One drink a day increases risk of bowel cancer

Drinking just one pint of beer or a large glass of wine every day increases your risk of developing bowel cancer by 10 per cent, experts said today.

Those who drink three to four units a day increased their risk of developing bowel cancer by up to a quarter, research has found.

The study conducted by Cancer Research UK and involving nearly 500,000 people, adds to evidence that drinking alcohol is linked to certain cancers. Other studies have linked binge drinking to breast cancer.

Almost 480,000 people in ten European countries were asked questions about how much alcohol they drank and were followed up for six years. In that period 1,833 people developed bowel cancer.

The lifetime risk for bowel cancer in men is one in 20; in women it is one in 18. Every year 35,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and it kills 16,100 annually.

Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK epidemiologist and deputy director of the cancer epidemiology unit in Oxford, said: "The research shows quite clearly that the more alcohol you drink the greater your risk of bowel cancer.

"The increase in risk is not large but it is important that people understand they can reduce their risk of a number of different cancers – including bowel cancer - by cutting down on alcohol."

The study is published today in the International Journal of Cancer. Current guidelines recommend women drink no more than two units daily and men no more than three.

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer information, said: "There is a lot of confusion over safe levels of drinking. This partly arises over the increasing strength of some wines and beers and the fact that many pubs offer a large glass of wine that is actually equivalent to one third of a bottle.

"It is important that people do not automatically equate one drink with one unit. A large glass of wine with a high alcohol volume is likely to be the equivalent of considerably more than that.

"While there is increasing evidence that over indulging in alcohol can increase the risk of some cancers research also shows that by far the biggest risk for life threatening diseases is the combination of smoking together with drinking alcohol."

One unit = half a pint of 3.5 per cent beer, lager or cider, one small glass (125ml) of wine at nine per cent alcohol. Average strength of beers is five per cent and average strength of wine is 12.5 per cent meaning one unit will be a smaller measure.

Other researchers have said drinking small amounts of alcohol such as red wine can protect against heart disease.

Telegraph

How the EU tackles drink-driving

The Association of Chief Police Officers has launched its latest drink-driving campaign, incorporating drugs into its remit for the first time.

Here, BBC correspondents from across the EU explain how our European neighbours deal with those getting behind the wheel while under the influence.

Portugal

Portugal has long vied for the dubious honour of being the EU state with the worst road safety record.

Campaigns have had little impact, as car ownership has spread along with economic prosperity.

In 2001, in a fit of enthusiasm for road safety, the government lowered the alcohol limit for drivers to 0.2g per litre (g/l) of blood, in line with EU recommendations.

The move triggered outrage in wine-making areas and brought protesting farmers to Lisbon.

In a country with a tradition of drinking wine with meals, they argued, rigid application of the rule would seriously harm a key industry.

After a backbench rebellion, the government restored the limit to 0.5g/l, where it remains today.

Last year, more than 37,000 drivers were caught drink-driving, up 20% from 2005, in part because testing was stepped up in urban areas.

Worryingly, more than half of those caught were over 1.2g/l - a criminal offence.

This year, roadside tests for drug use by drivers - fines for which range from 500 to 2,500 euros (£335-£1,680) - were brought in.

Cannabis derivatives, cocaine, heroin and amphetamines are cited, but tests for other substances may also be done.

Italy

A spate of hit-and-run car accidents killing or seriously injuring pedestrians in Italy's major cities has highlighted the problem of drunken driving in Italy.

Italian media reported 36 road accident deaths in a single weekend this July, many of them alcohol or drug related.

In Rome, the risk for pedestrians is one of the world's highest. More than eight per 1,000 are killed or hurt each year, a risk 10 times greater than in London and 20 times worse than in Paris.

I was invited to appear this month on a breakfast programme on Italian national TV to talk about what Britain has done to reduce drunken driving.

There had been outcry about the lack of response by the public authorities to seriously worsening statistics on road deaths, currently running at 8,000 a year.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi, famous for his preference for the bicycle as a means of personal transport, has called for a "major moral and civic shake-up" about the nation's driving habits which he termed "diabolical".

The Vatican, criticising what it calls the "collective madness" on Italian roads, issued a document cataloguing "Ten Commandments" for motorists, which boil down to showing respect and compassion for others on the roads, and never failing to stop in case of an accident.

One of the basic causes of the horrifying slaughter on Italian roads is that there are more cars per inhabitant in Italy than in any other country in Europe - 680 per 1,000 population. In Rome, for example, the figure is even higher - 2.4 million cars for 2.5 million inhabitants.

Another is the alleged sloppy attitude of many "vigili urbani", the municipal traffic police in control of road traffic in major cities.

"In 60 years I have never seen an Italian driver fined for not respecting the lines," wrote Marco d'Eramo in the left wing daily Il Manifesto.

"Once, hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing, I was told off by a policeman who said I should be more careful next time!" he reported.

Under the latest regulations in the Italian Highway Code, the limit is 0.5g/l (0.2g/l for bus drivers).

The number of random roadside alcohol tests carried out by police is considerably below that in other European countries.

The police are currently running a campaign aimed at doubling the number of such tests from the current 500,000 to one million per year. This compares with eight million in France.

France

France has one of the worst road safety records in Europe.

Despite increased police checks, of the 4,709 road deaths officially recorded here in 2006, government figures show that just over a quarter of those fatal accidents involved drivers who were over the drink-drive limit.

The current laws in France say that any driver found with between 0.5g/l and 0.8g/l can be fined 135 euros (£91) and will lose six of the 12 points on their driving licence.

Go above that and a driver risks having their licence taken away, getting a 4,500 euro (£3,025) fine and possibly being sent to prison for up to two years.

If a drunk driver causes someone a serious injury in an accident, that driver is likely to face a jail term of up to 10 years. And if drugs are also involved, the penalties become even harsher with longer prison sentences and heftier fines.

Earlier this month, the French National Road Safety Council called for the laws on drink driving to be toughened up in France with more police checks, especially at weekends.

It wants to see the legal limit lowered to just 0.2g/l by 2010 - the limit recommended by the European Commission in Brussels.

The department of transport has rejected that call, insisting the current rules in France are adequate.

Poland

Someone dies on Polish roads every 90 minutes.

In 2004, more people died in road accidents per capita in Poland, than in any other member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Poles have a three-times higher chance of being killed in a road accident than Swedes for example.

Drink driving is one of the main safety problems on Polish roads.

In 2005, 14% of all road accidents involved someone who had been drinking. The offenders are overwhelmingly men, particularly those under 31 years of age.

Overall the problem is slowly getting better, but among young men, it's actually getting worse.

In 2005, the number of drunk drivers among 19-31 year olds increased by 11%.

Poland has an almost zero-tolerance policy towards driving under the influence of drink and drugs, with the legal limit at 0.2g/l.

Offenders face up to two years in prison and loss of their driving licence for up to 10 years.

While alcohol levels are regularly checked, drugs tests are still rarely performed.

Scandinavia

In Scandinavia, the past 10 years have seen radical changes in attitudes, laws and enforcement governing drinking and driving.

Despite relatively high alcohol consumption in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, populations have developed an understanding for the enforcement of strict laws governing the use of vehicles after drinking.

"There is now an acceptance in the population that drinking and driving is completely unacceptable and must stop," said Soren Berg of Denmark's Road Safety Council.

But while both Norway and Sweden have tough limits for alcohol-blood levels, both Finland and Denmark have a permitted level of up to 0.5g/l, allowing drivers a single glass of alcoholic beverage before sitting behind the wheel of their cars.

