohol drunk on a typical occasion.
. . . . . .

Read Full Release (DOC)

_____________________________________________________

Drinking alcohol while pregnant helps 'create unruly children

Daily Mail
By JENNY HOPE
6th November 2007

Women who drink during pregnancy are more likely to have badly behaved children, warn researchers.

A study of thousands of mothers found the risk of anti-social behaviour even among young children increased as the frequency of alcohol consumption went up.

U.S. academics claim the research shows alcohol's effect on the unborn baby has consequences for the child's behaviour several years later, even after genetic and parenting factors are taken into account.
. . . . . . .

Read Full Article

______________________________________________________________

Interactive effects of ethanol and nicotine on learning in C57BL/6J mice depend on both dose and duration of treatment
Online First 30 October 2007


Alcohol and nicotine are commonly co-abused; one possible explanation for co-abuse is that each drug ameliorates the aversive effects of the other. Both drugs have dose-dependent effects on learning and memory. Thus, this study examined the interactive effects of acute ethanol and acute, chronic, or withdrawal from chronic nicotine on fear conditioning in C57BL/6J mice.

Acute nicotine (0.09 mg/kg) reversed ethanol-induced deficits (1.0 and 1.5 g/kg) in contextual and cued fear conditioning, whereas a low dose of ethanol (0.25 g/kg) reversed nicotine (6.3 mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) withdrawal-induced deficits in contextual conditioning. Tolerance developed for the effects of nicotine on ethanol-induced deficits in conditioning and cross-tolerance between chronic nicotine and acute ethanol was seen for the enhancing effects of ethanol on conditioning.

The complex and sometimes polar actions of ethanol and nicotine on behavior may contribute to co-abuse of these drugs. Specifically, smoking may initially reduce the aversive effects of ethanol, but tolerance develops for this effect. In addition, low doses of alcohol may lessen nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Read Full Abstract


Request Reprint E-Mail: tgould@temple.edu
_________________________________________________________________

News - International Harm Reduction Association

News - International Harm Reduction Association IHRA Launch Alcohol Website and Network IHRA/SDUU vs. Sweden at the UN United Nations Drug Strategy Review: Advocacy Guide and Consultations DHA Submission to the UK Government Nothing About Us Without Us: UK Report from Warsaw Conference Nominations Invited for 2008 IHRA Awards New Resources from IHRD New Name for the Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network November 2007 Article of the Month __________________________________________________________

Processes Linking Adolescent Problems to Substance-Use Problems in Late Young Adulthood
Reprinted with permission from Journal of Studies on Alcohol (now called Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs), Vol. 66, No. 6, Nov. 2005, pp. 766-775.




The current study explores three avenues in early young adulthood through which adolescent problems may be linked to later substance use problems: problematic substance use, failure to assume adult roles and responsibilities, and exposure to pro-drug social influences.

Reporting more deviant behavior and heavier drinking at age 18 was associated with a higher likelihood of abuse and dependence at age 29. Alcohol use and pro-drug social influences at age 23 appeared to mediate the effects of adolescent substance use; lack of role assumption did not. The effect of poor mental health at age 18 was not mediated by any set of variables but instead appeared to directly predict dependence at age 29.

Findings highlight the importance of early young adult drinking and substance-using peers in continuing patterns of heavy substance use developed during adolescence and also underscore the long-term impact of poor mental health during adolescence on substance use problems in late young adulthood.

Read Full Text (PDF)

_________________________________________________________________

Interpopulation linkage disequilibrium patterns of GABRA2 and GABRG1 genes at the GABA cluster locus on human chromosome 4
Genomics Article in Press, Corrected Proof 5 November 2007




GABRA2 and GABRG1, which encode the α-2 and γ-1 subunits, respectively, of the GABA_A receptor, are located in a cluster on chromosome 4p. The GABRA2 locus has been found to be associated with alcohol dependence in several studies, but no functional variant that can account for this association has been identified.

To understand the reported associations, we sought to understand the linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns and haplotype structures of these genes. With close intergenic distance, 90 kb, it was anticipated that some markers might show intergenic LD.

Variation in 13-SNP haplotype block structure was observed in five different populations: European American, African American, Chinese (Han and Thai), Thai, and Hmong. In the Hmong, a 280-kb region of considerably higher LD spans the intergenic region, whereas in other populations, there were two or more LD blocks that cross this region.

These findings may aid in understanding the genetic association of this locus with alcohol dependence in several populations.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: joel.gelernter@yale.edu
_________________________________________________________________

Re-framing ‘binge drinking’ as calculated hedonism—Empirical evidence from the UK
International Journal of Drug Policy
Article in Press, Corrected Proof 5 November 2007

Recent debates on ‘binge drinking’ in the UK have represented the activities of young drinkers in urban areas as a particular source of concern, as constituting a threat to law and order, a drain on public health and welfare services and as a source of risk to their own future health and well being. The discourse of moral panic around young people's ‘binge drinking’ has pervaded popular media, public policy and academic research, often differentiating the excesses of ‘binge drinking’ from ‘normal’ patterns of alcohol consumption, although in practice definitions of ‘binge drinking’ vary considerably. However, recent research in this area has drawn on the notion of ‘calculated hedonism’ to refer to a way of ‘managing’ alcohol consumption that might be viewed as excessive.

