Teens' problem behavior linked to later trouble

By Alison McCook ~ Reuters ~ Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:46 PM BST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenagers who smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, and engage in other risky behaviors are more likely to struggle with drugs and mental health problems as adults, according to new study findings.

People who had problem behaviors before age 15 were particularly at risk of reporting additional problems as adults. For instance, 90 percent of men and 60 percent of women who reported at least four problem behaviors before age 15 abused drugs, alcohol or nicotine as adults.

Study author Dr. Matt McGue of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis noted that teenagers who act out may "change the course of their development in a way that increases the likelihood that they will have substance abuse and mental health problems in adulthood."

Teenagers who take risks may become connected to "deviant peers," McGue noted, and less connected to schools, parents, religious groups, and other helpful networks.

Alternatively, some children may inherit an "impulsive personality style," and as a result, often ignore the long-term consequences of their behavior. This in turn causes them to have problems both as teenagers and adults.

During their study, the researchers interviewed 578 male and 674 female twins at ages 17 and 20 about their behavior as teenagers, and their issues as adults.

The participants reported if, as teenagers, they had ever smoked, drank alcohol, used drugs, got in trouble with the police, or had intercourse. As adults, the participants answered questions designed to determine if they abused or were addicted to drugs, alcohol or nicotine, were depressed, or had developed antisocial personality disorder, a mental illness associated with deviant behavior.

The investigators found that people who said they engaged in dangerous behaviors as teenagers were significantly more likely to report additional problems as adults.

For instance, 90 percent of men and 35 percent of women who acted out in at least four ways as teenagers developed antisocial personality disorder.

Another 30 percent of men and 55 percent of women who reported multiple problem behaviors as teenagers developed depression as adults, the team reports in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

McGue noted that these results suggest that teenagers who engage in problem behaviors need "early intervention," to ensure that their youthful experimentation doesn't snowball into long-term problems.

"Adolescent experimentation - at least when expressed early - with drugs and sex, may not be as benign as the broader culture sometimes seems to suggest," McGue added.

SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry, June 2005.

UK bosses facing a workplace poser

Shropshire Star ~ Jun 27, 2005

According to a Health and Safety Executive report, nearly one-third of all workers under the age of 30 had taken illegal drugs in the last year.

Drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace has far-reaching effects, including low productivity, accidents and breaches of health and safety requirements, lower profit margins, increased absenteeism, damage to the organisation's reputation, theft and lower morale.

What's more, the use and supply of drugs in the workplace could result in criminal sanctions being taken against the employer under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 if you are aware that illegal drugs are being used on your premises.

It's not surprising, then, that a number of high-profile employers have been making moves to test for drug and alcohol abuse among their employees.

However, such testing is a potential minefield: an employer must be careful not to breach an employee's human rights and must comply with the latest Data Protection Act as the analysis of blood or urine samples involves electronic processing of data.

Before introducing testing, employers are advised to establish a clear drugs and alcohol policy, and distribute it to all employees. Such a policy would generally include or address the following points:

* A general statement covering the background to the policy, including any legal obligations.
* A clear outline of its aims and purposes, including the balance between discipline and support for employees.
* Details of the responsibilities of different staff and training and guidance available.
* Types of employee covered by the policy and whether there are restrictions for any particular group, for example those operating heavy machinery.
* Definitions of what constitutes alcohol and drugs misuse and rules regarding prescription medication.
* Any disciplinary action that would be invoked following a policy breach.
* Information on safe drinking limits, classes of drugs, the effects of alcohol and drugs and where to receive help.
* An overview of any testing process, including an explanation of why tests are to be carried out and when, who administers the test and what happens if the tests prove positive or the employee admits to dependency during the testing process.

A word of warning. Should a member of staff test positive and you wish to dismiss them (off-duty drinking or drug taking would not generally be sufficient grounds for dismissal unless these activities effect their ability to carry out their job) you must follow the requisite dismissal and disciplinary procedures as laid down in legislation to avoid a claim for unfair dismissal.

Alcoholics Anonymous celebrating 70th anniversary in Toronto

Metro Toronto Convention Centre to host over 40,000 members

TORONTO, June 27 /CNW/

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) will add new meaning to the word "hospitality" when it welcomes approximately 45,000 members of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) to A.A.'s 2005 International Convention, to be held here June 30-July 3, 2005.

A.A. will also celebrate its 70th anniversary at the event, the twelfth international convention in the organization's history. Over 75 countries will be represented, including the United States, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and Spain. And, for the first time in the history of A.A.'s celebration of the Fellowship, which is held internationally just once every five years, members from the People's Republic of China and Cuba will be participating in the opening flag ceremonies on the evening of Friday, July 1st.

For the MTCC and its staff, hosting A.A. and its tens of thousands of members is one of the biggest challenges in the Centre's history too, according to Jacqueline Lovell-Santos, MTCC Catering Manager. Ms. Lovell-Santos notes that a group this large is one hungry and thirsty crowd, and that it takes a small army of staff and a literal caravan of food service trucks to keep them satiated. Among the food and beverages that will be consumed during the four-day event are:

- Over 6,000 Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers
- Over 12,000 Hot Dogs and Sausages
- Over 50,000 soft drinks
- Over 50,000 juices
- 15,000 bottles of water
- 12,000 scoops of ice cream
- At least 75,000 large cups of coffee

Lovell-Santos added that in addition to its North and South Buildings, the MTCC will also offer refreshments from the 14 food tents, and vendor trucks it will set up in the Roundhouse Park, and on Bremner Blvd. Also, the nearby Steam Whistle Brewery will be converted to an Ice Cream Parlour and Deli for the duration of the convention.

"It is very exciting for us to be welcoming this large international celebration to Toronto and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre," MTCC President & CEO Barry Smith said. "Alcoholics Anonymous is a hugely successful organization that has helped millions of people suffering from the disease of alcoholism. We commend their success!"

Smith added that the MTCC anticipates this major convention will produce significant revenue for Toronto's hotels, entertainment venues and tourism industry, with an overall economic impact in the range of $46,656,000 in direct spending. In addition, thousands of taxi drivers, vendors, shops, restaurants and attractions in the city stand to benefit from this huge influx of visitors over the Canada Day weekend.

About Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous is a voluntary fellowship of men and women from all walks of life who meet together regularly to attain and maintain sobriety. At their meetings, members share their experience, strength and hope with each other so that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. There are no dues or fees to join. Founded in 1935, A.A. today has more than 2 million members in 180 countries. Approximately 35% of A.A.'s members are women. It is estimated that there are more than 104,000 A.A. groups around the world.

About the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC). The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada's No. 1 convention and trade show facility and one of the finest in North America. With more than 2 million square feet of state-of-the-art space, it is truly a world-class, tier-one facility. Since its opening in 1984, the MTCC has hosted approximately 10,000 events, entertained nearly 40 million guests and has had a multi-billion dollar direct and indirect economic impact on the City and Province.

Government shamed on alcohol abuse

Associated New Media ~ 26 June 2005

The Conservatives condemned the Government for failing to respond to the problems of alcohol abuse after new figures revealed almost 20,000 children have been treated in hospital for drink-related problems in six years.

Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said the statistics demonstrate "the utter failure of the Government's response to alcohol-related disorders".

"The cost to the NHS is huge," he said. "We need better information about alcohol abuse.

"And underage drinkers should be empowered to resist peer pressure."

The figures, which suggest the problem is escalating, were revealed by Health Minister Liam Byrne in a Parliamentary written answer, according to the News of the World.

In 1998, 2,455 children aged 11 to 15 were admitted for mental or physical problems due to drinking alcohol but last year the figure increased to 3,216, the paper reports.

Three children between 1998 and 2004 drank so much they needed treatment for cirrhosis of the liver. Another 4,921 needed hospital treatment for severe alcohol poisoning.

In total, 19,563 were treated in hospital for alcohol-related problems between 1998 and 2004.

Last week, a study revealed underage drinkers try to buy alcohol on average once every five seconds across the UK.

Underage drinking is not limited to inner cities or urban areas. One retailer experienced more problems in the shires than in the cities, the survey for retail lawyers Bond Pearce found.

Pop star Rachel saved me from booze hell

Cambridge Evening News ~ 22/6/05

WHEN jockey Martin Cotton ditched a date with pop stunner Rachel Stevens to go out boozing he knew it was time to seek help for his drink and drug problems. But the date with Rachel, courtesy of a Radio 1 breakfast show competition, was not all the 29-year-old ignored. He had also stopped racing.

So when Martin got back in the saddle at Lingfield Park earlier this month for his first race in four years he was just pleased to be riding again, let alone competitively. He said: "I was just a young lad really. I was going out in London and getting invited to a lot of exclusive parties but because I have got a problem with addiction I did it to excess. Cocaine was the difficult one." "I was barred from pretty much everyw here in Newmarket because I was seen as a bit of a trouble-maker really and was not a very nice person."

Martin had grown up in Mildenhall and taken a jockey's apprenticeship in Newmarket at 15, never doubting he would become a race jockey. Working with trainers such as Sir Mark Prescott, Ben Hanbury, Carl Burke and Henry Cecil, Martin spent 2000 racing in Japan and the US. But when he returned he lost his apprenticeship having not competed enough in the UK. "I was doing well for myself up until then but then it all came to a standstill," he said. "I thought if I can't go racing any more then what else can I do? If I couldn't raceride then everything else was over. I thought I would have to start again." "I left the racing fraternity and did some driving work but I was going out in London and getting involved in the club scene, hanging around with totally different people."