At the same time, individual companies, such as the Arriva transport company, have introduced their own zero tolerance.

Discussions are currently under way in Denmark to reduce permitted levels to 0.2g/l, which would effectively introduce zero tolerance in an effort to reduce the number of traffic deaths to 200 by the year 2012.

Of the 306 traffic deaths on Danish roads in 2006, 70 are said to have been the result of drink driving, with most of these in the young-driver category.

Penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol are strict. Depending on alcohol concentration, first-time offenders have licences suspended, a fine of monthly income times alcohol concentration and self-paid obligatory alcohol and traffic courses.

Penalties increase as alcohol concentration increases and repeat offenders risk prison sentences.

Regular law enforcement campaigns, with frequent traffic police raids during holiday periods, have also contributed to changes in attitudes towards drinking and driving.

Most recently, Denmark has also introduced new laws which, for the first time, make it illegal to drive under the influence of euphoriants and other drugs.

Until now laws governing euphoriant driving have come under traffic safety legislation, meaning that provided that drivers did not break traffic rules, they were not liable to sanction.

BBC News

Invasion of the street drunks

They are an increasingly common sight on the streets of the Capital.

The down-and-outs gathered on benches and in doorways drinking themselves into a stupour.

The intimidating sight of groups of noisy drunks has become depressingly familiar across the city, with the problems rising dramatically in recent weeks after the enforced closure of the only drop-in centre offering a refuge to many of the city's homeless during the day.

At the same time, an alcohol ban at one of their most popular meeting places, Hunter Square, has driven many of them to find new gathering spots.

Groups of alcoholics are now regularly taking over several spots around the city, including Nicolson Square, Bristo Square and parts of the Canongate and Fountainbridge.

The leading homeless charity Streetwork UK today warned Edinburgh was facing a growing street drunks crisis, and said the city needed to abandon its approach of simply trying to move the drinkers on if it was to have any chance of tackling the problem.

Tam Hendry, the charity's chief executive, said nothing would be solved by chasing the drinkers away from their favourite drinking haunts.

"We can't simply treat homeless people as aggressive down-and-outs," he said. "We have to realise that these are people with needs, and until we start to address these needs we won't have a solution."

The closure of the Ark cafe, which had seen its council funding cut, had had a dramatic impact on the city's homeless, he said.

Around 100 of them - many with alcohol problems - have been forced on to the streets during the day after the New Street drop-in centre was forced to close last month.

While they were once given food, shelter and a place to socialise for up to five hours a day, they have now been left with nowhere to go but the city's parks, gardens and streets. The growing street drinking culture has provoked streams of complaints about the damaging effect on shopkeepers' trade and the quality of life in many of the city's neighbourhoods.

Areas including the Canongate Kirkyard and nearby Dunbar's Close Garden have also become hangouts for street drinkers, where residents have complained of a "threatening" atmosphere.

One shop owner said the street drunks were one reason he had decided to move his business out of the Cowgate.

James Donald, who owns the Concrete Wardrobe, which is now based in Broughton Street, said: "There were real problems with people gathering there. They would leave bottles and cigarette butts outside the shop and urinate on the door. It was quite off-putting for customers."

Nicolson Square and St Patrick's Square, on the Southside, have also been plagued with problems, with up to a dozen people gathering each day to drink, scaring families away from the two parks.

One Nicolson Square businessman said: "They shout at each other, swear and urinate in the gardens, which there's no excuse for because there are public toilets in the square.

"It's gone from nothing to about a dozen since they were moved on from Hunter Square. The square is used for photos after graduations and also by young families when it's sunny, so it's such a shame that this has happened. The police have been round several times."

The problems have become so bad that the police this week launched an operation targeting the square.

One man who was arrested for a breach of the peace and urinating was banned from Nicolson Square until November as part of his bail conditions.

Sergeant Norman Towler, of St Leonards police station, said this kind of "positive action" was proving effective as a deterrent to other drinkers.

He said: "Within two hours of arresting that man, the rest of them had disappeared and there was a family up there having a picnic, which is the way it should be, because it's a lovely area. We have really positive legislation in place and the enforcement of it will help areas like this.

"We have previously gone down the line of Asbos for persistent offenders and we could do so again. We are working with our partner agencies on this.

"This is a problem which I personally think affects a lot of people, and especially the nearby businesses. We have gone round the shopkeepers asking their opinions because we want people to come forward to tell us about this so we can act on it."

But Mr Hendry says just banning people from certain areas is only going to shift the problems, not solve them.

He said enforcement could be successful if it was combined with support work, which engages with street drinkers rather then simply criminalising them.

A similar project in Pennywell resulted in street drinkers actually working to modify their behaviour and offering advice about how best to deal with the problems.

Mr Hendry said: "We need more than one approach. The enforcement needs to be matched with support, and the support should go in first.

"Down at Pennywell shops the support workers were able to get to know them and identify their needs.

"They were able to get some of them to access support for mental health problems and to educate them about the impact of what the enforcement measures will be.

"Rather than just criminalising them, we should be aware that some are happy to modify their behaviour."

Mr Hendry believes the sharp rise in the number of people drinking in the street shows how important it is for the Ark to reopen.

He said: "With the closure of the Ark, I certainly expected that we would see quite a significant increase, because we have got between 80 and 100 people with nowhere else to go.

"It's all about displacement, so obviously these people are going to be hanging about elsewhere because they no longer have the Ark, which was a meeting place.

"We do need a mix of enforcement and support. I think the council should lead on this strategy, but health services should take responsibility for helping people with alcohol, drug and mental health problems.

"They can also easily commission organisations like ourselves to come in and offer support."

City centre councillor Joanna Mowatt said she had received complaints about the growing problems.

She said: "The council does have an interest in trying to deal with the roots of the issue, and is looking to try to involve different agencies, but we are dealing with the most chaotic and difficult people in society. We have lost the cafe service at the Ark and we need to look very carefully at what services we are providing."

City council officials, however, said the local authority had not received "any significant numbers" of complaints about street drinking in the city.

Gordon Greenhill, head of community safety added: "As we have funded police officers across the city, we would expect them to be tasked with tackling precisely this sort of issue.

"The drinking by-law covers the entire council area, and will mean that failure to stop drinking when asked to do so by a police officer could lead to arrest and, if convicted, a fine of up to £500."

Edinburgh Evening News

Why the scourge of alcoholism defies a cure

Headlines out of Hollywood tell tales of addiction, but for millions in the U.S., the stories hit close to home

The titillating gossip this week might be all about the latest Hollywood celebrity to fall off the wagon and get arrested for alleged drunken driving just weeks after completing a stint in rehab.

But for millions of ordinary Americans struggling to free themselves from alcohol addiction, the story of star Lindsay Lohan inspires not self-satisfied tut-tutting but rather a grimly familiar dread.

Despite decades of research and dozens of treatments, alcoholism, America's most common addiction, remains notoriously difficult to overcome.

More than 30 percent of U.S. adults have abused alcohol or suffered from alcoholism at some point in their lives, according to a study released this month by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.

Yet only a quarter of those afflicted received any treatment. And other studies show that, at best, only a quarter of those who seek treatment manage to abstain from alcohol for a year.

"Alcohol problems are not just something that affects Hollywood stars," said Dr. Robert Swift, a psychiatrist at Brown University who specializes in alcoholism. "We're talking about a chronic, relapsing condition. And we still have a long way to go in treatment. It's like treatment of cancer -- some people can be helped but others just cannot."

