Alcohol Abuse Needs To Be Tackled

Worrying statistics on alcohol abuse in Namibia were made available during the commemoration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking this week.

Although these would not come as a shock to most Namibians who openly acknowledge this fact, we should nevertheless be propelled into trying to do something about it! The findings were the result of a survey by the Social Impact Assessment and Policy Analysis Corporation, and were highlighted this week by Simon Nhongo, Resident Co-ordinator for the United Nations.

The report reveals, among others, that more than half of Namibian adults consumed an average of 10 litres of alcohol a week.

It also broke down the percentage of users, citing Windhoek to be the 'drinking capital' (69,9 per cent of the adult population).

Other statistics included the southern region with 65,2 per cent and the northern regions with what many felt was a surprisingly low figure of 26 per cent.

The statistics may well be open to scrutiny and debate and even dismissed out of hand (we were not told how the survey was carried out and what number of people polled), but there are few people who would contest the fact that alcohol is widely used, and more often than not, abused, in this country.

Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who spoke at the event, highlighted alcohol abuse as an 'evil' that needed addressing throughout African societies.

"Alcohol abuse and its effect on families are at the core of underdevelopment in Africa," she stressed, adding that "because of alcohol abuse ...

so many women and children are being raped, murdered brutally and beaten ...

and because of alcohol abuse, many people are having sex without condoms".

The report also looked at drug abuse in Namibia, which although also prevalent, is not as extensive.

"While illicit drugs are certainly a problem, and sadly, a growing one for Namibia, the most serious challenge facing us is a drug most of us have at home and consider harmless and even fun.

The drug I am speaking of is alcohol," said Nhongo.

The point he raises is also an important one.

While world opinion has galvanised against something like tobacco addiction, for example, campaigns against alcohol abuse are few and far between in comparison.

While comparisons are odious, and particularly in this regard, it is true to say that of all 'drugs' alcohol is probably the one that more often fuels acts of violence, particularly against vulnerable members of society, such as women and children, than any other addictive substances.

Yet it is mostly regarded as 'acceptable', and as Nhongo pointed out, very freely available and present in most homes in the country.

Like most 'evils', including cigarettes and other drugs, alcohol is a part of global society that will never be completely eliminated no matter what campaigns are launched to warn against it or ban it for that matter.

There is therefore little to gain from berating the point.

However, there are steps that can be taken, if a society like ours is serious about tackling this evil.

There are no limits on the numbers of bottle stores and shebeens - except perhaps municipal regulations prohibiting the sale of alcohol near schools, etc - and both are proliferating in Namibia.

We all know what happened with recent attempts to license the informal section of this industry, and the uproar it created, and this for one reason primarily: money is to be made from the sale of alcohol! Government could not only stand its ground in licensing fewer liquor outlets, but it could also make liquor more expensive.

Some may argue that it has done so already, and that it's unlikely to solve the problem, as high price hikes for smokers have not necessarily deterred those who indulge.

But it may make many think twice! Much depends on tougher sentencing as well, especially with regard to driving under the influence; and of course, education campaigns on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, especially for schoolchildren.

There is much that can be done to at least reduce alcohol abuse.

If we want to tackle it seriously, we can take the example of other countries, which have led the way in this regard.

It is vital that we do so to avoid the 'nation of drunkards' description that was warned against by former President Sam Nujoma.

Namibian

Alcohol 'Destroying' Namibia

While Namibians have become increasingly aware of the dangers of illicit drug use, alcohol seems to have slipped under the radar and is wreaking havoc in the country.

This was highlighted yesterday by Simon Nhongo, Resident Co-ordinator for the UN, during the commemoration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Quoting the findings of a recent study conducted by the Social Impact Assessment and Policy Analysis Corporation, Nhongo said that more than half of Namibia's adult population consumes an average of 10 litres of alcohol a week.

The study, he said, further revealed that 55,6 per cent of adult Namibians consume about 33 bottles of beer in a week.

"While illicit drugs are certainly a problem and, sadly, a growing one for Namibia, the most serious challenge facing us is a drug most of us have at home and consider harmless or even fun.

The drug I am speaking of is alcohol," Nhongo said.

Windhoek, he said, was shown to have the highest percentage of drinkers in the country - 69,9 per cent of the city's adult population.

This was followed by the southern regions, where he said 65,2 per cent of adults were drinkers.

The lowest number of alcohol consumers was recorded in the Omusati, Oshikoto and Ohangwena regions, Nhongo said, with a combined percentage of 26 per cent of their populations believed to consume alcohol.

Nhongo was addressing a group of about 250 to 300 people who turned out in support of the day.

Participants included a number of church and school groups, as well as a number of self-claimed former drug users who gave testimony of their experiences with and away from harmful substances.

Also in attendance was veteran African star, South Africa's Yvonne Chaka Chaka, in her capacity as Unicef Goodwill Ambassador.

Like Nhongo, Chaka Chaka highlighted alcohol abuse as an evil that needs addressing throughout African societies.

"Alcohol abuse and its effect on families are at the core of underdevelopment in Africa."

"Because of alcohol abuse and wrong beliefs about women, so many women and children are being raped, murdered brutally and are beaten and abused in their homes.

Because of alcohol abuse, many people are having sex without condoms," she said.

"Because of alcohol abuse, parents do not take proper care of their children, as a result children run away from home and because of living in the street they get into trouble with the law.

Pregnant women who drink are also seriously affecting their unborn children," Chaka Chaka said.

The Namibian

Poll reveals teen binge drinking problem

Thousands of teenage schoolchildren are going out binge drinking at least once a week, a new survey has revealed.

The Trading Standards poll found that 44 per cent of schoolchildren over 14 drink at least once a week.

But nearly a third of those are regular binge drinkers – downing five drinks or more at least once a week.
Violence

Just over half of these say they’ve become violent when drinking, while more than a fifth have regretted having sex while drunk.

One in 14 young people admitted using fake ID to buy alcohol – with half of them buying their ID from internet sites – and 45 per cent said they were never asked for ID whenever they bought alcohol.

The findings follow a survey of 12,000 schoolchildren across North West England.

Brenda Fullard, North West Alcohol Policy Co-ordinator for the Department of Health, said she was concerned at the health and social implications of the findings.
Health burdens

She added: ‘It is worrying that nearly a third of our young people are drinking large quantities of alcohol when underage, and then many of them are getting into fights, having unplanned sex or getting into cars with drivers who have been drinking.

‘Alcohol consumption is the biggest contributory factor to hospital admissions of children on weekend nights, causing huge burdens on our health services.’

Which?

Hospitals see a 14pc rise in drink victims

Hospital admissions for drink problems soared 14 per cent after Labour relaxed the licensing laws in November 2005.

There were 187,640 alcohol-related hospital admissions in England during 2005-2006, compared with 164,787 the previous year.

The number of deaths climbed from 4,037 in 2004 to 6,570 in 2005, according to figures from the Information Centre for Health and Social Care.

They also show a doubling of alcohol-related hospital admissions in the past decade, up from 89,000 in the mid-1990s.

The figures include adults needing to be admitted for hospital treatment for intoxication, mental and behavioural problems, but do not include physical injury and accidents linked to alcohol.

Most worryingly, the number of children needing hospital treatment has risen by a third in a decade as binge drinking by teenagers continues to climb.

Almost one in three children are regular binge drinkers - knocking back at least five drinks in a session - with half admitting they have been violent while drunk, according to a poll of 12,000 schoolchildren.

Despite fears from doctors and public order campaigners that 24-hour licensing would exacerbate Britain's yob culture and increase binge drinking, the Government pressed ahead.

Tessa Jowell, the minister in charge of the Bill put forward in 2002, claimed it would encourage a more civilised atmosphere in pubs, bars and restaurants and increase choice for consumers.

She said: 'Existing laws have neither encouraged the emergence of the civilised cafe society nor have they prevented the growth in drink-related antisocial behaviour. It's time to fulfil our commitment to change the rules.'

But doctors are concerned that the new figures reveal a deteriorating situation. Dr Martin Shalley, immediate past president of the British Association of Emergency Medicine, said yesterday: 'This was always the worry with the change in licensing laws. We were being assured there wasn't an increase in health problems, but these figures seem to suggest otherwise.

'They probably underestimate the extent of the harm because more people with physical injuries involving alcohol abuse get admitted where the alcohol isn't documented, while accident and emergency care for drink problems may not lead to admission.

Daily Mail

Doctors want hard line on alcohol

Doctors are calling for stricter alcohol laws in a bid to reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths.

Over the last 15 years, alcohol deaths have more than doubled to over 8,000 a year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The British Medical Association conference is to debate calls for a ban on street drinking, and for the legal alcohol buying age to be raised to 21.

The driving alcohol limit should also be cut, public health doctors say.

Dr Chris Spencer-Jones, chairman of the BMA's public health committee, said it was important to restrict access to alcohol to stop "young people forming bad habits".

He said: "Sales of cheap alcohol from supermarkets and other retailers are fuelling binge drinking. There are now aisles and aisles devoted to alcohol in some supermarkets."

Safer places

He said a ban on drinking on the streets - at the moment police can only stop people drinking in certain designated areas - would drive people into to drinking in safer places, such as pubs, where the age limit should remain at 18.

He added: "In pubs, landlords have a duty under the relaxation in the licensing laws to make sure people are drinking responsibly."

He also said the alcohol limit for driving, which currently stands at 80mg/100ml in the blood, should be reduced.

