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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, March 18, 2013

Alcohol News - 11/2013





Bloom
berg (Europe/WHO) - Europeans Are World’s Biggest Smokers and Drinkers: WHO
Europeans are the world’s biggest smokers and drinkers, according to a World Health Organization report that says higher prices on cigarettes and alcohol in the region may help curb the death and disease they cause.
YLE.fi (Finland) - Alcohol a growing problem among the elderly
Alcohol abuse among the elderly is a ticking time bomb. Pensioners today have more years and more money to develop serious drinking problems.
European Heart Journal (Denmark) - Exploring causal associations between alcohol and coronary heart disease risk factors: findings from a Mendelian randomization study in the Copenhagen General Population Study
Our results show adverse effects of long-term alcohol consumption on BP and BMI. We also found novel evidence for a potentially beneficial effect on triglyceride levels, which needs further replication.
The Nordic Page (Norway) - SV Wants More Flexible Alcohol Sale in Norway
Norwegian Socialist Left Party (SV) proposes allowance of beer sale whole day around the country. The proposal aims to give the authority to municipalities for determining the nightlife and alcohol sale without government guidelines, writes Klassekampen.
ERR News (Estonia) - Buses and Cabs Should Adopt 'Alcohol Locks,' Says Expert
With no clear sign from the government on whether to adopt alcohol interlock devices for vehicles, private companies should take the initiative, a Road Administration official says.
Medical Xpress - Researchers find that alcohol consumption damages brain's support cells
Alcohol consumption affects the brain in multiple ways, ranging from acute changes in behavior to permanent molecular and functional alterations. The general consensus is that in the brain, alcohol targets mainly neurons.
Irish Examiner (Ireland) - National Alcohol Awareness Week begins today
Ireland's first National Alcohol Awareness Week begins today as the St Patrick's Day celebrations wind down for another year.
Birmingham Mail (UK) - Alcohol-related emergencies rise by 52% in four years
Ambulance crews are dealing with a massive rise of booze-fuelled incidents caused by Britain’s alcohol-crazed culture.
Healio - Mortality risk greater among patients with HCV who drank alcohol moderately, heavily
Patients with chronic hepatitis C who drank a moderate amount of alcohol or more were at greater risk for death than controls and patients with HCV who did not drink in a recent study.
The Guardian (UK) - In the battle against alcohol abuse, the buck stops at the government
Whatever one thinks of minimum alcohol pricing as an attempt to curb the temptation to buy cheap booze, one ought to be aware that those who stand against it, stand against it in just the way that those Benedictine monks do.
WalesOnline (Wales) - Chief Medical Officer for Wales emphasises the importance of watching our alcohol consumption
Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr Ruth Hussey emphasise the importance of watching our alcohol consumption.
Sudan Tribune (Sudan) - Sudan doesn’t host ‘alcohol and discotheque tourists’, says minister
The Sudanese tourism minister Mohamed Abdul-Karim Al-Had today warned that his country will not allow visits by what he described as “alcohol and discotheque tourists”.
The Guardian (UK) - Plans for minimum alcohol pricing reportedly dropped after cabinet revolt
Home Secretary Theresa May appears to have scored a victory by leading a cabinet revolt against minimum alcohol prices.
The Guardian (UK) - Cameron and alcohol: losing his bottle
The Conservative kickback against proposals to put a floor under the price of cheap booze was predictable. There is a libertarian strain in the party, and an ancient alliance between Britain's brewers and the Tories, dating back at least to 1872, when Disraeli's favourite clergyman, William Magee, told the Lords that he'd rather see England free than that same England compulsorily sober.
KUHF-FM (USA) - Experts Say Even A Little Alcohol Can Impair Driving
The spring months — March through May — mark the most dangerous season on Texas roadways for alcohol-related traffic accidents. That's why the Texas Department of Transportation is reminding motorists that even "buzzed" driving is drunk driving.
EurekAlert - EASL calls on UK to tackle alcohol consumption problem through implementation of minimum pricing
According to WHO, liver cirrhosis accounts for 1.8% (i.e. 170,000) of all deaths in Europe. In recent years liver cirrhosis has become a serious health threat in some Western European countries such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, where over the last 10 years the associated mortality has increased.
Irish Examiner (Ireland) - Charities demand Govt action on alcohol abuse in Ireland
Two national charities say the troubled Alcohol Action Plan should be considered in order to reduce the cost of alcohol-related harm.
Coffs Coast Advocate (Australia) - NSW Government targeting alcohol abuse
THE NSW Government has demonstrated its commitment to reducing alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour, Minister Hospitality, George Souris, said.