The paper presents a critical analysis of contemporary discourses around ‘binge drinking’ in the British context, highlighting contradictory messages about responsibility and self control in relation to the recent liberalisation of licensing laws and the extensive marketing of alcohol to young people. The paper analyses marketing communications which present drinking as a crucial element in ‘having fun’, and as an important aspect of young people's social lives. The empirical study involves analysis of focus group discussions and individual interviews with young people aged 18–25 in three areas of Britain: a major city in the West Midlands, a seaside town in the South-West of England and a small market town also in the South-West.

The initial findings present the varied forms and meanings that socialising and drinking took in these young people's social lives. In particular the results illustrate the ways in which drinking is constituted and managed as a potential source of pleasure.

The paper concludes that the term ‘calculated hedonism’ better describes the behaviour of the young people in this study and in particular the way they manage their pleasure around alcohol, than the emotive term ‘binge drinking’.

Read Full Abstract


Request Reprint E-Mail: i.t.szmigin@bham.ac.uk
____________________________________________________________________

ESRC RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES ON Identities and Consumption

3^rd –4^th September 2007, University of Bath

‘Disorders of consumption’: Health, identities and

social policies on consumption

Speakers

Sally Casswell, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

‘From a public health perspective: Alcohol harms, players and policies.’

Robert Hollands, University of Newcastle

‘Putting binge drinking into context: Alcohol consumption, corporatisation and the night-time economy.’

Christine Griffin, Willm Mistral and Andrew Bengry-Howell, University of Bath; Isabelle Szmigin, Universityof Birmingham; Chris Hackley, Royal HollowayCollege, London

Presentation on ESRC ‘Young people and alcohol’ study
‘Re-framing ‘Binge drinking’ as a culture of intoxication.’

Giuseppina Cersosimo, University of Salerno, Southern Italy

‘L’equilibrio desiderata: Women and alcohol in Southern Italy.’

Mandi Hodges, De Montfort University

‘Talking in ‘addiction-speak’ in calls to an alcohol helpline.’

Fiona Measham and Karenza Moore, University of Lancaster

‘Policing pleasure: Official and user constructions of ‘pleasure’ in illicit alcohol and
drug use.’

Martin Holt, University of New South Wales, Australia

‘Defined by disorder: Drug treatment clients and the search for normal consumption.’

Sarah Riley, Christine Griffin and Yvette Morey, University of Bath

Presentation on ESRC ‘Reverberating rhythms’ study: Social Identity and Political Participation in Clubland.

Fin Cullen, Goldsmith’s College, London

“Where are we gonna go?”: Cotching, respectability and teenage girls’ drinking
identities.

Peter Thomas, University of Newcastle

”I don’t care how I feel tomorrow because it’s worth it. Everybody’s just in a party
mood and having a good time with each other, and I don’t see how you could do that sober”: The place of alcohol in producing social spaces at Glastonbury Music
Festival.

Shane Blackman, Christ’s College, Canterbury

‘Abstinence on the offensive?’ critical reflections on drug normalisation, youth
subcultural identities and the new forms of drug prevention, desistance, normative education and the ‘Blueprint.’

Ciaran O’Hagan, Hackney Drug Action Team, London

‘A model of contemporary drug use at dance events’

Download Abstracts (DOC)

__________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the latest
'What's new on the Alcohol Information Scotland website'

New on the site
Latest publications include:
Evaluation of Test Purchasing Pilot for Sales of Alcohol to Under-18's - Final Report		Scottish Government
	A Practical Guide to Test Purchasing in Scotland		Scottish Government
	Highlights from latest media comment
	Date	Publication	Publisher
	30th October	Documentary series on substance misuse	Channel 4
	26th October	Doctor speaks out over pregnancy drink ban	BBC News
	23rd October	'Scare tactics' fails to prevent binge drinking warns expert	The Scotsman
	22nd October	Tackling Scotland's drinking culture	The Sunday Herald
	22nd October	Glasgow's City Centre Alcohol Action Group	The Sunday Herald
	22nd October	Alcohol Awareness Week	Scottish Government
	19th October	Hospital clinic offers anti-alcohol abuse medicine to clients.	Evening News
	19th October	Doctors back call for compulsory labelling of alcoholic drinks	BBC News
	17th October	More than one million Scots thought to drink at harmful levels	Various Sources
	Forthcoming Events
	A list of forthcoming workshops, training courses, seminars and conferences
	Parliamentary Questions - See the latest questions

Report on Activities in 2006

Dear colleagues, friends and supporters, the second year of the existence of the Centre for Addictology at the Psychiatric Clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine and General Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague has passed and common everyday work has replaced the first wave of enthusiasm.

Only its results will prove the viability of the Centre, both from the point of view of the institution and from the point of view of the configuration and effectiveness of the working team. Nevertheless, the balance of the second year is very rich and I think that the results we have achieved already show that the good start was not accidental and that the high level of motivation and commitment of the team have helped us manage a number of troubles which are associated with every start.....