Martin had stopped using cocaine by 2003 but was still drinking too much. The turning point came when Martin pulled out of the date with Rachel Stevens after deciding to go drinking with his friends instead. He sought out treatment but if it were not for the help of family, friends and the Newmarket racing pastor, he may not have made it back. "The chaplain was very good to me," he said. "He would come down to see me and put his arm around me and try to tell me to pull myself together. "He is a very down to earth guy and helps talk to some of the young lads on the circuit. If you need someone to talk to then he is alw ays there."

Martin, of Laburnum Avenue, Mildenhall, has not touched cocaine for 18 months, not had a drink in 10, and is now focusing on building a business empire with friends and family encompassing advertising, sponsorship and fashion deals.

I can sink 'em, says Charlotte

By Caroline Davies ~ Telegraph 22/06/2005

Charlotte Church, the teenage diva, admitted yesterday what countless paparazzi photographs have already illustrated - that she likes to "go out on the lash".

Since her 18th birthday gave her access to her estimated £15 million fortune, she has regularly been pictured tottering unsteadily from nightclubs, bleary-eyed and dishevelled.

But now the 19-year-old singer has revealed the full extent of her binge-drinking in a candid interview. And it makes chilling reading for those who fear Britain's young women are increasingly abusing alcohol.

For her, an average night out involves downing her favourite "Cheeky Vimto" cocktail - a double port mixed with a sugary vodka-based alcopop, so named because it tastes like Vimto - before leaving her house, then topping it up with another 10 double vodkas.

She regaled readers of Heat magazine with tales of her drinking prowess - and penchant for slamming down alcohol for the sole purpose of getting utterly drunk - as her boyfriend, Gavin Henson, the rugby-playing half of Wales's "golden couple", demonstrated his sporting prowess by slamming down two tries for the Lions in New Zealand.

Asked what she drinks during an "average night on the lash", Church said: "I can sink 'em".

"If I'm home, I'll start with a Cheeky Vimto - double port and a bottle of WKD Blue in the same glass. It tastes just like Vimto or Ribena. They're lethal," she added. "Once I'm out, I'll have about 10 double vodkas. Then I'm pretty much KO'd.

"But if I'm in London, the club owners give me loads of bottles of free champagne. I hate champagne. I still drink it though."

Church, who found fame aged 11 as a classical singer and who recently released a pop album, has striven to shake off her "Voice of an Angel" image for something more raunchy. Her alcohol-fuelled nights out with her pals - mainly girlfriends from the working-class suburb of Cardiff where she grew up - often result in pictures of them grinning drunkenly all over the tabloid newspapers. She celebrated her 19th birthday in February with a 72-hour "bender".

But she also disclosed that she likes to go out on the town with her mother, Maria, a classical guitarist and housing officer, and her aunt because they, too, are "party animals".

Yet, she professes not to enjoy the taste. "I don't actually like alcohol," she said. "If I'm having a meal, I'll have lemonade. The only time I drink is to get pissed and dance like a crazy woman."

The interview is bound to dismay campaigners who claim that drinks manufacturers are targeting teenage girls with sugary alcopops that disguise the high volume of alcohol.

Heavy drinking by role models such as Church and other personalities dubbed "ladettes" is also being blamed for an increase in alcohol consumption, particularly among 16- to 24-year-olds, who are the most prone to binge drinking.

Government guidelines recommend that a woman drinks a maximum of 21 alcohol units per week. But Miss Church appears to consume at least that in one night alone.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: "We do not comment on individual cases but drinking 10 double vodkas is a large amount. If people are regularly drinking that amount of alcohol they increase their risk of harming their health.

"Drinking to get drunk is binge-drinking. Over 10 units and the chances are you are going to be intoxicated. Women drinking this much are putting themselves at risk. Beside the short-term risk of accidents or becoming involved in violent incidents, there are long-term risks such as liver cirrhosis."

Church has just returned from a three-day trip to see Henson, 23, who was dropped from the First Test against the All Blacks on Saturday, but who may have made Sir Clive Woodward, the Lions coach, regret his decision with his two tries in the 26-16 victory over Southland yesterday.

He recently spoke of his relationship with the singer, and hit back at critics who worried that going out with Church would affect his playing career. "I'm not a heavy drinker and half the time when I go out I don't even drink," he said in an interview last month.

The couple have headed Wales's celebrity A-list since getting together, although Church had some complaints about his trademark spiky hair.

"It's not so much hard as slimy. I wake up in the morning and my hair's so greasy because of all his wax that I have to wash it every day," she said.

Bridges gets 5 years probation

New Jersey Times ~ Tuesday, June 21, 2005

TRENTON - Former Ewing Mayor Al Bridges was sentenced to five years probation, four months of home confinement, 200 hours of community service a year and a fine of $5,000 by a federal judge yesterday for possessing crack cocaine.

U.S. District Court Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. ordered Bridges to submit to drug testing, wear an electronic monitoring device and join Gamblers Anonymous as part of the sentence.

Bridges, 57, only will be allowed to leave his house for work, church or other approved meetings for the next four months. He will be required to perform 200 hours of community service a year for the next five years and pay a $5,000 fine in monthly installments of at least $300. He must stay free of drugs as part of the deal.

Before his sentencing, the former College of New Jersey vice president told the judge he is making every effort to overcome his addiction and put his life back together again.

"I've gone through remorse, regret, disappointment in myself, the range of emotions you go through," Bridges said. "I've reflected hundreds of times, almost every night, on what I've done."

Bridges said he regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and hosts such meetings in his living room every Sunday, preferring AA to the Narcotics Anonymous program.

He said he wants to help other people who suffer from addiction, particularly young people.

"I'm taking things one day at a time," he said. "I'm not taking staying clean for granted. I continue to work in the program and attend meetings. I'm sponsoring other people. I can't put the genie back in the bottle, but I can become a productive citizen again."

Bridges, who came to court unaccompanied by family members or former Ewing political allies, apologized for any pain he caused his family or his community. He said he ran away and hid from his friends because he was so embarrassed by what had happened.

Asked about his employment status, Bridges told Brown he has held several temporary jobs. He has been a handyman, done several cleaning jobs and often works for the temporary agency Manpower, he said. "Once the case is closed, I hope to obtain permanent employment," he said.

Bridges' problems became public in the summer of 2002 after former wife Carole Bridges filed for divorce. In her suit, which sent shock waves through the community, she painted Bridges as a crack cocaine addict, abuser and womanizer and said the FBI caught him making a crack cocaine purchase while driving a township car in 2000.

Bridges originally denied the claims but later admitted he had a drug problem, and in February 2004, he pleaded guilty to possessing 0.8 grams of crack cocaine that FBI agents had found on him in 2000.

He could have faced up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000. As part of a plea deal, he promised to cooperate with the government in further investigations and waived his right to an appeal. Any other criminal charges brought from July 1999 to Feb. 10, 2000, were dropped.

In March, Brown admonished Bridges to stay clean or face prison after Bridges failed a drug test.

His federal public defender, Lisa J. Van Hoeck, said yesterday that since the March hearing, Bridges has taken a more active role in his recovery, assisting others who are addicted to drugs, going to therapy and meetings, sponsoring others, holding meetings at his home and "being an inspiration and support to others suffering with addiction."

Brown was given a letter from Ewing resident Robert R. Klein, a retired professor of political science and public policy at Rutgers University, who came to the hearing to show his support for Bridges. An official from TCNJ also attended the sentencing.

Klein said he has seen thousands of public servants over 50 years in public service and Bridges is one of the best public servants he has known.

"It appears Mr. Bridges is taking steps to better his life and change," Brown said. He wished Bridges good luck in doing so.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Chiesa of the U.S. Attorney's Criminal Division in Newark represented the government in the case. He said afterward that the judge took into account several factors, including Bridges' cooperation in other matters of interest to federal authorities and his intention to get his life back on track.

After the hearing, Bridges spoke candidly with reporters outside the courtroom. "I hurt a lot of people, including my former wife," he said. "I let people down."

Five years ago, Bridges said he never would have imagined himself becoming a drug addict. He said he had never even smoked a cigarette at that time.

During the past five years of his "active addiction," he said, he has remained drug free for most of the time, using drugs for a period of 10 months and then relapsing briefly last winter.

"The irony is that for the first 50 years of my life I was dedicated to helping other people," he said, choking up as he spoke. "But my legacy will obviously be something very different now. I just hope to prove to people for the rest of my life that you can change."

Bridges said while he did not want to minimize his drug use, "I was caught with a small amount of cocaine."

"To have this go on for five or six years is incredible," he said. `As an elected official I was held to a higher standard than a normal person would be. In hindsight, I don't think it was that big a deal. It wasn't a very large amount, but I did use and I am not trying to minimize that."

The toughest part, Bridges said, has been seeing his name in the press associated with something so negative.

"I just can't find the words to describe it," he said. "The other part is, I worked with so many youngsters as a role model. I can't let them down. From this point forward I want to show that I can turn my life around. I find a tremendous joy these days working with former addicts, especially young people."

Herald takes action to stamp out underage drinking

HoldtheFrontPage staff ~ 17.6.2005

A campaign to highlight the problem of underage drinking has been launched by the Sidmouth Herald after a father told of his distress at having to deal with his comatose 14-year-old daughter after she drank neat vodka.

The father visited the Herald's High Street office after his daughter was rushed into hospital having drunk vodka bought for her by an adult, and the Archant-owned newspaper has now stepped in to try and halt the problem.

The Herald has designed and distributed posters which have been displayed by alcohol retailers reminding customers that it is a criminal offence to buy or supply alcohol for under-18s.

And the campaign has been enthusiastically backed by Sidmouth police officers who are cracking down on 'teeny drinkers' in the town and recently issued an on-the-spot fine for an 18-year-old caught buying alcohol for an underage drinker.