There are traditional "12-step" treatments for alcoholism, such as the program pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous, that rely largely on peer support to encourage abstinence. There are a variety of behavioral and cognitive therapies employed by psychologists and psychiatrists to help patients avoid the triggers and thought-patterns that impel them to drink. There is a new generation of drugs to help curb an alcoholic's craving to drink.

And there are posh, inpatient rehabilitation centers -- the retreats of choice for infamous celebrities, disgraced politicians and other well-heeled alcohol abusers -- that sometimes sound more like spa resorts than rigorous treatment clinics.

But despite all that variety, experts say there is no unambiguous, foolproof treatment for alcoholism that ensures success.

That's because researchers are learning that alcoholism, like addiction to narcotics, causes permanent changes to the brain that can at best be ameliorated but never permanently undone. Moreover, scientists have discovered that some people are genetically more susceptible to develop alcoholism if they start drinking, just as some people are more likely to develop diabetes if they eat poorly and don't exercise.

"Once you become an alcoholic or a drug addict, you can't go back," said Swift. "It's something that becomes a chronic illness. So the idea that you go through rehab and you're cured is really kind of a ridiculous idea. You wouldn't expect that with diabetes, so why do people expect it with alcoholism?"

The scientific findings have begun to change the popular perception of alcoholism as a mere failure of will on the part of the drinker to stop drinking.

"The first drink may be volitional, but after one becomes addicted, it becomes a compulsion," said Ann Bradley, spokeswoman for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Although we're always to be held responsible for our actions and their outcome, it's pretty fair to say that the most addictive drinking is well outside the control of the drinker."

For more than 70 years, since Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935, complete abstinence from alcohol has been regarded as the only antidote to the disease of alcoholism -- and even then, alcoholics never regard themselves as "cured," but rather in a state of ongoing recovery or remission.

Just one drink, the theory went, and an alcoholic was destined to descend into a debilitating spiral of relapse.

But experts say that AA is successful for only about 1 in 5 alcoholics. And relapses are so characteristic of the disease that no other combination of drugs or therapy offers much better results, if the measurement is total abstinence maintained for at least a year.

So rather than discourage alcoholics by insisting on a goal many cannot reach, some addiction experts have begun changing the definition of success.

A 2005 study by the federal government's alcoholism institute determined that nearly 36 percent of U.S. adults suffering from alcoholism could be considered to be in "full recovery" after a year, if the definition of recovery was expanded to include not only complete abstainers (18.2 percent) but also "low-risk" drinkers (17.7 percent) who had managed to cut back, but not completely curtail, their alcohol consumption.

"There's a shift in the treatment approach toward being a little more flexible and being respectful of the patient's goals," said Dr. Edward Nunes, a psychiatry professor at Columbia University in New York and an addiction expert. "There are many patients for whom abstinence is still the best outcome and the one you should shoot for, but it's clear from clinical experience that there are some patients who can move from problem drinking back to a level of moderated drinking that's not problematic any more."

If that sounds to skeptics like moving the goal posts to make alcoholism treatment statistics look better, Nunes says that's not the intention of clinicians.

"When we're working with an individual patient, we're not worried about making the numbers look better," he said. "To me it's a question of how best to engage a patient. If a patient doesn't want to deal with [complete abstinence] right off the bat, it may be better to go with them a certain distance in order to build a relationship."

Tribune

Alcohol the No.1 addiction

More people seek treatment for alcohol abuse than for any other substance, a new report has found.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report examined more than 150,000 treatments provided through 664 government-funded alcohol and drug treatment agencies in 2005-06.

"Alcohol is the most widely used drug in Australia and is also the most common drug for which people seek treatment," the institute's Dr Chris Stevenson said.

Almost four in ten people seeking treatment said alcohol was their main problem, but another 15 per cent said they had a problem with alcohol as well as other drugs.

Cannabis was the most common illegal drug for which people sought treatment, with 25 per cent saying it was their main problem, followed by heroin at 14 per cent and amphetamines at 11 per cent.

Dr Stevenson said more than half of those seeking treatment needed help with addiction to more than one drug.

He said the drugs nominated by clients were strongly related to their age.

"Alcohol was the most common drug of concern for clients aged 30 years and over," he said.

"However, for younger clients, cannabis was the most common drug nominated, particularly for clients aged under 20 years where cannabis accounted for one out of two episodes."

The median age of people who sought treatment was 31, and about two-thirds were men.

News Limited

Dying for a drink in Bolton

Alcohol is the biggest killer in Bolton, overtaking heart disease as the most common cause of premature death.

Shock figures show problems with regular binge drinking have sparked a surge in the number of people dying from booze-related illnesses.

And experts predict the problem will get worse with an increasing number of young adults abusing alcohol on a regular basis.
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Deborah Harkin, deputy director of public health at Bolton Primary Care Trust, said: "Bolton's problem with alcohol is a potential timebomb.

"The conditions leading to early death are caused by people who have been drinking over the recommended limit for years, but aren't necessarily alcoholics. People are dying younger and younger.

"Women in their early 20s being admitted to hospital have been drinking huge amounts of alcohol for long periods of time. If this trend carries on, all the work we have done around heart disease will be negated by the problems with alcohol-related diseases."

Figures released by the PCT show that, for the first time, alcohol is cutting more time off the life of an average person than ever before. They show a male drinker who regularly consumes more than the recommended weekly amount of alcohol will die an average of three months early, compared to the average life expectancy. For a woman, the figure is four months.

It is recommended that women drink no more than 14 units of alcohol in a week and men no more than 21 units. Experts also say people should ensure they have at least two alcohol-free days every week.

Changing lifestyles, the pressures of the 21st century, and people spending more time than ever at the office are said to be driving an increase in drinking. Many people regularly binge drink without realising, by having a glass or two of wine at home.

Ms Harkin said: "This is a big problem for Bolton. Alcohol is one of our top priorities. Young people are drinking more than ever before and we have a real culture of alcohol abuse in this country.

"We are talking about ordinary people, who have had a stressful day at work and who pour themselves a glass of wine in the evening to help unwind. But over the years this can cause serious damage to their health."

Cllr Rosa Kay, Bolton Council's executive member for adult social care and health, added: "These figures are obviously a matter of concern. People live under a lot of pressure and perhaps don't seek the help they need to as quickly as they should, and I would seriously urge them to do that."

This Is Lancashire

One in five in Norwich binge drinks

One in five people in Norwich is classed as a binge-drinker, shocking new statistics have today revealed.

A binge-drinker is classed as a man who regularly consumes more than the recommended 10 units of alcohol - or five pints - and women who drink more than six units in a single drinking session.

The staggering figures put the city above the national average in terms of binge-drinkers - with Norwich at 19.9pc and the average at 16.5pc.

Campaigners have called on health bosses - and people who consume too much alcohol - to act immediately amid fears the figures highlight just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Norfolk's alcohol epidemic is further backed up by new figures showing the number of people who are required to stay in hospital due to alcohol related sickness or accidents is 316 out of 100,000 of population, compared to the national average of 247 per 100,000.

Ian Gibson, Norwich North MP, said today: “These figures do not surprise me at all. We are facing a timebomb in Norwich and I think the figures are far higher than this. Alcohol is so accessible in supermarkets and off licences that there is a hidden culture of binge-drinking that goes on at home.

“Health bosses need to look at this problem but people should concern themselves with their own health and take some sort of responsibility.”

However, while people in the city drink too much, not as many die from alcohol as in other parts of the country.

The figures, which were compiled by the City of Norwich Partnership Team at Norwich City Council, show 15 out of 1,000 men in the city die due to alcohol related illness and five out of 1,000 women compared to 16.5 and 7.7 respectively nationwide.