Read Full Report (PDF)
____________________________________________________________________

Substance use and the adolescent brain: A toxic combination?
Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 21, No. 8, 792-794 (2007)

Early onset substance use has consistently been associated with increased risk for a range of adverse outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood. However, the mechanisms that underlie this relationship are not fully understood.

Recent advances in developmental neuro-science, together with emerging literature on early onset substance use, suggest that the adolescent brain may be more vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances because of the extensive neuromaturational processes that are occurring during this period.

Such findings are suggestive of disrupted developmental trajectories in early onset users, although there is growing evidence that high-risk youths have premorbid neurobiological vulnerabilities.

Prospective studies investigating neurobiological correlates and sequelae of early adolescent drug use are urgently required to inform appropriate public health responses.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: dan.lubman@mh.org.au

____________________________________________________________

News Release - Study Shows Energy Drink “Cocktails” Lead to Increased Injury Risk
November 5, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – College students who drink alcohol mixed with so-called “energy” drinks are at dramatically higher risk for injury and other alcohol-related consequences, compared to students who drink alcohol without energy drinks, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The findings were reported today at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in Washington, D.C.

The researchers found that students who consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks were twice as likely to be hurt or injured, twice as likely to require medical attention, and twice as likely to ride with an intoxicated driver, as were students who did not consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks. Students who drank alcohol mixed with energy drinks were more than twice as likely to take advantage of someone else sexually, and almost twice as likely to be taken advantage of sexually.
. . . . . . .

Read Full News Release

________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Specificity of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Symptoms of Cannabis, Cocaine, Alcohol, Caffeine, and Nicotine Dependence
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(11):1313-1320.

Although genetic risk factors have been found to contribute to dependence on both licit and illicit psychoactive substances, we know little of how these risk factors interrelate.

To clarify the structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for symptoms of dependence on cannabis, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine in males and females.

Controlling for greater symptom prevalence in males, genetic and environmental parameters could be equated across sexes. Two models explained the data well. The best-fit exploratory model contained 2 genetic factors and 1 individual environmental factor contributing to all substances. The first genetic factor loaded strongly on cocaine and cannabis dependence; the second, on alcohol and nicotine dependence. Nicotine and caffeine had high substance-specific genetic effects. A confirmatory model, which also fit well, contained 1 illicit drug genetic factor—loading only on cannabis and cocaine—and 1 licit drug genetic factor loading on alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. However, these factors were highly intercorrelated (r = + 0.82). Large substance-specific genetic effects remained for nicotine and caffeine.

The pattern of genetic and environmental risk factors for psychoactive substance dependence was similar in males and females. Genetic risk factors for dependence on common psychoactive substances cannot be explained by a single factor. Rather, 2 genetic factors—one predisposing largely to illicit drug dependence, the other primarily to licit drug dependence—are needed. Furthermore, a large proportion of the genetic influences on nicotine and particularly caffeine dependence appear to be specific to those substances.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: kendler@vcu.edu

_____________________________________________________________________________

Causal Inferences Regarding Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Childhood Externalizing Problems
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(11):1296-1304.





Existing research on the neurobehavioral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has not adequately accounted for genetic and environmental confounds.

To examine the association between PAE and offspring externalizing problems in a large representative sample of families in the United States using measured covariates and a quasi-experimental design to account for unmeasured genetic and environmental confounds.

There was an association between PAE and offspring CPs that was independent of confounded genetic and fixed environmental effects and the measured covariates. The CPs in children of mothers who drank daily during pregnancy were 0.35 SD greater than those in children whose mothers never drank during pregnancy. Although AIPs were associated with PAE when comparing unrelated offspring, children whose mothers drank more frequently during pregnancy did not have more AIPs than siblings who were less exposed to alcohol in utero. Additional subsample analyses suggested that maternal polysubstance use during pregnancy may account for the associations between PAE and AIPs.

These results are consistent with PAE exerting an environmentally mediated causal effect on childhood CPs, but the relation between PAE and AIPs is more likely to be caused by other factors correlated with maternal drinking during pregnancy.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: bmdonofr@indiana.edu
___________________________________________________________________

NCHS Announces Data Users Conference
August 11-13, 2008

There is no fee to attend this biennial conference but you must register. If you are currently using or have a need to use NCHS data, this forum is for you.

Information on all NCHS surveys and data collections will be presented. Hands-on workshops will help you use and analyze data. Check this site in early 2008 for registration information.

Although the 2008 Data User Program is being developed, the 2006 Program is available for viewing

______________________________________________________________

Editorial - Better late
Stabroek News Guyana
4 November 2007

It is welcome news that the Ministry of Health recognizes the disease that is alcoholism as a national public health issue and is planning strategies to address it. It is unsatisfactory that it has taken so long and that so many lives had to be lost before there was public acknowledgement of this. It must also be sorely disappointing to women's rights and anti-violence activists, who have said repeatedly that alcoholism contributes to domestic abuse and other forms of violence and murder, that Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy ignored, or chose not to address, this aspect of it in his interview with this newspaper, published earlier this week.
. . . . . .

Read Full Editorial
_________________________________________________________________________