Emma Silverthorne, editor of the Archant South West weekly, said: "It is frustrating to think that adults are prepared to buy alcohol on behalf of youngsters.

"Despite the vigilance of retailers in Sidmouth in refusing underage customers, the sight of teenagers staggering around under the influence of alcohol will continue as long as irresponsible individuals supply them with drink.

"For this reason, the Herald, in conjunction with the police, is launching a campaign to stamp out the criminal offence of buying or supplying alcohol for under 18s in Sidmouth.

"We urge retailers to display posters specially designed to hit a nerve with potential offenders as they enter stores with the intention of buying alcohol on behalf of underage drinkers.

"This campaign is not an attempt to sensationalise a problem which, compared to many towns and inner city areas, is relatively minor, but to eradicate a menace before another youngster puts him or herself in danger by losing control through drinking."

Older drinkers succumb to alcohol-related deaths, more than young drinkers

Medical News Today ~ 17 Jun 2005

An extraordinary amount of media attention focuses on alcohol consumption and its impact on public order and health. But as Professor Dick Hobbs shows in ESRC's new report Seven Deadly Sins, while ‘binge drinking' youths dominate the headlines, it is older drinkers that are most likely to succumb to alcohol-related death.

What's more, Professor Hobbs argues, it is the logic of the market and not the logic derived from careful data analysis that informs government policy on alcohol. As a society, we embrace the ‘night-time economy' - and the jobs, urban regeneration and taxation that the industry generates - while seeking to punish the routine transgressions of its primary consumers.

Hobbs notes that the term ‘binge drinking' is rarely used to describe the drinking habits of anyone other than young denizens of the night-time economy. Binge drinking is seldom linked with alcohol-related diseases, with accidents in the home or with domestic violence. Indeed, since publication of the government's alcohol strategy, where a binge drinker is described as someone who drinks to get drunk, the term has become a remarkably pliant device to implicate individuals perhaps more accurately described as ‘young people drunk and disorderly in public places'.

As such, binge drinkers are indispensable folk devils. They are noisy, urinate in public and violent. This brings them into conflict with an undermanned police force, which can be depicted on most nights of the week wrestling heroically with foul-mouthed, vomit-stained youths in an attempt to restore the city centre to daytime levels of comportment.

Despite alcohol being our drug of choice, the source is not typically regarded as a problem. Alcohol is a legal drug and so there are no attempts to bring down the ‘Mr Bigs' of the alcohol industry. Indeed, the main dealers are ensconced with the police and politicians in crime reduction committees and urban regeneration partnerships.

Until the 2001 general election campaign, there was a general reluctance on behalf of government agencies to acknowledge problems related to the night-time economy. But Labour's campaign that year coincided with new figures on alcohol-related assaults uncovered by the British Crime Survey, which indicated that teenage males who frequently visit pubs and clubs and drink heavily are most at risk from violent assault.

Yet government statements about the night-time economy remain guarded in relation to links with violence. This reluctance needs to be understood in the context of investment in the night-time economy running at £1 billion a year and growing at an annual rate of 10%, with the turnover of the pub and club industry constituting 3% of GDP, numbers of licensed premises having increased by over 30% during the past 25 years and the sector employing around one million people, creating ‘one in five of all new jobs‘.

The night-time economy has had a transformative influence on UK cities, and is part of our society's shift from industrial to post-industrial economic development. Successive governments have embraced this new economy as an alternative to the nation's increasingly decrepit manufacturing base, and proud city centre shrines to our industrial past have been revitalised by shiny outlets for alcohol consumption.

The numbers of young people flocking into these new centres of alcohol consumption are unprecedented. For example, in 1997, the licence capacity of Nottingham's tiny city centre was 61,000: by 2004, that had risen to 108,000, while Manchester city centre has a stunning capacity of 250,000.

The Labour Party signalled its intention to embrace the night-time economy during the 1997 general election, when they solicited the student vote with text messages that read: ‘Cldnt gve a XXXX 4 lst ordrs? Thn vte Labr on thrsday 4 extra time'.

As the new decade progressed, the real story behind the '24-hour society' began to emerge, and the concentration of huge numbers of young alcohol consumers has created environments where aggressive hedonism and disorder is the norm.

But rather than reject a major facet of their own economic policies, and recognise the night-time economy as a criminogenic zone that was having a negative impact on their own crime and social order targets, official discussion has focused on the problematic consumer in the ‘tired and emotional' shape of the binge drinker.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party's infamous text message has been operationalised in the form of revolutionary changes in the nation's licensing laws. But the entire research community was opposed to the Act, citing evidence that to have an impact on alcohol-related harm, it is vital to reduce consumption by imposing more extensive controls rather than fewer. Yet despite its insistence on ‘evidence-based' policy-making, the government's agenda of liberalisation of the retailing of alcohol continues unabated.

Alcoholics Anonymous Helps Drop Drink

By Irina Titova ~ The St. Petersburg Times ~ Friday, June 17, 2005

Ten years ago Vladimir had reached a dead end.

He fed his alcohol addiction with a liter of vodka every day. A butcher by profession, he kept getting fired and losing the income he needed to support his wife and three children.

Born in a village where many people drank heavily, Vladimir was caught by the same habit.

"I couldn't live a day without a liter of vodka," he said.

"I couldn't communicate with people and was angry," he added.

He drank when he was in a good mood and when he was in a bad mood. When he became stressed, he drank alcohol to wind down.

By 1995, Vladimir's marriage was on the rocks. His father had died of alcoholism and it looked a dead certainty that he would follow him down the same road to the grave.

Completely desperate, Vladimir visited some Alcoholics Anonymous classes. He has never touched alcohol since.

"What helped me was the example of the others. I met people who quit drinking, and I understood that I could do it too," he said Wednesday at a news conference on the eve of AA's annual White Nights forum in St. Petersburg on Sunday.

The organization, which came to Russia in 1987, now unites tens of thousands of people across Russia. In St. Petersburg alone there are several thousand people receiving help from AA.

"St. Petersburg has 20 AA groups where groups of four people to 60 people with drinking problems meet regularly," AA member Alexander said at the news conference.

Members reveal only their first names because anonymity is one of the principles of the organization.

Svetlana, 40, another AA member, began drinking seven years ago after she had a family crisis. AA groups had helped her a lot, she said.

Svetlana, who has two university degrees and good jobs, said she had not expected to become a problem drinker. She never drank vodka, but started with light alcohol drinks like gin and tonic, beer and wine.

"Then I needed to have two bottles of wine or 1.5 liters of beer a day. I didn't care what was happening to my children, how I looked, and was just looking for money for alcohol. It was terrible," she said.

AA meetings became a place where Svetlana could come and share her stress and negative emotions, and where people would understand her, she said.

Alcoholics Anonymous found another member, Maria, 28, in a psychiatric hospital. Although she was a mother, Maria had such serious problem with alcohol that she sometimes forgot to pick up her child from the nursery school and didn't work.

"An AA member was the only person who came to visit me in the hospital," she said.

Visiting patients with alcohol problems is the last of 12 steps that AA members follow to overcome their problem.

The 12-step program begins with a member admitting he or she is an alcoholic. Other steps include making a list of people who they have harmed and making good for the harm they have caused.

The organization also has a list of concrete steps that are supposed to help people quit drinking.

One key principle is "never to take the first shot of alcohol." The program says that it's not right when a person with alcohol addiction thinks that as long as they do not take the third or the fifth shot that they won't get drunk; they should not start drinking at all.

Alcoholics Anonymous was formed in 1935 in Akron, Ohio. Its founders were surgeon Robert Smith and stock exchange broker Bill Wilson. Today AA unites about 3 million people around the world. At least 110 groups work in 150 countries.

In Russia there are 300 AA groups operating, which AA members say is not enough for a country with such a big alcohol problem.

Russia has about 8 million male alcoholics and 2 million female alcoholics. About 500,000 people with alcohol addiction are aged under 15, according to AA statistics.

Alcoholics Anonymous

By Paul Dillon ~ Sydney Star Observer ~ 16/06/2005

The term “alcoholic” is one that is bandied about regularly; however, the recognition of alcoholism as a disease is relatively recent.

In fact it was 70 years ago last week that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was first founded, based on a “moral model” of alcoholism, offering a spiritual framework for understanding, accepting and recovering from alcohol abuse.

In the late 1950s, the American Medical Association recognised alcoholism as an illness, and in the mid-1970s, alcoholism was redefined as “a chronic, progressive and potentially fatal disease”.

Since that time, the definition has expanded and there is a greater understanding of the condition, but through it all Alcoholics Anonymous has consistently been one of the greatest supports for many people who have alcohol problems.

A New York stockbroker and a surgeon from Ohio who both battled with alcohol addiction were the founding fathers of AA. The stockbroker, known only as Bill W, had overcome his drink problem by attending meetings of a fellowship organisation called the Oxford Group.

With the support of the group, which promoted the idea that daily life should be led according to “spiritual values”, Bill became sober and began offering support to other alcoholics in his local hospital.

When he met Dr Bob he convinced him that alcoholism was a disease caused by a “malady” of mind, emotions and body and with his support the surgeon started his journey of recovery.

Together the couple, with another former alcoholic they had helped at the hospital, became the first Alcoholics Anonymous fellowship or support group.

In 1939, Bill wrote what was to become the AA “bible” – a textbook called Alcoholics Anonymous which spelt out the 12 steps of recovery.

The Alcoholic Foundation was established and subsequent fundraising efforts were successful – enough money was collected to open a small office in New York to take enquiries and sell copies of the book.

Within two years, and following wide publicity, membership of AA had spread across the US and Canada and by 1950 it had reached other parts of the globe with an international membership of more than 100,000 recovered alcoholics.