Some of the main causes include alcoholic psychoses, liver disease, chronic hepatitis, pancreatitis, alcohol poisoning and degeneration of the nervous system because of alcohol.

Jocelyn Pike, the PCT's lead commissioner for substance misuse, said: “The PCT works closely with Norfolk DAT and other agencies to commission and provide a range of services to meet the needs of individuals who present themselves with problems due to alcohol use.

“The trust also actively promotes safe alcohol consumption levels through a variety of ways, including posters and leaflets that are placed in various relevant places, such as GP practices, hospitals and health centres.

“Our staff are also trained to offer advice about the dangers of high alcohol consumption.”

The news also comes as researchers from London's St Thomas' Hospital claim the introduction of 24-hour drinking laws might have trebled alcohol-related admissions to A&E departments.

Evening News

Incident inspires towns to cap teen drinking

When 16 teenagers were kicked out of a school dance this spring for drinking, it served as a wake-up call to many in the Acton-Boxborough community.

Though efforts were already underway to help curb what many say is a growing problem in the two affluent suburban towns, plans have been kicked up a notch following the incident at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.

Police, school officials, and community groups are working together over the next few months on several projects designed to prevent underage drinking, a surprisingly common activity among students that seems to get serious attention only in times of tragedy, like after a horrific traffic accident.

Plans include a regional marketing campaign to educate teens about the dangers of drinking, implementing a SafeHomes program, in which parents don't allow teenagers to drink in their home or on their property, and strengthening town and school polices on underage drinking, said Tina Grosowsky, chairwoman of the Acton-Boxborough Community Alliance for Youth.

"The earlier kids start drinking, the likelier it is that they'll be a candidate for alcoholism," said Grosowsky.

Grosowsky said a recent Emerson Hospital Youth Behavior Risk Survey showed some alarming trends.

For example, 62 percent of Acton-Boxborough seniors and nearly 19 percent of ninth-graders said that they had consumed alcohol in the month prior to the survey.

Detective Keith Campbell said the Acton Police Department is focusing its efforts on access to alcohol. He said officers are working with local businesses to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors and with parents to keep a better eye on what's going on at home.

The department is working with the community alliance on the SafeHomes program, in which parents will sign a pledge saying they will not serve alcohol to youth, will not allow the consumption of alcohol by those under the legal drinking age in their homes or on their property, and will not allow parties in their homes when they are not present.

The SafeHomes program has made an impact in s everal communities in the area, including Westford, said Grosowsky.paign to educate teens about the dangers of drinking, implementing a SafeHomes program, in which parents don't allow teenagers to drink in their home or on their property, and strengthening town and school polices on underage drinking, said Tina Grosowsky, chairwoman of the Acton-Boxborough Community Alliance for Youth.

"The earlier kids start drinking, the likelier it is that they'll be a candidate for alcoholism," said Grosowsky.

Grosowsky said a recent Emerson Hospital Youth Behavior Risk Survey showed some alarming trends.

For example, 62 percent of Acton-Boxborough seniors and nearly 19 percent of ninth-graders said that they had consumed alcohol in the month prior to the survey.

Detective Keith Campbell said the Acton Police Department is focusing its efforts on access to alcohol. He said officers are working with local businesses to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors and with parents to keep a better eye on what's going on at home.

The department is working with the community alliance on the SafeHomes program, in which parents will sign a pledge saying they will not serve alcohol to youth, will not allow the consumption of alcohol by those under the legal drinking age in their homes or on their property , and will not allow parties in their homes when they are not present.

The SafeHomes program has made an impact in several communities in the area, including Westford, said Grosowsky.

Boston Globe

Shock over teens caught in blitz

Land Transport New Zealand says the drink driving message does not seem to be getting through.

In a major Auckland operation from early Saturday until Sunday morning 125 people from 10,604 vehicles stopped were detected with excess breath alcohol. Thirty were teenagers.

Police inspector Heather Wells says police are shocked that many of the young drivers clearly felt they were above the law.

She says one teenager was apprehended in Otara on Friday night, had his licence suspended and was delivered home. However, he drank more alcohol, drove into Auckland city and was apprehended at another checkpoint early on Saturday morning.

LTNZ spokesman Andy Knackstedt says it is disappointing when people who are not even at the legal drinking age are getting behind the wheel drunk.

He says in many cases it is family members who are supplying alcohol to the teenagers and giving them the keys to the cars. He says the problem is a wider societal issue and parents, families and communities need to take responsibility as well.

Land Transport New Zealand says some teenagers need to be exposed to the hard hitting message about the dangers of drink driving.

Knackstedt says the drink driving campaign is being revised because there is almost a generation that has not been exposed to the same sort of hard hitting advertisements as people were 10 years ago.

tv nz

Teenage girls drink boys under table

Nearly a quarter of 15-year-old girls get drunk at least once a week, according to new research that identifies them as worse binge drinkers than boys.

The study finds that in recent years, the overall proportion of children drinking alcohol has fallen, perhaps because of better education – but at the same time a hard core of heavy-drinking children has been growing.

According to the research, 23% of 14 and 15-year-old girls admitted they got drunk at least once a week, compared with 21% of boys.

Experts blamed easy access to alcohol, lack of guidance from parents and children copying the bingeing habits of older teenagers and young adults. They also believe that some teenage girls might be more prone than boys to imitate bad role models.

“There is more alcohol going down fewer throats and this is not the trend we wanted to see,” said David Regis, research manager of the Schools Health Education Unit, which conducted the study. “There is more antidrink advertising, which might explain the overall fall, but as 18 to 24-year-olds are drinking more, so children who have older brothers and sisters see them as role models.”

The research questioned more than 20,000 children about their drinking habits. It was part of a larger report by the unit, based in Exeter, which questioned more than 68,000 children across Britain aged between 10 and 15 about aspects of their lifestyle, ranging from alcohol and drug use to how they felt about their weight and bullying. The unit has conducted similar research since the 1990s, although this is the first year that 14 and 15-year-olds have been asked about how often they get drunk.

Since 1991, the proportion of girls consuming alcohol at least once a week has gone down from 52% to 37% while the figure for boys has fallen from 55% to 35%. Girls overtook boys in the frequency of their drinking for the first time in 2004.

Spirits proved to be the most popular drink for teenage girls with almost one-fifth of 14 and 15-year-olds saying they consumed them weekly compared with 13% of boys. The proportion drinking five or more measures a week went up from 3% to 5% between 1991 and 2006.

Boys’ favourite drink is beer and nearly one in 10 of those aged 14 and 15 said they drank at least five pints a week, more than twice the 4% identified in 1991.

“This binge drinking culture is now going right down into early teenage years and we need to find a way to change this as young people who start drinking in this way are more likely to become alcohol-dependent in the future,” said Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians.

Last month, a study using Department of Health data, showed the number of drunk teenagers admitted to hospital in England had risen by more than a third in a decade to 5,280 in the 10 years to 2005-6.

The new research will add to concerns that the government has failed to curb heavy drinking. Last week it emerged that admissions to accident and emergency units of patients with alco-hol-related problems at one main hospital had gone up threefold since the relaxation of the licensing laws in 2005. Labour claimed the change would help the move towards a more “continental” style of drinking, with less violence and drunkenness.

The government has made some attempts to address underage drinking. Earlier this year, a publicity campaign was introduced to make supermarkets and off-licences more aware of fake ID cards used by under-18s to buy alcohol.

However, experts warn that even success at stopping underage drinkers buying alcohol might not curb the problem. Over-18s, for example, may buy drink for younger friends or sib-lings. The most common source, according to the research, was their parents’ drink supplies.