There are over 3,000 deaths a year on the roads in the UK with about a third involving alcohol.

Dr Spencer-Jones said: "There are two schools of thought. Reducing it to 50mg/100ml as has happened in mainland Europe or reducing it effectively to zero as some Scandinavian countries do.

"We are behind other countries on this and the only way of sending out a really strong message is through legislation."

Frank Soodeen, of Alcohol Concern, said: "We would agree that the alcohol driving limit should be reduced, evidence from other countries suggests it does help to reduce road deaths."

And on the issue of raising the age for buying alcohol in shops to 21, he added: "With a sizeable proportion of off-licences selling alcohol to under-age drinkers, and binge levels rising among the 18 to 24 age group, this is certainly an idea that's worthy of discussion."

But a Home Office spokesman said: "The majority of people drink sensibly and responsibly and the government has no plans to raise the minimum drinking age.

"Instead, we are using a combination of effective education and tough enforcement to change the behaviour of the minority that don't.

"For example, successive enforcement campaigns have slashed the numbers selling alcohol to under 18s and all children learn about the effects of drinking in national curriculum science teaching."

And the Department for Transport said there were no immediate plans to reduce the drink driving limit, although it was always kept under constant review.

BBC News

Five point plan to tackle drink problem in Scotland

The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland has published a five point plan to tackle Scotland’s alcohol problem.

The five demands where highlighted in a new paper published by BMA Scotland on the opening day of the BMA's annual UK conference in Torquay.

Alcohol kills six people every day in Scotland and doctors report an increase in the number of young people presenting to the NHS with serious illness resulting from alcohol misuse.

Drinking in moderation can be a source of pleasure however the effect of excessive alcohol consumption on our health and the related social and economic impact is significant. For example, the number of patients discharged from hospital with alcoholic liver disease has more than doubled in the past ten years.

The plan calls upon the Scottish Executive to:

1. Utilise the legislative capabilities of the 2005 Licensing (Scotland) Act, to end deep discounting of alcohol for sale in off licences, supermarkets and other off sales outlets.
Cheap drinks promotions which encourage people to buy more alcohol, particularly in supermarkets and off licenses must be controlled. Some supermarkets are running alcohol products as a ‘loss leader' which in some cases has resulted in alcohol being cheaper than bottled water.

2. Undertake research into the measures by which pricing mechanisms can be used in Scotland to discourage heavy consumption of high alcohol products.
Strong evidence suggests that increasing the price of alcohol may be an effective method of reducing use by adolescents (1).

3. End alcohol producers' sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events with a young target audience.
Sponsoring entertainment and sporting events and sports teams has become an important advertising mechanism for the alcohol industry. However, the exposure of children to alcohol's linkage to entertainment events or sporting activities gives alcohol innocence by association.

4. Legislate for alcohol labelling rather than relying on voluntary agreements with the drinks industry.
More than eight out of 10 doctors believe that alcoholic drinks manufacturers should be compelled to clearly label their products with the number of units of alcohol in each product (2).

5. Reduce the drink driving limit from 80mg to 50mg and introduce Random Breath Testing in Scotland.
Reducing the drink driving limit from 80mg to 50mg will prevent around 65 deaths in the UK each year (3). Legislating to reduce the drink drive limit is a matter reserved to Westminster. BMA Scotland calls upon the Scottish Executive to exert pressure on the UK government to consider reducing drink driving limits. In addition, the introduction of random roadside breath testing would be a vital element in deterring people from drinking and driving and could be implemented by the Scottish Parliament. The introduction of random roadside breath testing would be a vital element in deterring people from drinking and driving, and could be implemented by the Scottish Parliament.

Announcing the plan, Dr Peter Terry, chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: 'The death toll from alcohol misuse is completely unacceptable and government must take action. Our action plan sets out a range of measures that the Scottish Executive can take forward as part of a wider strategy.

'After smoking, alcohol is next big public health priority and I want Scottish Ministers to work with doctors to end Scotland's drink problem.'

Healthcare Republic

WA young in binge drinking crisis

Young Australians aim to get drunk every time they go on a night out, creating a new health crisis fuelled by binge drinking, a leading Perth drug researcher warns. And young women are leading the charge -- especially in WA.

"Young people typically drink to get drunk,'' according to associate professor Wendy Loxley, of the Shenton Park-based National Drug Research Institute.

Prof Loxley was speaking on the eve of being inducted into the prestigious honour roll of the National Drug and Alcohol Awards in Sydney on Friday night.

She named binge drinking by youngsters as the country's No.1 drug and alcohol problem.

"What you find is that young people are moving away from the tradition in which their parents and grandparents drank, and moving towards a drinking environment in which getting drunk is the point,'' she said.

"Not having a nice time, not going out to be sociable, not going out to parties and having fun with your friends -- just getting drunk.''

According to a recent survey of drinking habits by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more WA women drink than in any other state or territory.

The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 41.8 per cent of WA females aged over 14 drank weekly, compared with the national average of 35 per cent.

The WA Australian Medical Association's emergency medicine spokesman David Mountain said hospitals were treating more drunk young women than before.

"I don't think there's any doubt that very significant numbers of very young people are getting very drunk,'' he said.

"We're seeing equal numbers of boys and girls who are seriously inebriated, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.

"Girls tend to pass out and are comatose. They lose consciousness and are unable to be woken up, so their friends put them in a taxi or bring them to emergency.''

He said young women often woke up with a patchy recollection of events and were worried
"something could have happened to them''.

They were advised about the danger they had put themselves in, and offered tests for sexually transmitted diseases and emergency contraception, if appropriate, he said. Prof Loxley said binge drinking affected far more young people than the much-feared party drug methamphetamine (ice).

"It is a major problem because severe intoxication causes a whole range of problems -- violence, assault and other severe injuries, from falling over and hitting your head.''

But the biggest danger for young women was falling prey to sexual predators, she said.

"One of the big side-effects of severe intoxication is non-consensual sex,'' she said.

"Girls waking up in the morning and realising that someone has had sex with them and they don't know whether they said yes, or no.''

One 19-year-old Perth woman told The Sunday Times her friends typically drank a bottle of wine each before going out, and then another four drinks of champagne or vodka at a pub or club.

Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks.

The woman, a Curtin University student and a former pupil of a prestigious Perth College, admitted she and her friends were heavily intoxicated before they left the house.

"We know how much we can drink and keep standing,'' she said.

"It's definitely a big part of the going-out culture, to get drunk.

"It's a way to unwind. Everyone has a better night when they're drunk. It's definitely the norm.''

A WA Police spokesman said the trend raised concerns about the welfare of women.

"Women are particularly vulnerable when they're that intoxicated, especially when it comes to sexual offences,'' he said.

"This is a much bigger problem than drink spiking, which is really fairly rare.''

Other Australian surveys have shown a steady increase in teenage drinking since the 1990s, with one in three young Australians now being binge drinkers.

Prof Loxley said binge drinking had to be tackled through prevention, harm reduction, supply reduction and taxation.

"The Federal Government could increase the tax on full-strength drinks, making it higher than for low and mid-strength drinks,'' she said. "That would be a very, very good start.''

Perth Now

Doctors call for ban on drinking in street

Britain has eight million problem drinkers. A national ban on drinking in the street should be introduced to help defeat the binge-drinking culture, senior doctors will say next week.

Laws to increase the legal age for buying alcohol to 21 - except in pubs and hotels - and increases in tax on alcohol and advertising restrictions will also be proposed.

Delegates at the British Medical Association's annual conference will debate the suggestions on Tuesday.

There are already restrictions on drinking in the street in some parts of the country after councils were given powers in 2001 to designate public areas in which it is an offence to consume alcohol if asked not to do so by a police officer.

The BMA motion calls for total national prohibition.

This follows growing concern about the impact of binge drinking on the nation's health and the financial implications for the NHS and the taxpayer of alcohol-related disease.

A Government report this month to accompany its new alcohol strategy suggested that Britain has eight million problem drinkers. Liver disease is the fastest growing illness and hospital admissions have doubled in the past decade.

Dr Christopher Spencer Jones, the chairman of the BMA's public health committee, said yesterday: "Drinking alcohol in public gives a message that it is just as normal as any other drink. It is not, it is a mind-altering drug that causes people to fail to address risks.

"It can lead people to drive dangerously, have sex without a condom leading to unwanted pregnancies and make someone punch somebody and land them in court.

"We should stop having alcohol for sale in supermarkets alongside foodstuffs. If you had different doors and cash desks for alcohol in supermarkets, you would be signalling alcohol is not a safe foodstuff.

"If you put it in a different environment you can have messages around safe and responsible drinking."

The proposals to be debated next week include making taxes on alcohol proportionate to alcoholic content and an end to alcohol advertising being considered a business expense deductible from tax.

Last week, the BMA hospital doctors' conference called for laws to prevent people under 21 buying alcohol in supermarkets, off-licences and shops.

Dr Sally Winning, a psychiatrist and chairman of the BMA Scottish staff and associate specialists committee, said: "We don't want youngsters drinking on street corners.

"There is evidence to suggest that responsible drinking and education at a young age helps to promote healthy drinking habits. At 18 you probably haven't learnt your limit on drink. It has to be done in a staged and sensible way."

Telegraph

Drinkheads wins national awards

Wakefield District Community Safety Partnerships' 'Drinkhead - think more drink less' advertising campaign has won three prestigious national awards.