Today its membership has reached the two million mark with groups in 150 countries.

Many people in the alcohol and other drugs field do not use the word “alcoholic”, preferring the term “alcohol dependent”, and it is important to remember that this sort of support group is not for everyone. Some people have issues with the concept of a “belief in a higher power” and as a result find AA confronting.

However, AA says that everyone defines this power as he or she wishes. Many people call it God, others think it is the AA group, still others don’t believe in it at all. There appears to be room in AA for people of all shades of belief and non-belief.

Girls binge drinking more than boys, UK

Medical News Today ~ 29 Nov 2004

For the first time ever in the UK, the total number of teenage girls binge drinking is higher than the number of boys. 32% of girls and 25% of boys aged 15-16 said they had been on a drinking binge (once or more) during the last month.

The study, carried out by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs questioned 2,000 children in the UK. Team leader was Prof. Martin Plant, Univ West of England.

The definition of ‘binge drinking' is consuming more than five units of alcohol in one session. Since 1999, the last time a similar study was carried out, boys are binge drinking less while the figure for girls has shot up.

Prof. Plant said "There is clearly a profound social change going on. We have not seen this kind of increasing trend among young women in opposition to men, ever. What we have now got is a different underlying trend for young women that has come on in the last six years, and it is quite clear and quite strong."

Plant said the UK has a drinking culture which has to be addressed by the authorities.

What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking is the consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks in a row on at least one occasion.

Although binge drinking can be dangerous at any age, it is a special problem among teens and young adults.

Why is binge drinking so dangerous?

Binge drinking is harmful because of the potential consequences. People who binge on a regular basis are at an even higher risk for negative consequences. Since young people frequently combine high risk activities with binge drinking, their potential for death or serious injury is very high. Some of the dangers include:

-- Death or injury due to falls, fires, drowning, or a drunk driving crash.

-- Pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases due to unintended sexual activity.

-- Being the victim or perpetrator of date rape or other assault.

-- Death from alcohol poisoning.

What is alcohol poisoning?

Alcohol is actually a depressant drug. When a large amount is consumed in a short period of time, the body cannot process it quickly enough, resulting in a high blood alcohol content (BAC). Most people know that a BAC of more than .10 % is legally drunk, but very high concentrations can result in more than just legal problems.

A very high BAC can cause central nervous system depression, loss of consciousness, respiratory arrest, and death. Many victims die because they begin to throw up while they are unconscious and then choke to death on their own vomit.

Alcoholism and Problem Drinking

Patient UK

Alcoholism is a word which many people use to mean 'alcohol dependence' (alcohol addiction). Some people are 'problem drinkers' without being dependent on alcohol. If you are alcohol dependent then detoxification ('detox') can help you to stop drinking.

Problems with drinking alcohol

There are roughly four 'levels' of alcohol drinking - social, heavy, problem and dependent. As a rule, each level increases the risk to your health and safety.

Social drinking
Most people drink some alcohol. However, even a small amount of alcohol can be dangerous if you drive, operate machinery, or take some types of medication.

Heavy drinking
This is drinking above the recommended 'safe' limits which are:

• Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than four units in any one day).
• Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (and no more than three units in any one day).

One unit of alcohol is in about half a pint of beer, or two thirds of a small glass of wine, or one small pub measure of spirits. See leaflet called ' Alcohol and Sensible Drinking ' for details.

Drinking above the recommended safe limit increases your risk of developing diseases such as cirrhosis (liver damage), damage to the pancreas, certain cancers, heart problems, sexual problems, and other conditions. About 1 in 4 men, and about 1 in 7 women, drink more than the safe limit. In general, the more you drink, the greater the risk.

For example, if a man drinks five units each day (not greatly over the recommended limit) then, on average, he doubles his risk of developing liver disease, raised blood pressure, some cancers, and of having a violent death.

Problem (harmful) drinking
This is where you continue to drink heavily even though you have caused harm, or are causing harm or problems to yourself, family, or society. For example, you may:

• have cirrhosis or another alcohol related condition.
• binge drink and get drunk quite often. This may cause you to lose time off work, or behave in an antisocial way when you drink. But note: not everybody with problem drinking binges or gets drunk. Many people with an alcohol related condition such as cirrhosis drink small amounts frequently, but do not get drunk.
• spend more money on alcohol than you can afford.
• have problems with your relationships or at work because of your drinking.

Many problem drinkers are not dependent on alcohol. They could stop drinking without withdrawal symptoms if they wanted to. But, for one reason or another, they continue to drink heavily.

Alcohol dependence (addiction)
This is a serious situation where you drink every day, and need to drink to prevent unpleasant withdrawal symptoms (see below). In the UK about 2 in 100 women, and about 7 in 100 men, are alcohol dependent.

What are the symptoms of alcohol dependence?

If you are alcohol dependent you have a strong desire for alcohol. Sometimes the desire is overwhelming. You have great difficulty in controlling your drinking. In addition, your body is so used to lots of alcohol that you start to develop 'withdrawal' symptoms 3-8 hours after your last drink, as the effect of the alcohol wears off. So, even if you want to stop drinking, it is difficult because of the withdrawal symptoms.

The withdrawal symptoms include: feeling sick, trembling, sweating, craving for alcohol, and just feeling awful. Convulsions occur in a small number of cases.

As a result, you drink alcohol regularly and 'depend' on it to prevent these symptoms. If you do not have any more alcohol the withdrawal symptoms usually last 5-7 days, but a craving for alcohol may persist longer. The severity of dependence can vary. It can develop gradually and become more severe. You may be developing alcohol dependence if you:

• need a drink every day.
• drink alone often.
• need a drink to stop trembling (the shakes).
• drink early, or first thing in the morning (to avoid withdrawal symptoms).
• often have a strong desire to drink alcohol.
• spend a lot of you time in activities where alcohol is available. For example, if you spend a lot of time at the social club or pub.
• neglect other interests or pleasures because of alcohol drinking.

If you are alcohol dependent you are usually 'tolerant' to the effect of alcohol. This means that you need more alcohol to notice any effects and to become drunk. This can make things worse as it tends to make you drink even more.

If you are alcohol dependent you may get drunk regularly. However, you may not get drunk. You may drink small amounts regularly to keep the withdrawal symptoms away. You may then be able to 'hide' your problem from others. However, you are still at serious risk of developing conditions due to heavy drinking (liver damage, cancers, etc).

Delirium tremens ('DTs')
This is a more severe withdrawal reaction after stopping alcohol. It occurs in about 1 in 20 people who have alcohol withdrawal symptoms about 2-3 days after their last drink. Symptoms include: marked tremor (the shakes) and delirium (agitation, confusion, and seeing and hearing things that are not there). Some people have convulsions. Complications can develop such as dehydration and other serious physical problems. It is fatal in some cases.

Should I cut back, or should I stop alcohol completely?

If you are, or have been, alcohol dependent, or if you have a condition due to alcohol such as liver damage, then stopping alcohol completely is usually best. Otherwise, reducing to a safe level of drinking is an option.

If you are trying to cut down, some tips which may help include:

• consider drinking low alcohol beers, or at least do not drink 'strong' beers or lagers.
• try pacing the rate of drinking. Perhaps alternate soft drinks with alcoholic drinks.
• if you eat when you drink, you may drink less.
• it may be worth reviewing your entire social routine. For example, consider:
  • cutting back on types of social activity which involve drinking.
  • trying different social activities where drinking is not a part.
  • reduce the number of days in the week where you go out to drink.
  • going out to the pub or club later in the evening.
• try to resist pressure from people who encourage you to drink more than you want to.

What can help me to reduce or stop drinking alcohol?

No-one can make you stop or cut down drinking. You have to be committed and determined to do this yourself. However, it can be difficult, and one or more of the following may help.

Accepting the problem
Some people deny to themselves that they have a problem. The sort of thoughts that people deceive themselves with include: "I can cope", "I'm only drinking what all my mates drink", "I can stop anytime". Accepting that you may have a problem, and seeking help where necessary, are often the biggest steps to cutting back on alcohol, or cutting it out completely.

Self help
Some people are helped by books, websites, leaflets and their own determination. It is thought that about 1 in 3 people who have a problem with alcohol return to sensible drinking, or stop drinking, without any professional help.

Talking treatments
Some people are helped by counselling and advice from a practice nurse or doctor. Sometimes a referral to a specially trained counsellor may be advised. They can help you to talk through the issues in more detail and help you to plan how to manage your drinking. In some cases, more intensive talking treatments such as cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) may be appropriate. CBT helps you to change certain ways that you think, feel and behave, and may help some people with alcohol related problems.

Treating other illnesses
Alcohol may seem to be a 'quick' answer to the relief of stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems. However, the effect is short-lived and drinking a lot of alcohol often makes these conditions worse. If you feel that these conditions are the underlying problem then see your doctor. Medication and talking treatments such as CBT often work well for these conditions, and are a much better long-term option than heavy drinking.

Detoxification ('detox')
This is an option if you are alcohol dependent.

What is detoxification?

Detoxification or 'detox' involves taking a short course of a medicine which helps to prevent withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking alcohol. Benzodiazepine medicines such as chlordiazepoxide are used for detox.

Many GPs are happy to prescribe for detox from alcohol. A common plan is to prescribe a high dose of medication for the first day that you stop drinking alcohol. You then gradually reduce the dose over the next 5-7 days. This usually prevents, or greatly reduces, the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. You must agree not to drink any alcohol when you are taking the detox medication. Your GP or practice nurse will usually see you quite often during the time of detox. Also during this time, support from family or friends can be of great help.