The government has no official advice for parents on how to introduce their children to drink, although the Home Office hopes to produce some next year. Some parents introduce children to alcohol by giving them watered-down wine or shandy to encourage them to adopt a sensible approach to drinking in moderation.

However, Frank Soodeen of the charity Alcohol Concern warned parents: “If a young boy or girl has been drinking from an age earlier than the rest of their peer group, they are more likely to seek out friends who are engaged in the same behaviour at a friend’s house or in a park.”

Sunday Times

Shock of Ulster's underage boozers

A shocking rise in the number of cases of schoolchildren being suspended for underage drinking today sparked demands for alcohol abuse among Ulster youths to be tackled head-on.

The call comes after new government statistics show there were 70 incidents of children - from both primary and secondary schools across Northern Ireland - being suspended in 2004/05 due to alcohol abuse.

In 2003/04 there were 51 cases of children being suspended within the province's five education boards.

The most startling figures show that in the Southern Education and Library Board area the number of incidents of pupils being excluded from school because of drinking jumped from eight cases in 2003/04 to 27 in 2004/05.

In Belfast the figure doubled from three cases to six during that period.

In the North Eastern Education and Library Board area the number jumped from zero cases to 16 incidents.

In the Western Education and Library Board there were 11 incidents of pupils being suspended during 2003/04 - while 14 cases were reported in 2004/05.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board area was the only region with the figure dropping - from 29 to seven cases.

The statistics were published after Education Minister Caitriona Ruane was asked by DUP MLA Iris Robinson to detail the number of pupils excluded from schools as a result of alcohol abuse.

Mrs Robinson described the figures as "extremely alarming".

"Too often when statistics of this nature are published there is a tendency to shift the focus onto schools and ask how government policy can provide solutions," she said.

"However the focus must be fixed on the parents.

"Parents are obviously turning a blind eye to the activities of their children and in so doing are abdicating their responsibility.

"We have moved to a situation where young people are engaging in binge drinking and have a dependency on alcohol before they even leave school.

"While there are legal steps which can be taken to curb this problem, parents must acknowledge their duty to safeguard the health and well-being of their children."

However, Raymond McKimm, project manager of Lifematters- a youth intervention programme aimed at helping eight to 17-year-olds who have misused alcohol - says removing children from school only enhances the problem.

"The reasons why children misuse substances vary from young person to young person," he said.

"But one of the biggest factors is if they are marginalised, pushed to the side and not achieving at school.

"But the irony is they are the factors that will increase their risk or likelihood of further substance misuse.

The Lifematters Programme is part of ASCERT, (Action on Substances, through Community Education and Related Training), which was established in 1998 to address substance misuse at a community level.

"Once we start branding and marginalising we are simply creating a bigger problem," Mr McKimm added.

"Sadly the alternative of expulsion, suspension and alternative education is something that will maintain the problem rather than solve the problem.

"Our message to people working in education is to work with us to engage young people and keep them in school.

"What is important is getting below the surface and looking at what influences the choices and decisions a young person makes."

Belfast Telegraph

24/7 boozing trebles A&E admissions

Binge drinkers taking advantage of 24-hour licensing laws have trebled alcohol-related admissions to a South London hospital, according to a new study.

Researchers found a dramatic jump in alcohol-related visits to St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, Lambeth, after the November 2005 law change allowing boozers to stay open all night.

The report, published in the Emergency Medical Journal yesterday, claims these findings are likely to be repeated across London.

The study showed that in March 2005 there were 79 alcohol-related visits to the hospital's emergency department, accounting for just three per cent of all overnight visits.

In March 2006, the figure had rocketed to 250 booze-fuelled admissions, eight per cent of the department's monthly total.

The report's authors said: "We feel that our findings are likely to be representative of inner city [emergency care departments] in the UK.

"If reproduced over longer time periods and across the UK as a whole, the additional numbers of patients presenting [to emergency care] with alcohol-related problems could be very substantial."

The study also found that, following the passing of the 24-hour drinking laws, the number of hospital visits as a result of assault associated with excess drinking doubled, and the number of associated admissions almost trebled.

The emergency care department at St Thomas' is one of the largest in the UK.

Spokesman for Alcohol Concern Frank Sodeen said: "The figures are alarming. There are a whole range of other policies which need to be put in place alongside alcohol licence reformation.

"These include saturation policies limiting the number of licensed establishments in one area, policing policy looking at how manpower can be deployed and licensee responsibility."

Dr Alastair Newton, consultant in emergency medicine at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This study clearly shows a significant increase in the number of patients who attended our emergency department overnight after drinking alcohol.

"However,it is important to note that this is only a snapshot of the impact on a single emergency department.

"Larger and longer-term studies are needed in order to give a more comprehensive picture of the effect of the new legislation on the UK as whole."

Southwark council is currently consulting on plans to put a cap on the number of bars allowed in five areas of the borough after figures showed more than 2,000 calls to police in 2006 for drink-related incidents between midnight and 4am.

ic South london

Children aged 13 caught in blitz on underage drinkers

Children as young as 13 have been found drinking alcohol in the streets of the Capital in a crackdown by police.

Seventy litres of alcohol were seized from groups of underage youths in the parks and lanes of Leith over five nights.

One shopkeeper in Leith Walk has been charged for selling alcohol to a 15-year-old boy following the campaign.

Sergeant Mark Rennie, from the Safer Communities Unit at Leith said: "The message is clear. Check for proof of age, and if you are in any doubt, do not sell the alcohol.

"It is disappointing that, despite receiving a visit by the police and the council highlighting the issue, a staff member from the shop was charged less than ten days later. Hopefully this will provide a wake-up call for other off-sale premises in Leith and highlight to shopkeepers that officers and staff from the council are paying attention to this issue.

"We often have to deal with the problems that result from underage drinking in the area and the work we are now doing to educate youngsters at schools, confiscate alcohol and target off-sale premises is designed to ensure we make a lasting impact."

The initiative, which involved police visiting notorious youth drinking dens, mainly around Leith Walk, took place on Saturday nights over the past two months. Last Saturday alone, 20 litres of alcohol were seized.

Sgt Rennie said: "It's quite alarming. The main group we target are 13 to 16-year-olds.

"We know where they are likely to go and at what times, and going to those areas has led us to know a bit more. It's not a surprise to us because we know alcohol is a problem from the amount of complaints we get from residents."

Police and council officials visited 35 off-licences in Leith and circulated advice to staff on the need to ask for age identification when selling alcohol to younger people.

This was followed up by patrols by plain clothes officers that led to the detection of the Leith Walk offender.

The police sergeant added: "It's not just shopkeepers selling to underage drinkers we want to stop. We need to put a halt to over 18s buying alcohol for younger folk. We need to reduce not only the availability of alcohol to youngsters, but also the demand for it in their own minds through education."

Leith councillor Marjorie Thomas, who is also convener of the licensing board, said that underage drinking was a problem in the area.

"I'm delighted the police have been successful in seizing some of this and it just emphasises how big an issue it is," she said.

"Certainly a lot of young people in Leith are aware of it as a problem and have acted accordingly. As a licensing board we will be treating the sale of alcohol to underage youngsters as one of our priorities. It's not just a problem for Leith, it's everywhere."

Scotsman

A fifth of Sussex people have drink problem

One in five people in Sussex has a drink problem and almost 6,500 people across the county are drug users, new figures claim.

The announcement coincides with today's annual Sussex Drug and Alcohol conference at the University of Sussex, where more than 200 front-line workers, service users and carers will discuss treatments and developments.