At the Roses Awards in London 'Drinkheads' won a silver award and two bronze awards, including in the Best Outdoor Campaign category. Special mention was made of the quality of the posters and the impact of the images.

The 'Think More, Drink Less' campaign targeted people in Wakefield city centre, Castleford and Pontefract in the run up to the festive season. Binge drinking, it warned, increases the chances of being arrested, ending up in the cells, needing accident and emergency treatment and getting into illegal taxis.

The campaign followed research carried out in Accident and Emergency departments across the District, which revealed that binge drinking can dramatically increase the chances of becoming a violent crime victim.

City and town centre billboards and posters, beer mats and bar runners in licensed premises urge young people to 'not be a drinkhead' and to 'think more and drink less'. The posters were highly effective, replacing people's heads with beer and wine glasses to show the dangers of letting alcohol rule the head.

A range of initiatives led to a 25% reduction during November, December and January in violent crime offences on Friday and Saturday nights in Wakefield Westgate, compared to the same time the year before. As well as the Drinkhead campaign night-life marshals were deployed and traffic restrictions and an alcohol exclusion zone were in place.

A new phase of the campaign has now been launched focusing on anti-social behaviour fuelled by alcohol, and the dangers of accidental fires, of which nearly 50% are alcohol related.

Councillor Olivia Rowley, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion said: "This has been a tremendous campaign that has been well received across the district. For it to win these prestigious awards, against massive national brands is a great achievement. Tackling violent crime and the harm caused by alcohol is one of the priorities for the district, and we will continue to work in partnership to reduce the crime and anti-social behaviour that often results from substance misuse.

Roses Awards are awarded by The Drum magazine and are the national advertising awards for everyone outside London, with all the UK's top advertising agencies competing for prizes.

Wakefield District Council

Woman ties county blood alcohol record

A Pierce County woman apparently tied a record for the amount of alcohol in her blood when the Washington State Patrol toxicology lab measured a blood-alcohol content of 0.50 two hours after she was arrested for investigation of drunken driving.

Ann Marie Gordon, manager of the lab in Seattle, said the reading - more than six times the legal limit of 0.08 - tied the highest level ever found by technicians at the patrol's lab. A King County driver also registered 0.50 on a blood test in 2000, Gordon said.

"It certainly would kill many people," she said.

The average blood-alcohol content of drunken drivers stopped in Washington is about 0.15, Gordon added.

Rebecca G. Lingbloom, 45, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol on May 10. Authorities contended in an affidavit that she nearly hit a pedestrian that day and was seen swerving all over the road.

A Pierce County sheriff's deputy later found her passed out behind the wheel of her car in the Summit area, the affidavit states.

Deputy Prosecutor Bradley Moericke pointed out that Lingbloom was arrested for investigation of drunken driving twice in the 1990s, and asked District Court Judge Frank Dacca to jail her in lieu of $20,000 bail. Moericke also asked that Lingbloom be monitored with an electronic bracelet that would record her movements should she make bail.

Dacca declined both requests after Lingbloom told him she enrolled in a six-month treatment program for alcohol abuse not long after her arrest. Public defender Clarence Henderson told the judge he called the clinic before Wednesday's hearing and confirmed that Lingbloom was enrolled.

Dacca said he didn't want to jeopardize Lingbloom's treatment by sending her to jail. He did require that she continue her program and report to court July 24 for another hearing.

The News Tribune

Single injection 'targets alcohol cravings'

A single injection could help alcoholics to resist the temptation to drink, new research has found.

Chilean researchers discovered that rats treated with gene therapy via an injection were less likely to crave alcohol than those without.

The drug disulfiram, also known as Antabuse, is sometimes used to help alcoholics give up drinking.

"But you have to take it every day, so there is a big problem with compliance," researcher Amalia Sapag at the University of Chile in Santiago told the New Scientist.

The magazine reports that the rats were bred to crave alcohol and were then injected with viruses engineered to disrupt the gene for an enzyme involved in alcohol metabolism.

Mutations in the gene aldehyde dehydrogenase reduce the risk of succumbing to alcohol by two-thirds or more.

After being injected with the therapy targeting aldehyde dehydrogenase, the rats drank 50 per cent less alcohol for more than a month.

The injection also reduced the enzyme's activity in rats' livers by 80 per cent, Dr Sapag revealed at the American Society of Gene Therapy meeting in Seattle earlier this month.

In The News

CADA kicks off anti-drug campaign with a difference

The ever increasing problem of drug abuse, alcoholism and illicit trafficking and its associated crimes in Manipuri society can be dealt effectively not by beating up or threatening the addicts and the traffickers but only through rehabilitation and arrangement of alternative means of livelihood, according to experts.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the weeklong observance against drug abuse and illicit trafficking to be organised under the aegis of Committee on Anti-Drug and Alcohol (CADA) at Kangla Hall here today experts pointed out that the root cause of the problem should be understood and analysed first of all before dealing with the problem accordingly.

Instead of threatening the drug abusers, alcoholics and illicit traffickers, they should be rehabilitated and provided alternative means of livelihood, they observed.

The week-long observance is being organised ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking which falls on June 26.MLA of Khurai Assembly Constituency Dr Ng Bijoy, Director of Health Services Dr Th Suresh and CADA president Keisham Ongbi Taruni Devi were respectively the chief guest, guest of honour and president of the inaugural function.

Dean of Students' Welfare, Manipur University Prof W Nabakumar and Associate Professor of Psychiatry Department RIMS Dr RK Lenin were among the resource persons who were present at the occasion.

Giving his observation on the issue, Prof Nabakumar said addiction to drug and alcohol among the youth is one of the main reasons for the stagnancy in all fronts in Manipuri society today.

How can a society ever progress when its youth, who are the future pillars, remain addicted to drug and alcohol with no hope for a bright future ?, he questioned.

There has to be a root cause for the problem and it is essential to find out this as a first step towards tackling the problem, he said, adding that instead of intimidating the drug addicts, alcoholics and illicit traffickers, they should be given proper advice and prevailed upon to give up their habit.

Apart from the social organisations working in this field, all the people should also extend their co-operation and support in this regard, he added.

On why the approach of anti-drug and alcohol is being directed among the youth mainly, Dr Lenin explained that the period of youth is not only vulnerable to addiction but the possibility of destroying their own lives due to addiction is very high as their reasoning power has not yet developed fully.

Some of the main reasons for young people getting into drug and alcohol in Manipur are lack of parental care of the children in their materialistic pursuits, prevalence of various social events, starting from marriage to cremation where consumption of wine is generally considered to be an acceptable social and traditional norm and lack of recreational facilities, Dr Lenin pointed out.

In his address as chief guest of the function, MLA Dr Ng Bijoy stressed on the need to work out an Action Plan to fight the menace of drug and alcoholism in Manipur.

This Action Plan should give ample scope for creating awareness among the people on the menace of drug abuse and alcoholism through various mass media like Shumang Leela, Drama, Cinema, etc and setting up a common forum like Manipur Anti-Drug Society (MADS) to tackle the problem.

Since there has been no let up to brewing of local wine despite the restriction imposed as many of the people who are in this business depend their livelihood on these activities, Bijoy also emphasised on providing an alternative means of livelihood for such people with the support of the Government as well.

The week-long observance of CADA would witnessed public meetings in different parts of the State and a motor cycle rally which would be flagged off from Khuman Lampak on June 26 to spread the message of 'a drug free society' to coincide with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Sangai Express

8yos use alcohol

Tamworth children as young as eight are using drugs and alcohol in an alarming trend community leaders have labelled "frightening" and "extremely serious".

Drug and alcohol abuse is steadily spiralling out of control in the local area, according to some stakeholders, who told The Northern Daily Leader young people could readily access marijuana, ecstasy, speed and ice, as well as alcohol. People needed to "open their eyes" to the extent of the problem in Tamworth, according to Youth Insearch volunteer Ron Carr, who said children from all backgrounds were affected, not just those from lower socio-economic groups.

Mr Carr yesterday told The Leader parents were primarily to blame, with many young people turning to drugs and alcohol to escape dysfunctional, love-starved home lives.

"You have to have a licence to drive, but don't have to have a licence to be a parent," he said.

"I don't think people in the wider community realise how much of a problem drug and alcohol use is. It's extremely serious. I [know of] kids as young as eight drinking alcohol, and it's a problem that won't just go away."

The alarming underage crisis was backed by PCYC manager Paul Stevenson, who said drug and alcohol abuse was a "very big problem" in Tamworth.

PCYC's police representative Senior Constable Aaron Turner said drug and alcohol abuse could be directly linked to crime and anti-social behaviour.

"Many of the kids referred [to the PCYC] are a direct product of their environment.

"Unfortunately it's a vicious circle – at home they are exposed to drugs, alcohol and violence and they mirror that behaviour," Senior Constable Turner said.

"It's a community issue that really deserves some attention. It is frustrating to work with young people here at the (PCYC) centre and you make progress, but then have to send them home where they have no boundaries and are exposed to poor rolemodels."

Binge drinking was also highlighted as a social pinch-point, with police Superintendent Tony Jefferson saying it affected underage and legal-age drinkers.

"Drug and alcohol abuse is big. It's a problem, it's growing, and it's frightening," Supt Jefferson said.

Community members needed to overcome the psychological barrier associated with drugs and alcohol misuse, according to Supt Jefferson, who said the "I don't want to get involved" attitude was a no-win option.

"Everyone in the community needs to be mindful of what is happening around them," he said.