Some people are referred to a specialist drug and alcohol unit for detox. This is usually better for those with little home or social support, those with a history of severe withdrawal symptoms, those with physical illness caused by alcohol, and those where previous attempts to stop alcohol have failed. The medicines used to detox in specialist units are much the same as GPs prescribe. However, these units have more staff and expertise for giving support and counselling. Some people with serious alcohol related problems are admitted to hospital to detox.

The medication does not make you stop drinking. You need determination to stop. The medication simply helps you to feel better whilst your body readjusts to not having alcohol. Even after the period of detox you may still have some craving for alcohol. So you will still need willpower and coping strategies for when you feel tempted to drink.

Other medication sometimes used for alcohol problems

• Vitamins , particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine), are often prescribed if you are alcohol dependent. Especially during detox. This is because many people who are dependent on alcohol do not eat properly and can lack certain vitamins. A lack of vitamin B1 is the most common. A lack of this vitamin can cause serious brain conditions called Wernickes encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis.
• Acamprosate is a medicine which can help to ease alcohol craving. This may be prescribed to some people after a successful detox to help them stay off alcohol.
• Disulfiram is another medicine which is sometimes used following a successful detox. When you take disulfiram you get very unpleasant symptoms if you drink any alcohol (such as flushing, vomiting, palpitations and headache). So, in effect, the medicine acts as a deterrent for when you are tempted to drink. It can help some people to stay off alcohol.

After detoxification and staying off alcohol

Many people who successfully detox go back to drinking heavily again at some point. There are various reasons why this may occur. It is thought that you are less likely to go back to drinking heavily if you have counselling, or other support to help you to stay off alcohol. Your doctor, practice nurse, or local drug and alcohol unit may provide ongoing support when you are trying to stay off alcohol. Self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous have also helped many people to stay off alcohol.

If you do go back to heavy drinking, you can always try again to stop or cut down. Some people take several attempts before they stop drinking, or keep within the safe limits, for good.

Intoxication 'rife among doctors'

Intoxication 'rife among doctors'

BBC News ~ 13/6/2005/

The British Medical Association has called for action over alcohol and drug abuse among medics after a BBC survey showed the problem was widespread.

BBC One's Real Story found over the last 10 years 750 hospital staff in England had been disciplined over alcohol and drug related incidents.

The BMA estimates one in 15 doctors could be abusing drugs and alcohol.

BMA Ethics Committee chairman Michael Wilks said the profession was in denial and needed help to tackle the problem.

Doctors are known to be at least three times as likely to have cirrhosis of the liver - a sign of alcohol damage - than the rest of the population.

This is second only to publicans and bar staff.

Dr Wilks said: "You've got a profession that doesn't want to face up to the fact that it's got a problem in the ranks.

"You've got levels of denial that make it virtually impossible for an alcoholic doctor to be helped.

"With a fairly modest investment we could set up a programme that could intervene effectively, train people to buy the right treatment and set up a monitoring system," he said.

He estimates this would cost government £10million and would save money in the long run.

The figures

The BBC figures are based on replies from one in three hospital trusts in the UK and reflect only those cases that the employers knew about.

NHS Employers said the figures were probably an underestimate.

At Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, three consultants in three years had been referred to the General Medical Council for alcohol problems.

At East Kent NHS Trust, seven doctors and two nurses had been disciplined over drink and drugs in the last 10 years.

The biggest figure came from the University of Leicester NHS Trust where 17 clinical staff, including one consultant, four nurses and two operating theatre practitioners were disciplined over the past decade.

The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons said a survey of 150 consultant surgeons revealed more than a fifth said they knew a colleague who they believed to be impaired by alcohol while on call.

Yet unlike other professions responsible for public safety, such as airline pilots and tube drivers, the NHS does not have strict rules on drinking before duty.

Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Trust has guidance that staff should not drink up to eight hours before they are on duty. None of the others in the BBC survey had such rules.

Alistair Henderson, director of operations for NHS Employers, said even when policy was in place it did not always safeguard against the problem.

"Sometimes it is easy to assume that having a policy is the same as dealing with it.

"I would hope and expect that all organisations are able to deal effectively with drug and alcohol abuse."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We expect all NHS Trusts to have in place drug and alcohol misuse policies."

She added that all trusts were required to provide access to occupational health services for staff and that NHS Employers had made good progress to ensure staff were being provided with appropriate support.

Dr Thomas Kenny, a surgeon who is recovering from alcohol addiction, said: "Patients have suffered and it's something I have to put up with every day of my life."

Natasza Lambert from Folkestone told Real Story she has been left in pain after a botched hysterectomy by a surgeon who operated while under the influence of alcohol.

"I went in walking and came out in a wheel chair. He had come in straight from riding. He was absolutely paralytic. He was all over the place, stuttering and slurring."

The man who helps jailhouse alcoholics

The Indianapolis Star ~ June 12, 2005

At age 81, Arthur Pratt ought to be receiving the honors and awards. But it's typical of his style to give them away, on behalf of alcohol abusers in the jail system.

He honored Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson this past week with the first Life Effectiveness Training to Indiana award. Anderson has been supportive of the efforts of Pratt's LET program to help inmates with alcohol and drug abuse problems.

Anderson inherited an overcrowded jail in winning the office in 2002, and Pratt has been offering a remedy for several years.

The LET program offers inmates an unusual mixture of Alcoholics Anonymous, in-your-face role playing and Christian faith. Indirectly, it has helped keep the overcrowding from becoming worse than it is. About 65 to 75 percent of the men who endure the training don't return to jail.

Addiction to the bottle is a tough problem. Relapses are often part of the recovery process. Occasionally someone like President Bush quits the bottle and never goes back. But his story is unusual. Plenty of alcoholics make three steps forward, only to fall back a couple.

Pratt has found a winning combination that has attracted national attention. Sen. Richard Lugar has obtained federal funding to make jail treatment available across the country, and programs similar to Pratt's have started in several other counties in Indiana. Jim Reidelbach, for example, is a recovering alcoholic and director of expansion for Life Effectiveness Training programs in Warren and Monroe counties.

Followers of Pratt's work have noted his unusual ability to encourage others to join him in this effort that offers little in the way of monetary rewards or prestige.

Sarge Visher, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, sees Pratt's desire to honor the sheriff as part of an unusual skill. "It's part of his wonderful way of reaching out to others and encouraging them to come along," he said at the luncheon. "Only the best do it that way. It's the element of leadership that involves multiplying your efforts. It's true leadership. There's a selflessness to it, and that's maybe the rare part with Arthur."

The sheriff has noticed the characteristic. "He's always thinking about others instead of himself," Anderson said.

Politically, Pratt cannot be pigeonholed. His luncheon attracted both Democrats and Republicans. He sounds liberal in calling for federal aid to help alcoholics in local jails. But he sounds conservative when teaching personal responsibility to alcohol abusers.

The challenge behind his approach is whether counties can find anyone with Pratt's dedication to duplicate his approach in other local jails. He thinks such people are there, especially those with a background in Alcoholics Anonymous. Yet he's not retiring. "I'm not dead yet," he says, noting that he still leads three groups a week in the jail annex.

President Bush has made compassionate conservatism a national issue and given a new angle on social issues for Republicans by calling for faith-based answers to problems such as alcohol abuse and drug addiction. In Indianapolis, Arthur Pratt could be honored as the founder of compassionate conservatism, starting his jail program and other efforts to help alcohol abusers and the homeless in the late 1960s.

But he shies away from titles or honors for himself. He's too busy trying to honor other people for joining in his efforts.

A fresh start for SMOC house

By D. Craig MacCormack ~ Daily News Staff ~ Friday, June 10, 2005

FRAMINGHAM -- Thomas Foley has spent about two years in a handful of rooming houses and support organizations run by SMOC, but Wednesday was one of his most exciting days in the program as he looked over his new home.

Foley is one of 16 men and women who will soon move into the renovated home for recovering alcoholics at 14 and 16 Gordon St. He came to Wednesday's open house at the building that was gutted by fire in March 2004.

"This is one of the better houses I've seen," said Foley, who plans to go to school to learn to become a mechanic. "They did a fantastic job. This is a real good opportunity for me. SMOC has been so good to me."

Gone are the staircases in the middle of the main entrance hallway. Instead, staircases are pushed to the side, making for a wider passage and more roomy environment.

The home also has cable TV hookups in each room and a washing machine and dryer. All of the appliances and fixtures are new, said Gerard Desilets, the planning director for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council.

The regional organization also recently reopened a rooming house it owns at 46 Prett St., which includes 10 bedrooms and new fire prevention equipment, floors, interior work and a paint job.

All tenants in the rooming houses are single adults who generally spend about six months to a year in the program, said Desilets. They regularly attend Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, he said.

They have jobs and live in the SMOC house in an effort to save some money to secure living quarters of their own, said Desilets.

"This is really a magnificent building," he said during an impromptu tour of the house.

Resident manager Larry Gotimer, himself a recovering alcoholic, will live on the main floor of the building, which includes 12 units that are subsidized by the Framingham Housing Authority.

He expects to call monthly meetings to review rules, living situations and other issues that arise among the tenants, he said.
"You have to live together and get along," said Gotimer.

The dozen or so tenants who lived in the building when it caught fire were relocated to other SMOC properties during the renovations. Some will be coming back to Gordon Street now that the work is completed.

"I'm really pleased with how the whole thing came out," said Executive Director Jim Cuddy. "To see the way it looks is almost indescribable. It's a respectful place that really blends in with the community."

'My name is Bill W.': Alcoholics Anonymous began 70 years ago

A Register-Guard Editorial ~ June 10, 2005

Seventy years ago today, two "hopeless drunks" in Ohio started a fellowship dedicated to helping others beat the bottle. Since then, Alcoholics Anonymous has saved millions from the devastating disease of alcoholism.