Official figures say there are 3,380 drug users having treatment in Brighton and Hove, 1,900 in East Sussex and 1,200 in West Sussex. The actual figure is believed to be higher as it does not take into account the number of people using needle exchanges.

Health officials say about 20 per cent of the population are believed to be drinking in a way that harms their health.

Nick Casey, a substance abuse coordinator for Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust, said a lot of work was being done to bring drug and alcohol abuse down across the county with the NHS, police, councils and voluntary sector working together.

He said: "One of the jobs being done is to train people who work in areas such as housing, teaching and the probation service so they can learn how to help people who appear to be having problems and steer them in the right direction so they can get help.

"Other work includes targeting known users and criminals to get the message across. A recent successful campaign was held in Hastings and Eastbourne, where we placed large adverts on buses and distributed cards wherever we could.

"Promoting services available is also important and we need to target all sections of society. It is not just the marginalised, homeless people who can develop problems, it can also be happening in socalled respectable families."

For the past few years Brighton and Hove has had the unenviable title of drugs death capital of Britain. From 2003 to 2005 the city had the highest number of drug deaths a year per 100,000 population in the whole of England and Wales.

But the number of drugs-relateddeaths in Brighton has been falling - from 51 in 2005 to 43 in 2006.

Work being done to tackle the problem includes a harm reduction service centre in St George's Place, which provides needle exchanges, peer support and help for people coming off drugs.

Operation Reduction, run by Sussex Police, the charity Crime Reduction Initiatives and the city's drug and alcohol action team (DAAT), focuses on getting users into treatment and dealers off the streets.

Since it was launched in autumn 2005, more than 100 users have received treatment and burglaries in the city have fallen by 57 per cent.

In east Brighton, break-ins are down by 86 per cent and the scheme has received national awards and recognition.

Another project, one of the first of its kind in the country, has helped drug users who have become persistent shoplifters get treatment to tackle their addictions, leading to a 45 per cent drop in reported shoplifting incidents in the city.

A street services team helps rough sleepers and specialist nurses provide support to GPs treating users. Also, the city's treatment services, which help about 600 people a year, have been assessed independently as among the top ten in the country.

The Argus

Alcohol law 'trebles' A&E visits

The introduction of 24-hour drinking laws may have trebled alcohol-related admissions to A&E departments in inner city areas at night, researchers say.

A study at London's St Thomas' Hospital compared overnight visits before and after the 2005 law change.

There were 80 alcohol-related visits in March 2005. This hit 250 in 2006, the Emergency Medicine Journal said.

Critics say data from one hospital cannot be applied to the whole of England and Wales.

However, the authors, who examined the emergency department at St Thomas' Hospital, said their study was representative of the problems in inner city areas across the country.

"If reproduced over longer time periods and across the UK as a whole, the additional numbers of patients presenting to emergency care could be very substantial," they said.

The figures, the authors suggest, "indicate that the legislation has had the opposite effect to that intended".

Mixed messages

While those opposed to the November 2005 Licensing Act argued it would increase drink-related problems such as violence and illness, evidence up until now has either shown there has been little change or some reduction.

In November 2006 - one year on from the act - several NHS trusts reported that they had yet to see any adverse changes.

Two other studies, meanwhile, suggested that in some areas the level of violence had decreased - leading in turn to a fall in people arriving at A&E with alcohol-related assault injuries.

However, these studies did not take into account those arriving with health problems or self-inflicted injuries apparently caused by excess drinking.

Taking all these together, researchers at St Thomas' Hospital found that alcohol-related admissions trebled over that year.

The percentage change was slightly less dramatic, up from 3% of total visits in 2005 to 8% in 2006.

Media coverage

The researchers accepted that one of the reasons for the increase could be increased awareness among A&E doctors about alcohol-related problems.

This followed the intense media coverage of the introduction of the Licensing Act and its potential implications, they added.

But they said doctors had received no extra training, nor were they aware that a study was taking place.

Both the Department of Health and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which was behind the legislation, were dismissive of the findings, noting that the study only related to one hospital in one particular month.

The British Beer and Pub Association, meanwhile, stressed that alcohol sales across the country fell in 2006, and that the volume sold specifically through pubs and bars fell by more than 2%.
Many pubs have not applied for late licenses and those which have done so successfully are only staying open for an extra hour or so.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: "It was always unlikely that a change in opening hours alone was going to move us to a continental style of drinking.

"Cheaper, non-alcoholic options, more food options, and 'cool off' zones within their establishments would all go a long way to minimising the risk of harm to revellers."

BBC News

Calls for booze to be banned from streets

Wrexham could become only the second place in the UK to enforce a county-wide ban on boozing in public places.

It would also become the first authority in Wales to make the move if calls from an opposition leader on the council are carried out.

Cllr Neil Rogers said residents in the town and the surrounding villages were "sick and tired" of having to put up with drunken yobs consuming vast amounts of alcohol on the streets and in parks.

The councillor told yesterday's executive board meeting, during a debate on a new anti-social behaviour strategy, that Wrexham should be the first authority in Wales, and only the second in Britain, to introduce a total ban on boozing in all public places.

Cllr Rogers said: "Every Friday and Saturday night, in every community in Wrexham borough, there is alcohol being consumed by young children. It is a concern which keeps coming up at every community council meeting and every residents' meeting.

"People are sick and tired of it. They are fed up to the back teeth of these youngsters drinking alcohol and then causing problems.

"Not only are they drinking illegally, they don't take the bottles back to the shop or recycle them, they insist on smashing them, causing a major health and safety problem for communities.

"The only answer I can see is that we become the first council in Wales to impose a blanket ban on drinking in public places. The police have the power to take the alcohol away. Communities are being threatened and we must protect them.

"The legislation is there. Let's make it work and let's stop this anti-social behaviour in these communities. If we identify hotspots and impose bans bit by bit we will be
here until 2020. We can't do it piecemeal – we have got to have a total ban."

However, council officers told the meeting the Home Office was not keen on introducing total bans – although they also pointed out that Brighton Council was allowed to introduce a blanket ban.

They said the Home Office favoured councils identifying hotspots where problem drinking occurred and then introducing bans in those areas.

Council leader Cllr Aled Roberts said it was clear drinking on the streets was making "people's lives a misery". He said if the Home Office did not support a blanket ban the council could hold a workshop for councillors to look at the issue and develop the idea.

After further debate it was agreed to support the council's anti-social behaviour strategy.

Flintshire Standard

Drink-related cases at A&E have trebled since 24-hour licensing

The number of alcohol-related visits to hospital has trebled since the introduction of 24-hour licensing laws, a study suggests.

The Government was accused of failing to tackle binge drinking after doctors reported a big rise in alcohol-related injuries at a large inner city hospital in London.

The new licensing law, which allows alcohol to be served around the clock, took effect in November 2005. It was intended to reduce heavy drinking at closing time and associated crime and disorder. However, researchers writing in the Emergency Medicine Journal today say that the legislation may have had the opposite effect, leading to a large rise in alcohol-related visits to accident and emergency (A&E) departments during the night.

The study, led by Alastair Newton, at St Thomas’ Hospital in Central London, was based on night visits to its A&E department before and after the change. In March 2005 there were 2,736 attendances at A&E during the night, of which 79 (2.9 per cent) were defined as being related to alcohol. A year later there were 3,135 attendances in the same month, of which 250 (8 per cent) were related to alcohol.

The authors said that the “significant increase” they found in their study was likely to reflect the situation at other inner city hospitals across Britain and gave warning of “very substantial” numbers of additional patients over time.