"We need to make a stance against young people participating in this behaviour and we need to ensure people who supply drugs and alcohol to young people are held accountable.

"People need to report anything suspicious – even small pieces of the puzzle can help."

None of the community leaders contacted by The Leader could put a figure on the amount of children exposed to at-risk drug and alcohol behaviour, but all agreed the problem was growing.

They also agreed more counselling and support services were needed for young people.

There was no easy solution, but the first step had to be broader community awareness of the problem, according to Mr Carr.

"People need to stop turning a blind eye and accept that it is happening in our community, to children from all backgrounds. Only then will we be able to come together and try to work towards a solution."

Northern Daily Leader

'Half of Us' Have Damaged Liver Caused By Drink

Britain will be gripped by a liver disease epidemic within 15 years because of binge drinking, doctors warned yesterday.

They blame cheap alcohol and said they fear the NHS will be unable to cope.

The doctors were reacting to the results of surveys in two cities where half the people tested in random samples had liver damage caused by alcohol.

Dr Rajiv Jalan consultant at University College Hospital, London, said: “I’m stunned. The prevalence of liver disease in people in their 20s and 30s is rife.

“If we do not do anything about it right now, we are looking at a cirrhosis epidemic within 15 to 20 years that the health service will find impossible to deal with.”

The Government launched a new alcohol strategy earlier this month which identified eight million problem drinkers. Young, successful professionals are most at risk of liver disease, the UK’s fastest growing illness.

The investigation in Birmingham and London was carried out by the Channel 4 Dispatches programme.

It used technology not yet available on the NHS to monitor the liver health of 70 passers-by. The results, due to be screened tonight at 8pm on Dispatches, Drinking Your­self To Death, stunned medics who had expected raised levels of liver damage in five per cent of people tested. The results showed 10 times this figure.

One young woman in Birmingham, who was not named, told film-makers: “I drink six or seven days a week, four pints on a quiet night and three bottles of wine on a big night. I have a worryingly large tolerance to wine and I can get through that amount quite happily.”

Doctors have been vocal about the availability of cheap alcohol.

Dr Andrew Holt of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, said: “It’s available to those who should not be drinking, and I think its cheapness these days means that it is actually available in quantities that previously people just could not afford to drink, which is leading to some of the problems we are seeing.”

The drinks industry has refuted claims that people drink more because alcohol is cheaper.

Wine and spirit trade spokes-man Jeremy Beadles said: “I think the retailers offer good value to customers. I don’t believe that sales equals consumption, as some people make out. They [customers] are not going straight into the car park and drinking all of it; they are saving it and drinking over a period of time.”

The Department of Health has shied away from pressure to increase alcohol prices. It has instead announced a review on how cost affects consumption.

A study is expected next year investigating public support for a ban on cheap drinks. Dispatches says the same exercise was completed in Europe last year, concluding that cut-price alcohol was key to excessive drinking.

The European report author Dr Peter Anderson said: “You need to put the price up, not make alcohol available all the time everywhere, and you need to limit advertising.”

Alison Rogers of the British Liver Trust, adviser on label warnings such as “Alcohol Kills” said: “What worries me is that for most people they are going to think ‘Ok, that does not relate to me. I’m not a woman, I’m not trying to conceive’, so the message is diluted.”

Daily Express

Liver disease 'doubles in decade'

The number of people in Scotland diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease has doubled in a decade.

Information released to the Scots Tories in response to a parliamentary question, showed figures in some areas had trebled and even quadrupled.

Conservative health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said more had to be done to warn people of the dangers of drink.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has called for a united approach in changing attitudes to alcohol.

Scotland has the highest death rate from alcohol in the UK and the highest rate for liver cirrhosis in Europe.

The number of Scots diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease had doubled from 1,731 in 1996 to 3,541 last year, according to the figures.

In the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway, the figure has nearly trebled and in the Western Isles it quadrupled.

Ms Scanlon claimed that underage drinking was the root of the problem, adding that the laws in place to prevent it had to be "seriously enforced" at all times.

"Lifestyles have changed a lot in the past two decades and we now see women drinking as much as men," she said.

The figures covered acute hospital in-patients only and statisticians warned that not all hospitals may record alcohol misuse in the same way.

Ms Sturgeon said: "We need a renewed emphasis on the burden alcohol places not only on our health service, but on our country as a whole.

"While we can welcome the falling numbers of people developing lung cancer, the rising incidence of liver disease highlights the grip alcohol has over many people.

"Changing attitudes to alcohol will be a long term campaign. A campaign we will need to enforce. A campaign I hope the health service, politicians and the drinks industry will join us in fighting."

Meanwhile, a research report for the Scottish Executive found that young people were increasingly buying and drinking cheap alcohol at off-licences before going out for the night.

The practice of "front-loading", is done to save money as drink is cheaper in off-sales than in pubs and clubs.

The report, by Human Factors Analysts Ltd, also called for stricter enforcement by the courts of penalties for those selling drink to, or buying drink for, under-age youngsters.

It stated: "There is an increasing concept of 'having a wee party before going to the dancing'.

"Not surprisingly all groups including representatives from retail and industry accepted that the main reason front-loading occurred was cost."

BBC News

Alcohol binges 'risk epidemic of liver disease'

Britain will be gripped by a liver disease epidemic within 15 years because of the prevalence of binge drinking, medical experts have warned.

The evidence came to light as part of investigations for a Channel 4 Dispatches programme, due to be broadcast tonight. The documentary will reveal that 50 per cent of the people tested with new medical equipment had liver damage caused by alcohol consumption - 10 times the level predicted by experts.

In a unique experiment, the researchers used technology not yet available on the NHS to test the health of the livers of 70 passers-by, from shoppers to young students, at mobile clinics set up in London and Birmingham during daytime.

In both cities, more than half of those who took part showed abnormally high levels of damage to their liver tissue caused by alcohol.

The results shocked doctors who had expected to find raised levels of liver damage in just five per cent of those tested. Dr Rajiv Jalan, a liver consultant at University College Hospital, who carried out the London tests, said: "I'm stunned. The prevalence of liver disease in people in their 20s and 30s is rife.

"If we do not do anything about it right now, we are looking at a cirrhosis epidemic within 15 to 20 years that the health service will find impossible to deal with."

Young, successful professionals are most at risk of developing alcoholic liver disease, he said. One young woman tested in Birmingham told the filmmakers: "I drink six or seven days a week, four pints on a quiet night and three bottles of wine on a big night. I have a worryingly large tolerance to wine."

Dr Andrew Holt, of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, who conducted the tests in his city, said: "Alcohol is too freely available. It's available to those who should not be drinking, and I think its cheapness these days means that it is actually available in quantities that previously people just could not afford to drink."

Supermarkets, including Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco, are offering alcoholic drinks so cheaply that some bulk-buy discount deals mean customers can purchase three weeks' worth of the recommended safe alcoholic consumption for men for just £20, the documentary discovered.

The drinks industry refutes the claim that people are drinking more because alcohol is cheaper to buy in shops.

Jeremy Beadles, of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: "I do not believe that sales equals consumption, as some people make out.

"They [customers] are not going straight out into the car park and drinking all of it; they are saving it and drinking over a period of time."

Liver disease is the fastest growing illness in the UK and hospital admissions have doubled in the past decade, including for the first time large numbers of young drinkers. Earlier this month, the Government launched an alcohol strategy which showed there were eight million problem drinkers in Britain.

The Department of Health has shied away from pressure by doctors to increase the price of alcohol and has instead announced a review of how the price of drink affects the amount people consume.

When the report is published next April, the public will be asked if it would support steps such as a ban on cut-price drinks.

Telegraph

Teen drinking

Look around. Broken longneck bottles glinting in the sun and other remnants of last night's underage drinking party are probably still visible on the beaches dotting area rivers, coves and creeks.

With prom and graduation season behind them, area high school students are busy making plans for summer parties in Ocean City, and in homes where parents have taken a night or a weekend off, turned a blind eye - or sat down and joined in.

Galen Harig-Blaine's grieving parents, who recently accepted his posthumous diploma in his memory, hoped Galen's death on April 22 would be a wake-up call to the people who think teenage drinking is OK. Autopsy results showed the Broadneck High School senior's blood-alcohol level was over .30 - nearly four times the legal limit - after a night of drinking vodka, Southern Comfort and energy drinks with friends.

But apparently, not all students are paying heed.

Galen's death was followed on May 15 with an after-school party that resulted in two teenagers - a 17-year-old boy and girl - being hospitalized after they were discovered in a highly intoxicated state at a 7-Eleven on the Broadneck Peninsula.

"What kids don't understand is they have a lower Body Mass Index - BMI - than adults," said Dr. Amy Cowart, of Bay Crossing Family Medicine on College Parkway. "They metabolize alcohol at a slower rate. It stays in their system longer. They shouldn't be drinking."

She quoted from the December 1994 issue of European Journal of Pediatrics: "Severe toxicity from ethanol (alcohol) manifested as coma, occurs at lower blood alcohol concentrations in young teenagers than in adults."

One of many factors, she pointed out, is the role of the liver in processing alcohol.

Although liver size varies from person to person, she said, "Normally, the liver is smaller in females than in males. Women can't metabolize alcohol as quickly as men. Plus, teenagers are typically smaller than adults, so their livers, though functioning at an adult level, take longer to metabolize alcohol."