AA has an estimated worldwide membership of 2 million and thousands of meetings in communities everywhere. This massive, life-changing movement had an obscure beginning - a 1935 encounter at a church group between a New York stockbroker named Bill Wilson (henceforth known as Bill W.) and an Ohio surgeon named Bob Smith (Dr. Bob).

After Bill W. began to confront his own addiction, he became convinced that his sobriety hinged on helping others to stay sober. He began working with Dr. Bob, who took his last drink one month later.

The two created the 12-step program that is AA's road map to sobriety. With two other AA pioneers, John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo and James Burwell, in 1939 Dr. Bob wrote "Alcoholics Anonymous," known in AA as "The Big Book."

The AA program is both simple and demanding. It directs people to acknowledge their powerlessness over alcohol, to turn to a higher power - and then to follow a series of steps that include self-searching, making confessions and amends, and reaching out to other alcoholics.

A key reason for the program's remarkable success is that alcoholics can walk into any meeting anywhere - from Eugene to Nairobi - and find people struggling with the same steps, clinging to the same core principles. Differences in race, class and religion melt away in the face of shared struggle and purpose.

As they say in AA, it's just a matter of "one drunk helping another."

The program has its share of critics. Some dislike AA's emphasis on spirituality and say the concept of the sufferer's "personal incapability" conflicts with accepted principles of psychotherapy. Others find fault with AA's contention that addiction is an incurable disease and that sobriety depends in part on long-term involvement with AA. That, they argue, exchanges an addiction to alcohol for an addiction to an organization.

AA members concede their program isn't for everyone. As they say at the end of meetings, they "keep coming back" because, simply and miraculously, "It works."

Sell beer in fast-food chains, says Stella brewer

By Rachel Stevenson ~ Independent News ~ 11 June 2005

The maker of Stella Artois, InBev, the world's largest brewer, wants to see beer sold in thousands more outlets in the UK, such as McDonalds, Starbucks, cinemas, petrol stations and video rental shops.

Despite fears that Britain is in the grips of a binge-drinking epidemic, with excessive alcohol consumption turning the UK's town centres into violent disorder zones, InBev believes alcohol should be available in many more high street locations.

Steve Cahillane, head of InBev in the UK, said there is no evidence to suggest easier availability of alcohol leads to more irresponsible drinking. "It is wrong to couple the availability of alcohol with misuse of alcohol. When you look at other cultures with open access to alcohol, you do see responsible consumption. It takes away the image of alcohol as forbidden fruit and removes the idea that you have to go out on drinking 'sessions'," he said.

He wants to see Britain adopt a more Continental style of drinking, such as in France or Belgium, where alcohol is available in many McDonalds outlets.

But the suggestion has outraged and alarmed alcohol-harm campaigners, who say alcohol should not be available in venues where many customers are under 18.

Srabani Sen, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "Alcohol misuse causes harm to millions of families in Britain. We should be doing all we can to minimise this harm, not finding more ways for people to drink. To suggest Britain would move to a Continental-style drinking culture simply by selling alcohol in McDonalds is deeply inadequate. Far more important than finding new places to drink is educating the public on safe drinking levels."

Mr Cahillane's comments came as InBev prepares to overtake Coors as the UK's second largest brewer and also threatens to challenge the leader, Scottish & Newcastle. The company will in August take on the rights to brew Becks in the UK, which will nudge its market share to nearly 20 per cent, slightly above Coors.

Celebrating 70 Years Of Sobriety

By Courtland Milloy & The Washington Post
Published on 6/9/2005

When Alcoholics Anonymous marks its 70th anniversary Friday, the late Wall Street stockbroker William G. Wilson and Akron, Ohio, physician Robert H. Smith will be remembered for founding a self-help movement that has saved millions from the ravages of alcoholism.

Virtually anyone recovering from chemical dependency through a 12-step program can appreciate the importance of what happened when the man known in AA as Bill W., believing that he could beat his alcohol problem by helping another alcoholic stay sober, went to work on a physician who'd been hospitalized for alcohol-related disorders. A month later, on June 10, 1935, the physician — known in AA as Dr. Bob — took his last drink, and a miraculous fellowship was formed.

Among those who followed in their footsteps were three pioneers from the Washington area — John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo, who helped start the first AA meeting in Washington in 1939 and later took AA to Richmond, Va.; James Burwell, who helped establish AA in Baltimore and later in Philadelphia; and Jim Scott, a Howard University graduate and African-American physician, who started the first AA meeting for black people, in Washington, 60 years ago, in April 1945.

“When AA started, the city was racially segregated, and blacks were not welcome in AA,” said a member of the archives project of the Washington Area Intergroup Association, an information clearinghouse for AA in Washington. “Some of the groups eventually decided to let them come in but not stay for the social part after the meetings.”

Black or white, most alcoholics were viewed as dirty, angry, hopeless, ungrateful and untreatable. In 1935, the Census Bureau reported that the District of Columbia had the second-highest death rate due to alcoholism in the United States.

A 1993 report by the AA archives project noted of the era before AA: “One distinguished Washingtonian had been arrested over 250 times and had served 197 jail sentences for drunkenness. Several others could count well over 100 each. The numbers showed that throwing alcoholics into the drunk-tanks — even a great many times — did not solve the problem.”

But Alcoholics Anonymous could — and did.

Mayo, Burwell, Scott and others went about the 12-step work with evangelical fervor, scouring the streets of the city and outlying areas in search of drunks to help.

“Fitz and Jim would actually bring drunks home off the streets to help them get sober,” a member of AA who knew both men recalled. “You rarely see that kind of outreach anymore.”

The group that Burwell helped start in Philadelphia was the subject of an article on AA written in 1941 by Jack Alexander for the Saturday Evening Post. The story, which told of the humility and service of newly sober AA members, created a surge of interest in the fellowship around the world.

Scott, with the help of a white AA member known only as Charlie G., started the Washington Colored Group, which later changed its name to the Cosmopolitan Group to indicate that all alcoholics are welcomed, regardless of race. Scott went on to help start AA groups for blacks in Georgia and other parts of the South.

Mayo and Burwell helped Wilson write “Alcoholics Anonymous,” commonly referred to in AA as “the Big Book,” first published in 1939. Their personal stories of recovery from alcoholism, along with Scott's, are recounted in it — anonymously, of course. But which story is which is well known. Mayo's is titled “Our Southern Friend”; Burwell's, “The Vicious Cycle”; and Scott's, “Jim's Story.”

AA now claims a worldwide membership of about 2 million. Today, there are more than 1,800 AA meetings in the Washington area. And although no one knows how many people attend those meetings, what is certain is that AA has helped multitudes of all races and creeds achieve sobriety.

Transitioning into sobriety

Megan Michelson
Tahoe World - News ~ June 8, 2005

Jimmy Thennes knew he had a choice. At 36, he could either continue living homeless and constantly drunk, or he could do what he calls self surrender.

"It got to the point where I was going to be that drunk living in a cardboard box and dead. Or something was going to intercede my life," Thennes said.

Fortunately for Thennes, something - or rather, someone - interceded. Enter Keith Walters, owner of the Y6 Motel in Kings Beach.

Walters took Thennes into his home and let him help refurbish the Y6 Motel, which he was transforming into a safe and sober transitional living facility. He taught him about self-sacrifice and about the importance of giving to others. But it took a relapse last year before Thennes really turned his life around. Today, he's a volunteer in-house manager at the Y6 Motel.

"I still work. But the Y6 and helping other drunks comes first in my life," Thennes said at the Y6 on Monday.

For Walters and Thennes, their life mission is to spread the message to alcoholics about the importance of helping others and thinking less of yourself. Through spiritual healing, they believe that sufferers can remedy mind and body ailments, including alcoholism. Although Walters claims the Y6 is not religious and promotes no singular idea, he says the solution to addiction is spiritual.

"The problem with alcoholics isn't alcohol," Walters said. "It's a spiritual problem with a spiritual solution."

Walters said their program is a throwback to the original Alcoholics Anonymous as created by its founders more than 60 years ago.

"Y6 does not directly promote Alcoholics Anonymous but believes and supports the principals laid down by its founding fathers in 1939 and encourages our patrons to attend local AA meetings," he said.

The Y6, which is currently an all-male facility, houses between 10 and 12 residents each week between the ages of 21 and 60. Many of them are local, but some come from as far away as Texas and New Jersey. All are required to spend their days working or volunteering at local churches, thrift shops or other organizations.

Residents pay $140 a week and are only allowed to stay 28 days, according to state occupancy requirements. Although there are no counselors on site and the Y6 is not a licensed facility, Walters said it's a place for recovery.

"They don't come here for counseling. They come here to get out of their current situation," he said. "It's not rehab, it's a clean and sober transitional living center."

Formally called the Foothills Motel, the six-unit motel was, as Walters called it, "a rat's nest." It was a haven for drug users, and needles and other drug paraphernalia were scattered throughout the rooms. Placer County Sheriff's Deputy John Shaw said they were called to the motel for cases of drugs, alcohol, prostitution and theft on a regular basis.

But then Walters and his wife Wendy purchased the motel last July with the help of Community Concern, a San Jose-based non-profit organization that funds and promotes community interests. He gutted and refurbished each of the rooms and opened as a safe and affordable living environment for recovering alcoholics last September.

Since then, the place has been running at near full occupancy. And the number of police calls to the motel has dropped dramatically, according to Shaw, who's recommended between 50 and 100 people to visit Walters and his facility during the last three years.

"I've been a cop for 10 years and I've never found answers to my questions about (alcoholics) until I met Keith," Shaw said.