Opposition parties described the findings as “deeply worrying”, but the Department of Health said that other, more comprehensive, research had not suggested an increase in A&E attendances.

All patients aged over 16 who attended A&E between 9pm and 9am during either of the months were included in the research. They were defined as having an alcohol-related problem if they had drunk before going to hospital, or if they were intoxicated when examined or in their final diagnosis.

The number of visits arising from assault associated with excess drinking more than doubled between the two study periods, the researchers said. There were 27 alcohol-related assaults reported at the hospital in March 2005, rising to 62 in March 2006.

The authors said it was likely that the increase was in part related to the new laws. They called for longer-term assessments to help police and health workers to deal with the effects of alcohol. “The increase in alcohol-related problems we have recorded is the opposite of the effect the legislation was designed to produce,” they write.

“If reproduced over longer time periods and across the UK as a whole, the additional numbers of patients presenting to emergency departments with alcohol-related problems could be very substantial.”

In February official figures showed that alcohol-related deaths in Britain had nearly doubled in the past 15 years. In 2004, 17.4 men and 8.1 women per 100,000 of the population suffered alcohol-related deaths. In 1991, 9 men and 4.8 women per 100,000 died from drinking too much.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: “It was always unlikely that a change in opening hours alone was going to move us to a ‘continental’ style of drinking. If the Government hopes to make our streets safer at night, then it needs to prevent a saturation of licensed premises through planning laws and more proactive policing.” The spokesman said that licensees should offer cheaper nonalcoholic drinks, more food options and “cool-off” zones.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “This is one study from one hospital. It is misleading to say that this is representative for the whole country. More recent and more comprehensive reports from other areas have found the opposite – that the new licensing laws have not led to an increase in A&E admissions.”

The Times

'Hospital casualty admissions trebled' since 24-hour drinking

The number of patients being treated by hospital casualty departments has tripled since the introduction of 24-hour drinking, a study has suggested.

The controversial liberalisation of the licensing laws led to sharp increases in the number of overnight alcohol-related assaults and other injuries dealt with by a Central London hospital.

Ministers claimed the relaxation of the laws, in November 2005, would encourage a more civilised atmosphere in pubs and would promote a European-style cafe culture.

But the doctor who led the study said it showed 24-hour drinking was increasingly harming the public. Dr Alastair Newton, who works in the accident and emergency department at St Thomas' Hospital, said: 'The increase in alcohol-related problems we have recorded is the opposite of the effect the legislation was designed to produce.

'In addition, our data suggests that the legislation has also failed to achieve its intended improvement in public safety and reduction in alcohol-related crime and disorder.'

In March 2005, 2,736 patients turned up to A&E at St Thomas' during the night. In March 2006, the number was slightly up at 3,135.

But the number attending A&E for alcohol-related reasons shot up at a much higher rate, from 79 to 250. That meant that in March 2006, 8 per cent of casualty patients had been affected by alcohol, compared with

2.9 per cent in March 2005.

Similarly, alcohol-related assaults went up from 27 cases to 62, while alcohol-related injuries increased from 44 to 129. There was some overlap between these categories.

The number admitted to a bed at the hospital for alcohol-related reasons was also up, from 24 cases to 71.

The authors said their findings were likely to be representative of inner- city A&E departments across the UK, adding that it meant the number turning up to casualty after drinking too much was likely to be 'very substantial'.

Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster said: 'This report is a damning indictment of the Government's efforts to tackle binge drinking.

'They were repeatedly warned that it was dangerous to change licensing laws when binge drinking was already such a problem.'

Last month, government figures revealed that there had been a 14 per cent increase in hospital admissions for drink problems since the licensing laws were relaxed.

There were 187,640 alcohol-related hospital admissions in England during 2005/2006, compared with 164,787 the year before. The number of alcohol-related deaths climbed from 4,037 to 6,570.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: 'We want to turn around people's attitudes to alcohol. This will not happen overnight and it will not be done solely through the new licensing laws.'

Daily Mail

Move to curb region's alcohol abuse problem

Growing concern at the scale of alcohol abuse in the region has prompted health bosses to consider setting up a new regional body to try to reduce excessive drinking.

Officials have confirmed that work is under way to investigate the setting up of a regional Office of Safe Consumption of Alcohol, or Osca.

It would provide a high-profile focus for efforts to cut the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Efforts to reduce smoking levels in the region have been led by Fresh North-East, an organisation which grew out of a regional Office for Tobacco Control.

While this paved the way for the introduction of the July 1 ban on smoking in enclosed public places, there is no suggestion that there are plans to enforce restrictions on alcohol consumption.

The emphasis would be on education - raising awareness of moderate alcohol consumption - and improved treatment facilities.

Details about the plans for Osca are contained in Tackling Inequalities In County Durham and Darlington, the annual report of Dr Tricia Cresswell, executive director of Public Health, County Durham Primary Care Trust and Darlington Primary Care Trust.

Dr Cresswell said "considerable progress" has been made in tackling smoking and access to sexual health services.

But while some progress has been made in tackling alcohol misuse and obesity, "the sheer magnitude of the task" has become more apparent, she said.

Dr Cresswell said extra money would be invested in treatment services for those who abuse alcohol.

Darlington has been chosen to pilot a national approach to alcohol abuse, called Trail Blazers.

Under the scheme, trained staff will work with problem drinkers in three settings - hospital accident and emergency departments, primary care and the criminal courts.

Northern Echo

Alcohol 'no excuse' for violence

Legislation will stop drunkenness being used as an excuse for criminal behaviour, Justice Secretary Kenny McAskill is expected to announce.

Mr McAskill is planning to tell a conference of world experts at Tulliallen Police college he will crack down on drink-fuelled violence.

Seven out of 10 people accused of murder in Scotland were under the influence of drink or drugs.

The justice secretary will be speaking at a Violence Reduction Unit event.

The third "Milestones of a Global Campaign For Violence Prevention" conference at the Fife college has been organised on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Figures show that almost half of Scotland's 7000 prisoners claim to have been drunk at the time of their offence.

At the conference, worldwide experts will discuss developments in research, policy and practice for violence prevention.

The two-day meeting, to be held at Tulliallan Castle from 17 to 19 July, is expected to attract more than 200 researchers, practitioners and advocates in the field.

According to the WHO, the theme of the meeting "Scaling Up" addresses the fact that increasing numbers of countries are taking action on the basis that violence can be prevented.

Child aggression

Among the key speakers will be Professor Irvin Waller, founding CEO of the International Centre for Prevention of Crime and pioneer of the UN Declaration on Justice for Victims.

Another world expert will discuss her work in violence-reduction in school classrooms during a session with Paddy Tomkins, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland.

Mary Gordon is founder of the Canada-based Roots of Empathy programme that has shown dramatic effects in reducing levels of aggression and violence among schoolchildren.

The Mexican health minister Dr José Ángel Córdova, and Dr Kofi Ahmed, chief medical officer of Ghana, are expected to speak about violence prevention initiatives in their countries.

Several UK experts will participate in the event, addressing topics such as the links between violence in the media and crime, and links between alcohol and violence.

A series of workshops will also cover a range of topics from the importance of early years education, schools-based life skills training programmes for youngsters, to policing and criminal justice.

The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) was set up in 2005 and is led by Det Ch Supt John Carnochan.

"This conference demonstrates the understanding that we now have between the police and health professionals over the need for a shared agenda and ability to work together to tackle violence using the public health model," he said.

According to the VRU, Scotland is the only country in the world currently addressing violence using the model described in the WHO's 2002 World Report on Violence and Health.