The teen brain

Her practice partner, Dr. Ramona Seidel, said: "The teen brain is still in the development process, particularly the frontal lobe. This area of the brain is responsible for language, impulse control and decision-making, among other functions. The effect alcohol has on the developing brain is more devastating than it would be on the adult brain. This effect is due to the brain's immaturity and the damaging effect of alcohol on the rapidly growing frontal cortex.

"Teen drinking is a complex problem: Teens are more likely to take on risky behavior which is a normal process for the age. If the risky behavior a teen chooses is alcohol use, the alcohol itself can further escalate risk-taking behavior by damaging that part of the brain responsible for impulse control and appropriate decision-making."

The problem isn't just with students at Broadneck. One recent Annapolis High School graduate, Winters Geimer, observed several girls "sobering up" in the bathroom at Le Fontaine Bleu in Glen Burnie during the prom. They had "found" bottles of liquor in the limousines they rented for the evening.

Problems also have been reported at Key School, an Annapolis private school. Underage students drank alcohol and smoked pot during a school-sanctioned trip to Costa Rica in February 2005. Seventeen of the 21 teens on the trip were later sanctioned for various infractions. Of them, five were expelled.

And on Feb. 24, 2006, Chesapeake High School's senior class was shattered by the death of two popular athletes in an accident many suspected was linked to drinking and driving.

Booze easy to get

In a series of e-mails and a phone conversation, the sole survivor of that crash, Beth Boudra, 18, who now lives in South Dakota, admitted she had been drinking the day of the accident.

"It's important to get the facts out there about teen drinking," she said.

With the legal drinking age in Maryland being 21, and liquor stores, restaurants and bars required to card all youthful purchasers, one might think it would be difficult for a teenager to obtain alcohol. Not so, Miss Boudra said.

"Getting a hold of it (alcohol) couldn't get much easier," said Miss Boudra. "It's not hard to find an older friend to buy, or a coworker or family member. A complete stranger may even do you a favor if you throw in something for them.

"Or, if you don't have the cash, you can grab some from your parents' stash. Not everyone keeps track of it. I even knew a guy who still had the key to the shed at the restaurant he used to work at and could unlock the shed and take as much alcohol as he liked."

Miss Boudra, who was not driving, was badly injured in the 2006 accident that claimed the lives of her boyfriend and a friend.

"When I went through the windshield, I was scalped," she said. There was "no tissue damage, but I do have a scar that goes all the way around my head. Didn't break anything, all I have is scars. Lots of them. And head trauma."

More than a year later, she is still dealing with the effects of the accident.

"You can't just put a Band-Aid on and say it will heal in time," she said.

Peer pressure

Carolyn Friedland knows what it's like to push the limits. A 2005 Broadneck graduate, she got to the edge before pulling back. After a year of college, she headed to Australia and is currently living in Sydney.

"Now that I'm living across the world, it's very easy for me to see," she wrote in an e-mail. "Looking back at my graduating class, the 'popular crowd' didn't do very much of anything in high school except drink."

Often, she wrote, kids don't plan on getting drunk, it's more a byproduct of trying to be a part of the "in crowd."

"Where could you get all your friends and potential friends in one room so you can have a good time, dance, get dressed up, show everyone how really insanely cool you are, and not be a 'dork?' A party!," she said.

"And how do you get your friends to think you're the best? You drink. Because that's what everyone else is doing."

It starts at home

Ida Walsch and Helen Reines have heard all this before. They work with young alcohol and drug abusers every day at Pathways, an Anne Arundel Medical Center substance abuse facility off Riva Road that has operated since 1992.

Pathways offers on-site counseling and in-patient detoxification programs. It also maintains a 24-hour phone line, seven days a week.

"By the time we see a child in here, they're addicted," said Ms. Reines. "They weren't just going to a party."

The two women feel the problem with teen drinking starts at home, with parents.

Ms. Reines, a registered nurse, urges parents to "know community norms and rules, school policies and procedures. Most parents don't know. Just being involved and knowing is the first step."

And "parents don't know where their kids are," added Ms. Walsch, a clinical team leader.

The two noted that kids drink the most between 2 and 6 p.m. - the time after they get out of school and before their parents get home from work.

"Teens will call home on their cell phones and say they're at so-and-so's place," Ms. Reines said. "You call that person's house and ask for the parents. Make sure parents are there."

To prevent any problems in her household, Ms. Walsch purchased a breath test machine for her home. When her teenagers went out for the evening, it was sitting in plain view when they returned.

"I was always up when they got in," she said. "I wasn't asleep. I was paying attention. They knew there would be consequences if they had been drinking."

One parent, Amy Jurass of Cape St. Claire, is aware of teen drinking, but has set firm rules in her household for her daughter, Erica, 16.

"We have zero tolerance policy about alcohol," Ms. Jurass said. "But, we have a good cop-bad cop back-up plan. If she ever needs a ride, she can call her dad for a ride."

"They know not to drink," said Valerie Jones of her two sons, Malcolm, 13, and MJ, 16.

Mrs. Jones, who lives near Sandy Point State Park, said it's important to talk to your children about the dangers of teenage drinking.

"I've also warned them about peer pressure," she said. "I say to them: 'If your friends are trying to peer pressure you into drinking, they're not your friends.' "

School's role

After the incident at the 7-Eleven, Broadneck High School Principal Lucinda Hudson heard from angry parents who felt the school had a responsibility to do something.

"In lots of ways, we do have a responsibility," she said. "We're a part of the community."

Despite that, the school is limited to the consequences it can mete out when an infraction occurs off school grounds, she said.

On school property is another matter, however. Consequences of every imaginable infraction are listed in the Student Handbook, which every student is required to sign every year.

"Athletes who violate the county schools' prohibition on drugs or alcohol on school property, or during a school event like a game, are removed from the school team," she said. "Two were removed from the football team this year."

But perhaps the biggest obstacle to getting students to help a friend in need, said Ms. Hudson, is helping them overcome the "stigma of being a 'narc' or a 'snitch.' "

"Knowing something but fearing ostracism for speaking out is a huge obstacle," she said. "Often, kids speak out at risk."

The Capital

More women seek treatment for alcoholism

There has been a huge increase in the numbers of wine-drinking, middle aged, professional women seeking treatment for alcohol addiction, the clinical director of the Rutland Clinic has said.

"In my view, drinking alone is a very serious symptom of possible trouble," said Stephen Rowen. ’‘We are getting more and more women in the door who are middle-aged and who have not been heavy drinkers since their teenage years.

"They are not women who have always been wild party girls, rather people who would have had an occasional drink, busy careers and families. Suddenly, they find they have a problem with drink and a lot of the reports show that wine is a major feature of that exacerbation. There is more and more of what I call late-onset alcoholism where, in a very short space of time, drinking has become a problem."

Rowen has warned that tippling alone and downing more than two glasses of wine regularly is a major warning sign for women that they may be slipping into high-risk drinking territory.

Rowen said that the clinic, one of Ireland’s foremost addiction treatment centres, was experiencing a surge in the numbers of women in their late 30s, 40s and early 50s presenting as first-time problem drinkers.

He blames a "drinking wine is harmless’’ attitude for the health time-bomb ticking for a generation of middle-class women who think nothing of sinking a bottle of wine on their own.

"Most of us wouldn’t consider drinking vodka while preparing a meal yet when it comes to wine, it is seen as harmless. There is an attitude that wine is okay and that it is good for us. But it is alcohol, and there is a lot of alcohol in a bottle of wine," he said.

"It used to be the case that, when treating women, vodka was the only drink we would ever hear mentioned, now wine is taking over that accolade."

Rowen believes that the government should follow the example of Britain and target middle aged drinkers in a campaign to highlight the dangers of alcohol. Figures indicate that for 85 per cent of the population alcohol will not cause them serious harm at any point during their lifetime.

But Rowen says that the current acceptance of wine consumption has to be tackled and he has urged the government to look at ways of highlighting the problem.

"I think we should do more," he said. "I don’t think we have a truly well developed addiction research centre in Ireland, and I think that is important. I would also like to see the government taking action and announcing, if that is what is needed, that wine is as addictive as any other type of alcohol.

"They need to educate and inform and remind and encourage the public about wine."

Sunday Business Post

Hazardous Alcohol Drinking Causes Nearly Half Of Deaths In Working-Age Russian Men

Hazardous alcohol drinking causes 43% of deaths in Russian men aged 25-54, conclude authors of an Article published in this week's edition of The Lancet. Hazardous drinking includes both excessive consumption of regular beverage-alcohol such as beer, wine, and sprits; and drinking of non-beverage alcohol such as colognes, medical tinctures and cleaning agents.

But an accompanying comment warns that many factors might have affected death rates in Russia during the time covered by the study, with non-beverage alcohol "highly unlikely to the main contributor to the change of mortality."

Russia has an exceptionally low life expectancy for an industrialised country - 59 years for males, and 72 years for females. Russian men aged 25-54 years are more than three-and-a- half times more likely to die than UK men in the same age group. As well as regular alcoholic beverage consumption, Russian men are much more likely drink alcohol containing products not meant for human consumption such as colognes, medical tinctures and cleaning agents. This is because they can be much more highly concentrated (60-97% alcohol by volume), and as they do not qualify for alcohol excise duty they can be up to six times cheaper per unit of alcohol.

Professor David Leon, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health, London, UK and colleagues did their study on Izhevsk - a typical Russian industrial city in the Ural mountains. They analysed 1 750 men who died between 2003 and 2005, and 1 750 control cases who were still alive.