A typical day at Y6 starts with a 6 a.m. wake up, followed by quiet time. After breakfast, residents go to work or volunteer. They are required to be home by 6:30 p.m. on most weekdays. There are two scheduled study meetings each week, in which residents study the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as frequent group gatherings and barbecues. Lights out is at 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

"We try to promote a normal schedule," Walters said. "But we're not a lockdown facility. And we encourage family members to come participate. It is a disease that touches everyone."

Residents must do their chores, abide by the daily schedule and follow the rules - no mind or mood altering substances, no gambling, no smoking inside, no fighting, no foul language and more - or risk being kicked out.

Of those who come through the Y6, Walters said about 75 percent achieve a successful recovery either on their first or subsequent visits. Of those successes, Walters said they've seen families reunited, trust regained and lives restored. But of course, not everybody makes it.

"We have a 100 percent success rate for those who follow the directions and a zero percent success rate for those who don't," Walters said.

Walters knows first-hand the despair of an alcoholic. He began attending AA meetings in 1983, but it wasn't until 1999 that he became fully recovered. Through the years, he went to jail 64 times, spent three years in prison, lost four wives and many jobs, homes and friends.

He said that learning how to help others became his savior.

"As a recovered alcoholic, your life depends on the constant thought of others and how you can help meet their needs," he said. "Altruism becomes a way of life."

Saab Puts Alcokey Into Production In Sweden

Saab's Alcokey ~ Thursday 9th June 2005 - carpages

As the UK Government launches its Road Safety Bill 2005, which includes research into Alcohol Ignition Interlock Programmes (AIIPs), Saab Automobile - traditionally one step ahead of the game - is currently striding ahead with the technology in its domestic market of Sweden.

The UK Government's Department for Transport (DfT) has just released details of its Road Safety Bill 2005, which allows for the future use of Alcohol Ignition Interlock Programmes (AIIPs). The DfT notes that previous research and experience from around the world 'have shown that these are effective in discouraging re-offending [of drink driving]'.

Saab Automobile AB is now taking the next step in the development of the intelligent Alcokey it introduced in concept form in autumn 2004. Financed in part by grants from the National Swedish Road Administration's sign fund, Saab is commencing wide-ranging field trials involving both private customers and trucking firms, with a view to launching the finished device on the Swedish market as an optional extra within two years. The technology could then become available in the UK.

A perfect example of the type of Swedish design that categorises the Saab brand, Saab's Alcokey is avant-garde in its existence yet simple in its functionality. Users of the Alcokey must breathe into a small mouthpiece in the car's key fob, which is fitted with a breathalyser. A transponder communicates with the car's electronic control unit, immobilising the engine if a driver's breath sample is found to contain alcohol above the permitted level.

"An important factor is the acceptance of the Alcokey among private customers," says Saab Automobile's Managing Director Jan Ake Jonsson, who has also tested the technology. "The great majority of them would never dream of driving while under the influence, and yet we know that alcohol is involved in nearly a third of all fatalities among drivers - on our Swedish roads just as elsewhere. If we can deal with that problem we'll be making a decisive contribution towards road safety."

Saab first exhibited its concept for an Alcokey in autumn 2004. Because the Alcokey obviates extra electronics and elaborate installations, Saab believes that once it is in serial production it will be possible to keep the price to the customer below £225 (3,000 SEK). Saab also hopes that the Alcokey can be fitted post-delivery to most Saab models.

The field trials that are currently being undertaken are concerned with studying factors such as accuracy of readings, long-term properties and robustness. Another important aspect is how the trial participants perceive the Alcokey in daily use. It's been known for some time that customers are less inclined to pay for features that they don't consider they need - "I never drive when I've been drinking" - which makes ease of use all the more important.

Anna Petre, responsible for community contacts at Saab Automobile, says: "In order to stimulate the introduction of the Alcokey on a broad front, consideration should be given to government involvement in the form of reduced fiscal-benefit values, or arrangements with the insurance companies to lower premiums on cars fitted with Alcokeys.

"Saab's Alcokey", says Anna Petre "is primarily intended as a support for those who want to stay on the right side of the law. During its development, one priority has been to achieve user-friendliness, and this is a breathalyser that will still pick up the great majority of drunk-driving cases. It's going to take time, of course, before all cars have Alcokeys, but we have to start the process somewhere."

Alcohol abuse problems - alcoholism health effects and causes

BUPA 2005

Problem drinking

Research has shown that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can have health benefits. For men over 40, and women after the menopause, having one or two small drinks a day can help prevent coronary heart disease.

However, it is estimated that a quarter of men and one in six women in Britain drink enough to put their health at risk.

How much is too much?

Government guidelines state that men should drink no more than three to four units per day and women no more than two to three units per day. However, some medical experts believe these levels are too high, and recommend no more than three units a day for men and two a day for women. Either way, you should not "save up" the units over the week and use them to binge at the weekend.

Strength and units

The strength of an alcoholic drink is indicated by the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV).

A unit is 8 grams of pure alcohol, regardless of the amount of liquid it's contained in.

The number of units in one litre of any drink is equal to the ABV. So a 500ml can of 8% ABV lager contains 4 units.

One unit is equal to:

• about half a pint (300ml) of ordinary-strength lager, beer or cider,
• a 25ml pub measure of spirit or a small glass of fortified wine, such as sherry or port (17.5% ABV),
• a small glass (125 ml) of 8% ABV wine.

Popular drinks

Note that many popular drinks are considerably different from these once-standard drinks. For example, stronger lagers and pilsners such as Stella Artois, Grolsch or Kronebourg 1664 are often around 5% ABV, much stronger than a traditional bitter, and contain around three units per pint. And wine served by the glass is more likey to be 12% alcohol than 8%. A typical larger (175ml) glass of Australian Chardonnay is therefore nearer two units than one.

Units for women

The reason that the limits for women are less than for men is because the body composition of women has less water than men. Therefore, even if a man and woman are of similar size and weight, the woman will tend to get drunk faster. Women can also develop liver disease at lower levels of drinking than men.

Alcohol dependence

When drunk frequently or in large quantities, alcohol is addictive.

Doctors use a number of techniques to identify patients with drink problems, and there are screening questions drinkers may be asked to explore issues such as the amount and frequency of drinking, whether it damages the drinker's relationships, or whether they have a drink to "get going" in the morning.

A person is generally considered to be dependent on alcohol when they have experienced three or more of the following symptoms during a year:

• a strong urge to drink,
• difficulty controlling drinking,
• physical withdrawal symptoms, such as sweating, shaking, agitation and nausea when they try to reduce drinking,
• a growing tolerance to alcohol (needing larger quantities to get the same effect),
• gradual neglect of other activities,
• persistent drinking even though it is obviously causing harm.

Problem drinking occurs when a person is not dependent on alcohol, but drinks enough to cause actual physical or psychological harm.

Short-term effects

Alcohol suppresses the part of the brain that controls judgement, resulting in a loss of inhibitions. It also affects physical co-ordination, causing blurred vision, slurred speech and loss of balance. Drinking a very large amount at one time (binge drinking) can lead to unconsciousness, coma, and even death. Vomiting while unconscious can lead to death by asphyxiation (suffocation). Alcohol is implicated in a large proportion of fatal road accidents, assaults and incidents of domestic violence.

Long-term effects

Alcohol can be a dangerous drug. Drinking too much too often will cause physical damage, increase the risk of getting some diseases, and make other diseases worse. Excessive drinking over time is associated with:

• loss of brain cells,
• liver failure,
• irritated stomac lining and bleeding from stomach ulcers,
• high blood pressure (which can lead to stroke),
• certain types of cancer,
• nerve damage,
• heart failure,
• epilepsy.

Excessive drinking has also been linked to:

vitamin deficiency,
• obesity,
• sexual problems,
• infertility,
• muscle disease,
• skin problems,
• inflammation of the pancreas.

Alcohol and pregnancy

Women who drink heavily during pregnancy are at risk of having babies with a condition called fetal alcohol syndrome, which can result in growth deficiencies, nervous system problems, lowered intelligence, and facial abnormalities in the child.

There is some evidence that pregnant women who drink more than 10 units a week are more likely to have underweight babies. It is not known if there is an absolutely safe limit for drinking during pregnancy, but it may be wise to avoid alcohol altogether.

Psychological effects

Although alcohol initially makes people feel relaxed, long term excessive use can ultimately increase anxiety and cause depression. It is also related to problems with sleeping, mood swings, violence and suicide (about two-thirds of suicide attempts are thought to involve alcohol).

Cutting down

If you think you are drinking too much, keep a "drinking diary", noting how much alcohol you drink each week. It will reveal whether you are drinking within safe guidelines and help you identify the situations that you need to avoid to cut down your drinking.

These tips may help you cut down:

• go out later, so you start drinking later,
• replace your "usual" drink with one containing less alcohol,
• skip the "quick drink" at lunchtime or after work,
• have at least two alcohol-free days a week,
• do something other than going to the pub,
• drink more slowly or have non-alcoholic drinks between alcoholic ones,
• buy beers and wines with lower alcohol content, and keep a supply of non-alcoholic drinks at home,
• set yourself a limit of, for example three to four units (men) or two to three (women) for any one occasion,
• find other ways to relax.

Stopping drinking

Confidential advice and support is available through GPs, and may involve a community alcohol team or specialist consultant care. There are also organisations such as Alcohol Concern and Alcoholics Anonymous that help many people (see below).

Treatment

To prevent withdrawal symptoms, a chronic heavy drinker may be prescribed medication such as diazepam (Valium) for a few days after stopping drinking.