They found that men who were problem drinkers of alcoholic beverages, or who drank non-beverage alcohol, were six times more likely to die than men who did not drink at all or did not have a drinking problem. Men who specifically drank non-beverage alcohol were nine times more likely to die than those who did not - an effect that was independent of the volume of alcohol consumed from beverage alcohol or of their level of education.

The authors conclude: "Almost half of all deaths in working age men in a typical Russian city may be accounted for by hazardous drinking. Our analyses provide indirect support for the contention that the sharp fluctuations seen in Russian mortality in the early 1990s could be related to hazardous drinking as indicated by consumption of non-beverage alcohol."

In the accompanying Comment, Dr Jürgen Rehm, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada, and Dr Gerhard Gmel, Schweizerische Fachstelle für Alkohol- und andere Drogenprobleme, Lausanne, Switzerland, warn that people who drink non-beverage alcohols often live in poor housing conditions and have poor diets, which could be contributory factors to their increased mortality. They add that illegally produced alcoholic beverages are a major source of alcohol consumption in Russia not covered by the study.

The comment authors conclude: "There are remaining questions that should be answered in future research, such as improved measurement of ethanol intake from non-beverage alcohol and better control of confounding, before specific measures on alcohol policy are suggested."

Medical News Today

'Aftershave drink' kills Russians

Russian men are risking death by drinking aftershave and cleaning agents, a study has suggested.

UK researchers estimated that half of all deaths in working age men in the country are due to hazardous drinking.

The products, which also include herbal tinctures sold in pharmacies, are widely available, cheap and contain up to 97% alcohol, the Lancet study says.

It was found that they contain very few toxins but are deadly simply because of the extreme alcohol levels.

Russian men have an "exceptionally low" life expectancy of 59 years, compared with 72 years for women.

Men of working age are three-and-a-half times more likely to die than men in Britain.

Past studies have shown levels of alcohol consumption among the Russian population, where spirits such as vodka are popular, are high.

But the team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wanted to take into account non-beverage alcohol.

They looked at 1,750 deaths in men aged 25 to 54 years in 2003 and 2005 in Izhevsk, a typical Russian city in the Western Ural region.

Family members were interviewed about the drinking habits of the deceased.

High mortality

Hazardous drinking - classed as excessive consumption of regular drinks such as beer, wine and spirits or drinking of non-beverage alcohol - was found to cause 43% of deaths.

Men who drank heavily or who drank non-beverage alcohol, were six times more likely to die than similar men who did not drink at all or did not have a drinking problem.

Those who specifically drank non-beverage alcohol were nine times more likely to die than those who did not.

Lead researcher Professor David Leon said: "We're talking about things like eau de cologne and aftershave which are widely available at kiosks and cheaper because they are not subject to excise duty.

"The important work we have done is the toxicology and with many of these products all that's in them is water and ethanol and something to make them smell a bit - people are dying because of the concentration of alcohol in a cheap, readily available form.

"They should be more strictly regulated."

He said the toll might be even higher as his work only concentrated on men who lived with their families.

Andrew McNeill, director of the Institute of Alcohol Studies said there was a problem with heavy drinking in Eastern Europe in general.

"It has fluctuated in Russia - under Communism, alcohol was the only thing people could afford.

"Gorbachev tried to sober everyone up but he couldn't sustain it."

He added that rapid economic development in recent years may have added to the social problems which often underlie heavy drinking.

"In Western countries, there's a link between alcohol and health inequalities.

"We don't find much more heavy drinking in poorer populations but morbidity and mortality tends to be higher because it compounds other problems."

Dr Jurgen Rehm from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada, said that many factors might have affected death rates in Russia during the time covered by the study, with non-beverage alcohol "highly unlikely to be the main contributor".

BBC News

Alcoholics for Christ uses AA principles, God to treat addicts

Editor's note: Due to of the nature of Alcoholics for Christ, names marked with an asterisk have been changed.

Wesley* is a long way from Step 9, and he's the first to admit it.

The step reads: We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." Wesley is still focused on the first three steps, which deal with bettering himself; he can't possibly make amends with others until he rights himself, and the content of Step 9 seem a little farfetched to him.

"I hurt so many people, I can't even remember them all," he said. "I did so much to feed the addiction. I've been to prison so many times when I didn't have to go."

Wesley is one of 10 alcoholics or recovering alcoholics at the weekly meeting of Alcoholics for Christ on a recent Monday evening. An anonymous and national organization, the group uses the same 12-step recovery process used by Alcoholics Anonymous -- with slight alterations. Alcoholics Anonymous' Step 3, for example, reads: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him." Alcoholics for Christ removes those last four words; the group understands God as the Christian God, and the basis of the group is that an addict cannot overcome his or her addiction without the grace of Jesus.

A typical meeting

At the Monday evening meeting, the group discusses Step 9. Some share personal stories about what it was like to achieve this step while others confess they are much too early in the process to even think about something as scary as an apology.

Faith could relate. Faith, who leads the group with her husband, Rick, spoke of how difficult it was for her to get along with her mother, whom Faith was often resentful toward.

"If God can look at me and say, 'I love you, and I'm going to keep you safe,' who am I to look at the next person and say, 'you sinner'?" Faith said.

Faith is far enough along in her recovery that she is able to say she's grateful she has the disorder -- it gave her the chance to meet the others who attend Youth for Christ, and she is at peace with her life.

She also does what she can for others at the meeting. Wesley tells the group that Faith and her husband helped him find a job and gave him a bed. Wesley is an artist, and that's something that didn't help his alcohol abuse, he said, because everyone thinks artists are free spirits -- they're expected to be high. Yet, he can't draw or paint unless he's straight, Wesley said, and Faith raves about his work. One piece hangs in her kitchen, and Faith marvels at all his detail.

Roy*, who led the meetings before Rick and Faith took over, shares his struggle with Step 9, too. It's the first of the steps that ask alcoholics to address others; the first eight deal with the alcoholics themselves or with God, Roy said. He first thought this step was stupid, and he warns against hurrying into the apologies -- they should be sincere.

"How many times have our spouses heard, 'I'm sorry. I'll never do that again'?" Roy asked as heads around the room nodded. "Don't rush into this. It's really the first time you're going to come out of that self. For the first time in recovery, you care about other human beings.

"I don't know about you guys, but this alcoholic was the most selfish person on the planet. People were there to help me and to do what I wanted them to do."

One attendee offers a bit of hope. Zach* is still in the process of making all his amends -- he doesn't know where to find many people, or if they're even still alive. But in most cases, his "I'm sorrys" went much better than he expected.

This is not to imply Alcoholics for Christ was full of people like Zach, who has been sober for 24 years. It was George's* first personal meeting of any kind, though he said he had been to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with his father. A functional alcoholic, George said he was a weekend drinker from ages 25 to 35 and has been a daily drinker for the past eight or nine years. He learned about group from the Internet.

Roy welcomed George and pointed out that the meeting existed for people like him.

Jesus and recovery

Often, folks at Alcoholics for Christ meetings also attend other support groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous, Faith said during a one-on-one interview.

The number can range anywhere from three to 12, and the group uses its own Bible, "The Life Recovery Bible." The 12 steps are found throughout the Scripture and detail how they relate to the Bible. For example, Step 7 reads: "We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings." The Bible relates Step 7 to the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:10-14, which tells of the Pharisee who, though he may not be scorned as much as the tax collector, needs a lesson in humility.

The group has seen its share of successes and failures, such as the man who has returned to meetings only to go back to alcohol. He's completed many of the steps but just can't grasp the God part of it, Faith said.

"We think AA is very spiritual, but we think it needs to be more," she said. "You need to go to church. This God you talk about in AA is the God who saved you."

The Daily Journal

Local officials see positive impact of alcohol-free zone

It's a bad combination one law enforcer has seen over and again at the Kinkaid Lake Spillway.

"You mix alcohol and heat, you got a problem," said Lt. Michael Teas of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

Alcohol-induced fights and other crimes at the popular outdoor hangout were common before the May 25 drinking ban, Teas said, but things have cooled considerably the past two and a half weeks.

The new regulation doesn't make for a heavier workload, Teas said. Sheriff's department personnel usually patrol the area two times a day depending on the number of people at the Spillway. At other times, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Conservation Police aren't far away.

Sgt. Tony Rendleman, the Benton-based chief of the area's conservation police, did not return calls for comment, but a department spokesman found no record of drinking citations since the ban's inception.

DNR records show that conservation police logged more than 1,200 alcohol-related arrests, filed 28 reports of criminal damage to property and responded to more than 30 fights in the past five years.

Because the ban is now an administrative rule by a state agency, only conservation police can issue tickets for drinking in the alcohol-free zone. Local police can still write citations for underage drinking and other offenses, but can only give warnings for drinking in restricted areas or alert conservation police of offenders who are of age.

Teas said the ban has paid off in many ways.

"The place is extremely clean and people are thankful there is an alcohol ban," he said. "It's definitely had a positive effect as far as we're concerned."

Debbie Best and her 4-year-old son Maddox, both of Vergennes, played in the water and looked for tadpoles Sunday. She recalled a few uproarious times at the Spillway in the early 1990s when she studied at John A. Logan College.

Her most memorable time was when two friends from Indiana stripped off their suits and ran down the beach area in front of about 100 strangers.

Best said she enjoyed coming to the site when she was younger, but was glad the ban was in place so she could take her family there.

"This has always been a beautiful place. Apparently some people just got carried away out here, maybe didn't care about the environment here," she said. "I think it can be a good family friendly place."

David Fligor, manager of the Kinkaid-Reed's Lake Conservation District, said litter was another big problem at the Spillway. He said it wasn't uncommon for cleanup crews to fill an entire dumpster after a busy weekend.

Fligor said the ban probably could have been avoided if people were responsible.

"It seems that a college student can carry 10 cases of beer up that hill, but they can't carry one can over to that trashcan," he said.

Daily Egyptian

Summer Program To Research & Combat Underage Drinking

Teenagers face so many pressures these days, that underage drinking all too often gets swept under the rug.

Soon, however, St. John students will have a fun and educational program where they can learn all about the dangers of alcohol consumption.

The island’s victims advocacy group, The Safety Zone, is sponsoring Community Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, a free summer program. The seven week program, which will begin on Monday, June 18, will convene Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Julius E. Sprauve School and St. Ursula’s Multipurpose Center.

While the summer program is open to students from 12 to 17, organizers are focusing on getting 13- to 15-year-olds involved, ex-plained Safety Zone project manager Don Turner.

“We think kids in that age group will really be able to get involved and contribute to the program while making a difference in their lives and the community,” said Turner.

The program is designed to educate the students while keeping their attention with fun activities, Turner added.

“We’re going to take some field trips to places like the V.I. Legislature to allow kids to see our government at work,” said Turner. “But we’re also thinking of taking some fun trips to places like the Compass Rose mini-golf course and the Reef Bay trail.”

Throughout the program, students will create presentations about the dangers of underage drinking, explained Turner.

“Our primary focus is to mold this group of young people into making presentations to the community about the dangers of underage access to alcohol,” he said. “We will expect the students to conclude this seven week process with the firm understanding of what message they want to present to the community.”

If the program seems a bit open-ended, that is the point, Turner added.

“A lot of this is going to be self-directed,” he said. “We’re trying to give our participants as much ownership of this as possible.

We’re going to select some of the participants to serve on the advisory group of the project so they will also be involved with the governance.”

It won’t be all fun and games, the students will also be expected to do research work, according to Turner.

“As part of the program we are going to be involving the students in research activities, where they will research the environment where alcohol gets into the hands of underage drinkers,” said The Safety Zone project manager. “They will do computerized research and traditional research in libraries and other places. One of the things we want to to get an idea of is what is on the record regarding underage drinking.”

Safety Zone officials have been conducting their own research lately as well, Turner added.

“We’ve been spending the last three months doing research of our own on how the community thinks about underage drinking,” said Turner. “We’ve found there is a wide range of thinking about whether or not underage drinking is really a problem. Some people think it’s a big problem and some people don’t think there is a problem at all.”

“While pretty much across the board people feel that underage people should not drink, there were people on both ends of the spectrum and all along the middle regarding how much of a problem it is,” Turner continued.

St. John Tradewinds News

Concerns over drink-driver prison rate

A lack of prison places could be behind the low jail sentencing rates. Road death campaigners today claimed a lack of prison places could be behind figures which show Suffolk has one of the lowest jail sentencing rates for drink-drivers in the country.

New statistics given to MPs show the county is third bottom in the league table when it comes to jailing drivers caught over the alcohol limit.

While magistrates can punish offenders with a prison sentence of up to six months, the average punishment handed out in Suffolk is 2.6 months - with only Norfolk and Essex benches giving shorter penalties.

Most magistrates gave more than three months on average, with the severest being 3.4 months in Durham, Northamptonshire, Northumbria and Dyfed-Powys.

The Campaign Against Drink-Driving (CADD), which provides support to families who have had relatives killed or injured by drink-drivers and is campaigning for tougher sentences and mandatory rehabilitation courses for offenders, expressed concern at Suffolk's performance.

A spokeswoman said: “Judges and magistrates are being told by the attorney general not to send people to jail except in extreme circumstances because of the crisis in the prisons.

“When sentencing, most courts try to send offenders to jails which are local, except in the most serious cases.

“It could be that Suffolk has a lack of prison places compared to centres such London and so fewer people are being imprisoned.”

CADD believes each case must be considered on its merits, but anyone caught for a second time should be jailed.

“We believe a person should be given a chance, but a second chance is no chance - repeat offenders must go to jail,” she said.

“We would also like to see every drink-driver sent on a rehabilitation course to help them with their problems, their attitudes and driving. Many courts do this, but sadly the government has not made it mandatory.”

No-one was prepared to comment from Suffolk Magistrates. However, benches have to consider all cases on their merits and not all people pleading guilty or found guilty of driving with excess alcohol will be jailed.

The circumstances of each incident will be different, the amount of alcohol in the blood or breath will vary, and some offences may involve poor driving, even causing injury or death, while others will not. The benches have to take into account sentencing guidelines as well as advice from probation and social services officers' reports.

Evening Star

Drinking becoming problem at area schools

An incident Thursday morning involving two Pelham High School students who drank enough vodka to land one in the hospital with alcohol poisoning highlights a troubling trend that should not be taken lightly, area school officials say.

According to police, a 16-year-old boy was rushed by ambulance to Lowell General Hospital, where he was treated for alcohol poisoning after becoming inebriated and unresponsive at 11 a.m. He was released from the hospital Friday and charges against him are pending, police said,

The second boy, also 16, was charged with internal possession of alcohol and is due to appear in Salem District Court later this month, according to Pelham police Sgt. Gary Fisher.

But this is just the latest in a number of cases at local schools, some of which involved even younger students.

Pelham High Principal Dorothy Mohr's message home warning parents about the harm that can result from bad decisions echoed communications sent from other local schools.

At Hampstead Middle School, the nurse sent a girl to the hospital after she arrived drunk at a dance in January. Principal Patti Grassbaugh said while she hasn't dealt with a second case this year, even an isolated incident is cause for great concern.

Alcohol poisoning, she stressed, can be fatal.

"Most middle school or high school children do not realize this," she said. "It could be a one-time event if a child drank enough."

In December, two Pinkerton Academy students drank whiskey at a bus stop, according to police, landing a 14-year-old at Parkland Medical Center in Derry. The second student, 16, was charged with internal possession of alcohol.

More recently at West Running Brook Middle School in Derry, two 13-year-old girls were accused of drinking whiskey from a water bottle during the school day.

And in perhaps the most dramatic case, a 14-year-old girl was rushed to Boston Medical Center one morning in January 2006 after she was found drunk and unconscious in a snowbank behind Londonderry High School.

Grassbaugh said one important step in solving the problem is educating parents.

"We do a lot in the school educating children," she said. "We need to do more educating parents as well."

In the wake of the Hampstead Middle School incident, Grassbaugh said the guidance department and Parent-Teacher Association implemented awareness programs to help parents recognize the signs their child may be using alcohol or drugs.

School officials in Londonderry have taken more drastic measures: The School Board approved a policy in June 2006 that allowed the high school to buy two Alcoblow devices, which are similar to Breathalyzers.

The machines, each costing $250, display an amber or red light if students who blow into it have alcohol in their bodies. Londonderry is the first district in the state whose administration chose to perform breath-alcohol tests on students they suspect are drunk in school or at after-school events.

If students fail the test, they would be suspended for up to 10 days. If they refuse the test, the punishment could be the same.

Principal Jim Elefante says the policy is paying off.

"Last year, we had a number of incidents outside school and a couple at school dances," he said. "The School Board sent a clear message: We will not condone drinking. There's no tolerance, and we will take every step to prevent it."

Still, Elefante said, a breath-alcohol test alone cannot solve the problem.

"Overall, the kids do get the message," he said. "But sometimes, kids make choices no matter what we do."

James Wilhelm, assistant principal at Pelham High School, said school officials are talking with the parents of both boys involved in Thursday's incident.

"Drinking at school is very serious," Wilhelm said. "There will be consequences."

Neither Wilhelm nor Mohr could recall an incident as severe as Thursday's.

They don't plan to acquire a Breathalyzer, Wilhelm said, because they can rely on Pelham police, who are close by if they need the equipment.

Fisher, the police sergeant in Pelham, said police have dealt with underage drinking parties that resulted in alcohol poisoning, but cases of youngsters getting drunk in school are more rare.

Derry police Capt. Vernon Thomas doubts that cases of alcohol abuse at school are on the rise.

"There's no more this year than any other," he said.

Eagle-Tribune

Last orders for under-21s?

A government think-tank recommends that raising the drinking age to 21 could be the remedy. But would this stop the problems alcohol causes, and how would this affect student culture?

Drinking seems to have become so ingrained into university culture now, that it’s hard to imagine degree life without it. However, that’s precisely what one government think-tank has recommended; raising the drinking age from 18 to 21.

Alcohol-related illnesses and injuries cost the NHS approximately £1.6 billion a year, and in Wales the cost of dealing with drink-related crime and disorder is £365 million a year. These are just some of the reasons why the Institute for Public Policy Research has suggested that raising the drinking age is the solution.

The UK has ‘lost the plot’ in how it regulates alcohol, argues Jasper Gerard, columnist for The Observer in an article published in the Institute’s journal, Public Policy Research. Gerard believes that the social effect of binge drinking is now so severe that the government should be practising ‘tough love’. He argues: “By raising the age threshold it is at least possible that those in their early and mid-teens will not see drink as something they will soon be allowed to do and therefore might as well start doing it surreptitiously now.

“Instead they might see it as it should be: forbidden.”