There are two drug treatments that may be used to help someone stop drinking:

• Disulfiram , which causes very unpleasant effects if even a small amount of alcohol is consumed (and severe, occasionally life-threatening effects with large amounts of alcohol).
• Acamprosate , which influences transmitters in the brain and reduces the craving for alcohol. It may have side-effects such as headache, diarrhoea and rash.

People with chronic alcohol dependence are often malnourished, and vitamin supplements are essential.

Bid to tackle booze crimes

Conference aiming to call time on anti-social activities
By Jonathan McCambridge ~ Belfast Telegraph ~ 07 June 2005

Northern Ireland is today hosting its first ever conference on how to deal with a worrying rise in alcohol related crime.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board is hosting the event in Londonderry to discuss the scourge of excessive drinking among the young whose anti-social actions are turning many of Northern Ireland's town centres into 'no go areas' late at night.

The conference, entitled 'Last Disorder - calling time on alcohol fuelled nuisance' will bring together representatives from District Policing Partnerships, the police, health, local government and the licensed trade to discuss problems associated with the 'night time economy'.

Policing Board Chairman, Professor Sir Desmond Rea, said: "The benefits of Northern Ireland's night time economy cannot be denied. The opening of new bars, clubs and restaurants creates jobs and income, attracts visitors and regenerates declining areas.

"Despite this, aggressive drunken behaviour, vandalism, environmental damage, increased noise and significant pressures on police and emergency services are just some of the problems associated with binge drinking.

"This leads to crime and fear of crime in our towns and cities, which must be addressed."

"Alcohol related crime and disorder is wholly unacceptable. Each year in Northern Ireland, an estimated £34m is incurred in alcohol related costs.

"Unnecessary pressures are being placed on policing and other emergency services and too often those who are there to assist have become the subject of attack."

The line-up of speakers at this conference includes leading experts from the UK and Ireland, such as Paul Evans, Director of the Home Office Police Standards Unit, and Dr Ann Hope, National Alcohol Policy Advisor to the Irish government.

There are also local contributors including the PSNI and the Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade.

Anger at 'alcohol disorder zones' tax

icEssex Jun 6 2005

The drinks industry has reacted angrily to reports of a new Government levy on all licensed premises within "alcohol disorder zones".

Businesses within these zones will be charged an average £100 per week to pay for extra policing to tackle drink-fuelled crime, according to the Daily Mail.

The measure is included in the Violent Crime Bill, due to be published "within days", the newspaper said.

Martin Couchman, deputy chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, said the scheme was a "collective punishment" which would affect businesses whose customers did not cause trouble.

"There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for penalising all the licensed premises in an area because there is a problem with one of them," he said.

"The police have powers already to close some premises down. I don't know why we have to go through this rigmarole."

Mark Hastings, director of communications at the British Beer and Pub Association, said many customers would be put off socialising in "alcohol disorder zones". Property prices in the zones could also be affected, he added.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Government are fully committed to tackling alcohol related disorder through a wide range of measures .

"One measure that we are consulting on is alcohol disorder zones, however, a final decision on how this will operate has not yet been made and we will be making an announcement about this as and when details have been finalised."

Shadow home secretary David Davis denounced the plans as "arbitrary, heavy-handed and unjust"

A party animal. A sex maniac

Husband's cry-rape pain By Robert Stansfield And Adrian Shaw the Mirror 7 June 2005

THE husband of rape liar Merete Underwood last night branded her a boozy, sex-mad party animal who made his life hell.

Engineering boss Toby Underwood told how the 32-year-old binge-drinking love cheat even invited men back to their home then finally left him to bring up a child she had with another man after yet another fling.

The doting husband stayed with his wife as she slept around, but the final straw came when she accused an innocent man of raping her after she had a one night stand with him.

Toby, 34, spoke as Underwood was starting a 12-month jail sentence for lying to police to cover up the fact she had enjoyed sex with the interior designer who she met in a bar after leaving her husband and two-year-old son James in another pub.

He said: "It's horrible, she's hurt everyone so much and put so many people through so much pain.

"My marriage has been a rollercoaster, four years of complete hell.

"She has no consideration for other people's lives and she deserves everything she gets. I'm glad she's been jailed. Marrying her was the biggest mistake of my life."

Toby recalled how the rape lie night began when the couple went for an after-work drink in February last year at a London pub with little James. He said: "We'd had one drink, I pleaded with her to come home as it was dark and minus six. She had James in a buggy, it was no place for a baby.

"She took him into the pub. She drank more and more then went to the toilet. I waited 10 minutes but she'd gone. I was concerned she didn't come back that night but it wasn't out of the ordinary so I didn't phone the police." He reported her missing next day, then got a text message from her phone that said: "Merete is okay, but cries and wants to go home, but not finished with her here. Good f*** she."

Toby, of Kingston, Surrey, said: "I was destroyed. I thought she was coming home in a body bag. I could never have believed she would send messages like that and make it up."

But that was the beginning of a cruel deception on his wife's part that continued with her telling police she had left the pub for some fresh air when a stranger grabbed her by the hair, bundled her into a car and drove her to a hotel in Bayswater, West London.

The Norwegian national claimed two men then took it in turns to rape her as she was held captive for 12 hours.

Underwood pointed the finger at the 34-year-old interior designer and gave police a full description of him.

In fact, London's Middlesex Guildhall court heard, she had gone to a wine bar spotted the man, chatted him up and went to his hotel where they had sex.

But he was arrested and spent 24 hours in cell and had the spectre of a rape conviction looming over him.

Even after Underwood was charged with perverting justice, she kept up the lie for a further year. It was only when a jury was about to be sworn in that she finally admitted the charge.

Prosecutor Joanne Hacking told the court the ordeal had left the innocent man "terribly traumatised".

Campaigners insisted Underwood's sentence was too short. Ian Kelly of UKMensaid.org.uk - a support group for male victims of false allegations - said: "It should have been 12 years."

Toby, who met Underwood when he worked in Norway, has filed for divorce.

He said: "I'm not James's biological father. She had him by a different man two years into our marriage. But I'm fighting for custody and hopefully we can build a happy home together."

Doctors warn UK Government drug strategy fails to tackle crucial issues

i-Newswire, 2005-06-07

The Government's National Drug Strategy misses a crucial point by failing to tackle drinking and smoking early in life, warned public health doctors at the British Medical Association on 2 June 2005).

Doctors at the BMA's Conference of Public Health Medicine and Community Health in London voted for the Government to set up accessible addiction services for young people, and focus on smoking prevention - as part of an overall strategy for tackling drug addiction.

Dr Vasco Fernandes, a consultant physician in alcohol and drug addiction, said:

“The National Drug Strategy was set up with crime-reduction in mind - and for that reason it's designed to tackle illegal drug use only.

“But most drug addicts don't progress straight to heroine or crack cocaine. They show signs of trouble to come in early life, by smoking and drinking alcohol at a young age.

“The Government's drug strategy doesn't properly recognise the importance of these ‘gateway' drugs in young people, leaving it to other agencies to deal with these problems separately.

“If we are serious about preventing addiction to both legal and illegal drugs, we must have better services to tackle these problems among young people, and they must be co-ordinated into the national drug strategy.

“Otherwise we are spending our time locking the door after the horse has well and truly bolted.”

The conference also called for a review of Government plans for 24-hour drinking, and demanded a public debate on the proposals.

Dr Noel Olsen, Chair of the Alcohol Education and Research Council, said “The problems caused by alcohol abuse far outweigh problems caused by illegal drugs in health terms for the population as a whole.”

A motion for a ban on proposed super-casinos in local communities was also passed, as doctors felt they would promote addictive and damaging behaviour, and increase poverty.

The conference also voted for a ‘fairness doctrine' for advertising, where media space given over to the promotion of unhealthy foods must be matched with airtime for public health messages.

Dr Olsen, who proposed the motion, added:

“I think that industries which promote unhealthy foods, many of them aimed at children, should contribute to the cost of the public health view being heard. Personally I also feel these companies shouldn't be allowed to write off such advertising against tax.”

Kelly's back in rehab.

Ozzy's girl checks herself into drug clinic

Mirror ~ 6 June 2005

Troubled singer Kelly Osbourne is back in rehab again to fight her painkiller and alcohol abuse.

The 20-year-old daughter of rocker Ozzy and wife Sharon booked herself into a clinic in Pasadena, California.

Friends say Kelly, who starred with her parents and brother Jack in the hit fly-on-the-wall series The Osbournes, unexpectedly took herself to the Las Encinas clinic after she felt her addiction was out of control. The clinic treated her brother for his own drug and alcohol abuse.

Sources close to the singer say she began to fall back into bad ways after taunts about her weight and bad reviews of her album, Sleeping In The Nothing, which only reached number 57 on its UK release.

An insider tells us: "Kelly is so proud of her album but she struggled to cope with all the negative criticism.

"She put her heart and soul into that CD, but it was getting panned and it really affected her badly.

"No one really gave her a chance

"On top of that were the constant jibes about her weight. She's a normal curvy girl, not a stick-thin size six, so people take pops at her and it really hurts. She may seem really ballsy on the outside but deep down she's a vulnerable young woman.

"Using the painkillers and alcohol is her way of blocking out the pain.

"Everyone around her is just so relieved that she realises she's going down a very slippery slope but is grown up enough to try and do something about it."

Only a year ago Kelly spent several weeks in rehab at the Promises drug treatment centre in Malibu. The stay followed the discovery of 500 super-strong painkillers under her bed by Ozzy's maid.

In April, mum Sharon took matters into her own hands by hiring a minder to ensure Kelly stayed clean. But despite her efforts her youngest daughter still returned to drugs.

Kelly recently admitted that the hardest thing about fame was having everyone talking about her body shape.

The rock chick said she refused to go on a Hollywood stick insect diet and admi