It’s a common idea that the habits young people adopt will often carry on until their later life, but some university students do not believe that drinking is a habit they will continue. Victoria Gale, a third year Cardiff Ancient History student, thinks that drinking is just a part of student culture. She commented: “Drinking is so central to university life that you can’t ignore it.

“Just look at freshers’ week. There are drinks promotions everywhere you look; it’s basically sold to you as a week to get wasted. I’m about to leave university now, but I don’t think that I’ll drink as much as I do now forever, it’s just because of where I am and who I’m around.”

However, contrary to public belief it’s not just older people that can suffer from drinking heavily. The number of drink-related deaths among 15 to 34-year-olds has increased by almost 60% since 1991, the Office for National Statistics revealed in February, and alcohol abuse in Wales causes the premature deaths of 1,100 people every year.

These shocking figures prove that university students should be more aware of how much they drink, and come at a time when the government has launched its new ‘drink responsibly’ campaign.

The televised adverts show a man and a woman ‘seeing’ themselves drunk before they go to order a drink, opting to condemn their possible future actions and drink responsibly. But some students are dubious of its effect, one Cardiff student said: “To me it just looks like the drunk people are having a great time, I don’t think it really has the shock factor at all.”

How the government then can change young people’s views without raising the drinking age seems dubious. Alison Rogers, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, thinks that teenagers can recognise the damage alcohol can do to their health through clear communication. She said: “The combination of cheap prices, easy accessibility and the rolling back of barriers to consumption – including the removal of aisle restrictions in supermarkets, the 24-hour licensing laws and the licensing of garages – all combine to send the message that drinking ‘anytime anywhere anyplace’ is acceptable and normal.”

But little has been done by the British government and the Welsh Assembly to turn young people off binge-drinking. And it’s not only long-term health problems that those who drink alcohol in excess need to consider. Current figures say that 367,000 violent attacks a year are caused by alcohol in England and Wales. Professor Jonathon Shepherd, of Cardiff University’s Violence and Society research group, has come to the conclusion that a drinking age rise should be implemented, in line with the USA. He said: “The research evidence is that raising the minimum purchasing age to 21 years would reduce alcohol-related harm substantially.”

Whether raising the drinking age to 21 is the solution to binge-drinking problems though is questionable. The Royal College of Physicians have recommended banning all alcohol advertising, but the Portman Group, which regulates the alcohol industry, disagrees. Chief executive of the group David Poley told the BBC: “What we really need to do is change the drinking culture through education rather than making drinking a social taboo by raising the drinking age.”

If the drinking age was raised it would have a massive impact not just on young people but businesses too. Bars and clubs with a big student customer base may also suffer, and adults under 21 may feel they need to buy alcohol illegally. Students’ unions, which get a large amount of their income from alcohol sales, may also feel disadvantaged.

Cardiff University Students’ Union president, Joe Al-Khayat, does not think that new legislation would help the binge-drinking problem. He said: “I wouldn’t like to think any student would be forced to break the law, but that said it would be difficult for any student between the ages of 18-21 to suddenly have their rights curtailed under new legislation.”

With no measures declared by the Welsh Assembly or the British government on how they will tackle the binge-drinking culture, apart from the odd advert we will have to wait and see if better education prevails, or if things get worse. So until then, students will be free to stagger home after a night out clubbing at the Students’ Union and for most, the only consequence will be the hangover the morning after.

gair rhydd

I Never Knew My Nice Glass Of Wine At Home Was Killing Me

After a stressful day Judith Heath would regularly open a bottle of wine to share with her husband over supper. As manager of a busy GP surgery she found the alcohol helped her to unwind.

When Judith, 56, and her boss fell out she began drinking more. Instead of one bottle Judith started drinking up to a bottle and a half every evening.

Less than a year later Judith became very unwell and was admitted to hospital. Tests revealed alcohol had caused liver failure. Doctors did not know if she would survive.

“It just crept up on me. I had no symptoms until it was almost too late,” said the mother of one from Bournville, Birmingham. “When people asked me if I was an alcoholic I would say ‘no’. I drank too much over a short
period and I almost died. People don’t understand how dangerous it is.”

Last week the Government announced a campaign aimed at middle-class wine drinkers like Judith, following evidence that increasing numbers are unwittingly putting their health and their lives at risk.

“We want to target the older drinkers, those that are maybe drinking one or two bottles of wine at home each evening,” said a Whitehall source. “They do not realise the damage they are doing to their health and that they risk developing liver disease.”

The joint initiative by the Home Office and Department of Health aims to widen its existing focus beyond teenage and binge drinkers to include those regularly consuming wine at home.

Figures show that there are more than eight million problem drinkers, which equates to one in six adults. Many are
middle-aged, middle-class professionals, regularly consuming wine at home who, like Judith, do not consider they have a problem.

“Since the age of about 19 I’d always been a social drinker. In those days it was too expensive to drink much,” said Judith. “A bottle at the weekend was a special treat.”

When she was 40 Judith got a job managing 3,000 patients in a busy family doctor’s surgery. She and her husband John, a former electronics engineer, became close to one of the partners and his wife and would regularly drink with them. “We went to his house and wined and dined. We bought wine on trips to France and we would go out for lunch and order a bottle.”

Five years ago the relationship with the GP soured and Judith found it difficult to work alongside him.

“I began to suffer stress and extreme anxiety,” she said. “I started drinking more. I would often open a bottle of wine when I came home and then I’d drink while making the supper and we’d have a bottle between us over supper.”

Judith became so depressed that her doctor signed her off work. When she returned weeks later she found other members of staff doing her job. “People’s attitude towards me had changed. Younger and less experienced members of staff were dictating to me.

“Often they would talk over me while I was there but no one told me why. I was treated like a doormat. I took my anger out at home by drinking wine.”

In October 2003 Judith started to feel unwell. She became tired and was occasionally sick. “I put it down to stress. I put being sick down to nerves and some days I was fine.” The following March she began feeling worse. “I woke up and vomited and I couldn’t bear to eat much.”

Judith’s family had noticed a big change in her. They too put her symptoms down to stress and tried to persuade her to give up her job but she was reluctant. “I stood to lose a good pension and I felt I shouldn’t have to resign when I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

On July 2, 2004, Judith went into work and was called in to her boss’s office. He delivered some shocking and unwelcome news that ironically could have saved her life.

He said he suspected she had an alcohol problem and could smell it on her breath, adding: “we’ve noticed you have yellow eyes.” It is a symptom of jaundice, a blood disorder that can be caused by excess drinking. Judith was suspended on full pay and sent home.

She phoned her husband who took her straight to her family GP. He suspected Judith had a liver problem and she was admitted to hospital as an emergency patient and put on a drip. Blood tests and an ultrasound scan revealed she had severe liver damage. “Looking back I realise I had become very ill,” she recalled.

At first doctors weren’t sure if Judith would survive and contemplated putting her on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

After almost four weeks of treatment, including medication, vitamin drinks and tranquillisers, Judith’s liver had started to regenerate and she was sent home to rest.

Not knowing how to manage, she rang the British Liver Trust which set out a detailed plan of what she should avoid eating, including salt and processed foods, that might create extra work for her damaged organ.

Three years later she finally feels “normal again” but it has been a struggle. She added: “Liver disease is a silent illness. You don’t realise until you have symptoms and by that time it can be too late. It has taken me three years to feel well again, I’m lucky to be alive.”

Daily Express

Alcohol menaces teens

Three per cent of boys and girls under-16 years in the country take alcohol, a trend that is worrying the society, including government, religious institutions and doctors.

Professor Gadi Kilonzo of the Psychiatric Department at the Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam says that a research conducted recently has shown that at least one in 100 pupils in primary schools and a similar ratio in secondary schools were taking alcohol. Teen drinking was more pronounced in urban areas where alcohol is easily accessible.

“Our nation is at risk. One per cent of pupils, who have picked the habit of drinking alcohol, is significant. Snifter should not be served to minors,” Prof Kilonzo added.
Another medical expert says drinking below the age of 18 is dangerous regardless of quantity taken.

“Any drinking of alcohol for a person below 18 years is considered harmful.” This is according to Dr Silvia Kaaya, head of Psychiatric Department of the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences.

Studies on underage drinking are limited in part because it is difficult to attract funding for such studies.

Anecdotal surveys conducted by the ‘Sunday News’ in Dar es Salaam and up-country on drinking showed that some started at the age of 12 while others at between six and seven.

The drinking and smoking behaviour, which is catching up with boys and girls from all classes of the society in urban and rural areas, has been attributed to easy access of drinks at the indiscriminately licensed selling points, some of which operate round the clock.

Other factors include lack of proper parental care, erosion of social, moral, religious, traditional values, easy access to liquor as it is sold indiscriminately at all joints.

When contacted for comment, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, Methodius Kilaini, said that some parents are busy chasing money, forgetting their roles to their families.

“Morals of some parents have decayed. Some take their children to pubs or drinking joints. Such outings could influence children. Some parents do not encourage their children to go to pray or even to read the holy books,” he said.

The Attorney General, Mr John Mwanyika, said that according to the Intoxicating Liquors Act, “any licencee, who supplies intoxicating liquior to any person under the apparent age of 16 years, commits an offence.”

“Any licencee, who permits any person under the apparent age of 16 to remain on his licensed premises in any room, courtyard or other place in which intoxicating liquor is being served for consumption, commits an offence,” it says.

Reached for comment, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Regional Administ