BBC News

Grog bans slashes arrest rate from 70 to zero

Police have declared Tennant Creek's weekend alcohol bans a success after reporting no arrests on Saturday night.

It is understood police can regularly take up to 70 people into protective custody on Saturday nights because of alcohol fuelled and domestic violence.

The Licensing Commission used its emergency powers to restrict the sale of takeaway alcohol from Friday.

The bans restricted takeaway sales to light or mid-strength beer or bottled wine, until midday today.

Divisional Superintendent Bruce Porter said yesterday that the 24 hours following the ban had showed "a remarkable decrease in domestic violence incidences, disturbances and alcohol-related incidents."

However, the local women's shelter was reportedly full by Saturday morning.

The number of women at the shelter was one of the reasons restrictions were introduced.

Licensing Minister Chris Burns said the decision was made at the request of police, who reported a large number of alcohol fuelled disturbances which coincided with the Tennant Creek Show.

"Police have taken a large number of people into protective custody," he said.

The increase in violence included two brawls occurring within hours of each other, one involving up to 70 people.

Fourteen people were treated for wounds at the hospital on Friday.

Licensing Commissioner Richard O'Sullivan said the decision to restrict takeaways had not been taken lightly.

"We're stepping in to stop the problem escalating through alcohol fuelled behaviour," he said.

"We realise this does impose hardship on the licensees and the law abiding citizens.

"It's unfortunate that this takes place during their show weekend but the behaviour of the irresponsible minority has forced the commission's hand in this regard."

Residents and businesses were angry at the impromptu ban that came on the eve of the Tennant Creek show long-weekend.

The Daily Telegraph

Police: Parents part of problem

A group of 16 youths were rounded up for underage drinking early yesterday morning at a beach rental unit, where police say there was so much alcohol, it took two cruisers to get it all back to the station.

The police arrived at the vacation spot, which they’ve been to before for parties, and found some kids inside and others fleeing. The teenagers caught were between the ages 16 and 20, hailing mostly from the Andover and Lowell areas.

The illegal drinking and presence of an “exorbitant amount of alcohol” was bad enough, police Chief David Currier said, but to him what made matters worse was the response many parents had when they picked their children up at the Seabrook Police Station.

“We were very concerned about the reaction of some of the parents when they came to the station to get their kids,” Currier said yesterday. “The first thing some parents did was come in and give their kids a big hug, comforting them as if they were the victims. Underage drinking is a societal problem. What kind of message are we sending the youth of today when parents don’t even hold their kids accountable for bad behavior?”

Tarnya Cody, the dispatcher on duty at the time, said although there was one parent who was very upset with his child, others appeared more perturbed with police for detaining the youths, forcing parents to drive to the station in the wee hours of the morning.

“One parent asked how long would it be before ‘these children’ would be released,” Currier said. “He was picking up more than just his child, so other parents wouldn’t have to drive up here. I personally think parents should be made to come down to the police station and pick up their own children, but that isn’t the way the (New Hampshire) law reads. We simply have to release youth to a sober, responsible adult.”

Currier, the father of three daughters, said police see parents who want to be seen by their children as their peers, instead of parents and authority figures. Getting drunk and being in custody of police should not be considered by a parent as a rite of passage for their children who are simply sowing a few wild oats, he said. Children need structure and limits and to be held accountable for their behavior, Currier said, and in too many of the cases that come before them, police aren’t seeing that happening.

“When we were kids, getting arrested was the least of our problems,” Currier said. “What would be worse was what our parents were going to do and say when they got us home. But for too many kids today, this isn’t the case.”

Currier said duty officers Daniel Lawrence and Detective Scott Mendes were patrolling in Seabrook’s Beach District as part of their normal night patrols when they came across a couple of kids wandering around about 1:30 Friday morning.

The officers became inquisitive, Currier said, and followed the kids back to the Tilton Street beach rental unit. When they realized what was going on, Lawrence and Mendes called for backup. Sgt. Jason Allen and Officers Kevin Gelineau, Adam Laurent and Chet Felch arrived quickly to assist.

Most of the youths were in the house, and many attempted to hide or flee, Currier said, but eventually all 16 were rounded up and transported to the station.

“We were in luck,” Currier said with a smile. “This time our transport van actually started, so we didn’t have to call Salisbury or Hampton (police departments) for help with transport. It took the van and two cruisers to bring everyone back. We have six cells in the station. It was a pretty packed house.”

Currier said the Tilton house is a summer rental unit, and he was not completely surprised it wasn’t occupied by a responsible adult. Currier said police are in the process of investigating the situation.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened there,” Currier said. “We’ve had problems like this with that rental unit numerous times in the past.”

Newburyport News

Booze driving 'could be on rise'

One of North Yorkshire's top cops has hit out after figures showed drink driving is now more common in summer than at Christmas.

The results of a week-long police safety campaign across the UK and Europe also show drink driving may be on the rise.

Police in 21 countries took part in an operation last month. In the UK, 11,405 drivers were stopped with almost eight per cent (906) found to be over the alcohol limit.

Adam Briggs, North Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Constable, is the Association of Chief Police Officers' head of European Road Policing.

He said: "We are determined to get the message home that drink driving is unacceptable at any time of the year.

"These results illustrate why we must be vigilant. We will carry out checks day and night throughout the year, backed up by intensive week-long campaigns like this one."
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The figures showed a large percentage increase compared with a similar week-long campaign held in the run-up to Christmas 2006. That campaign saw 31,451 checked with only 4.48 per cent proving positive.

Co-ordinated by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network, the campaign saw 692,187 drivers across the continent checked for alcohol with 2.83 per cent (19,597) proving positive.

A TISPOL spokesman said: "This marks a substantial increase in the number of drink drivers caught when compared with similar campaigns both last summer and Christmas."

The Christmas 2006 campaign saw 738,853 drivers checked in the week leading up to Christmas, with 2.11 per cent (15,593) proving positive.

A similar week-long campaign last June saw 587,146 drivers checked and 2.18 per cent (12,819) had positive results.

TISPOL president Eddy Greif said the results were of great concern.

He said: "The rise in the number being caught could be down to police being better able to spot drink drivers, but it could also suggest that drink driving is on the increase.

"Whichever it is, the fact that so many drink drivers were caught in a single week is a matter for great concern.

Police in York and Selby have now launched Operation Capable, which is aimed at tackling the number of people killed and seriously injured on the area's roads.

Officers will be focusing on drink drivers in the evenings as part of the operation.

York Press

Alcohol - a look at the real problem

I feel the need to address this issue, as I have been feeling very frustrated and sometimes even hopeless about what I see going on here. I am a retired alcohol and drug counsellor from the United States. I have a master’s degree in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Sciences. I have worked both in a rehab center and in private agencies. I’m saying this so the reader knows I do have the qualifications to say what I’m going to say.

In addition, my husband and I have been coming to the Cayman Islands for over twenty years. We have been involved in the alcohol and drug community doing volunteer work since that time. We have seen the downward progression of the use of drugs that has occurred during these twenty years. We also are aware of what has occurred and what has not occurred in the area of treatment of alcohol and drug abusers. However, I intend to focus this letter on alcohol, not drugs.

It is my opinion that the Cayman Islands are at least twenty years behind the United States in their treatment of alcohol and drug abusers. My first position as a counsellor was in a rehab center. The philosophy of that treatment center was entirely different than what I see happening here – and that was well over twenty years ago.

That said, I want to say that it is obvious that alcohol abuse has become a major issue here in the Cayman Islands. What needs to be done? How do we address this issue? How come drinking by our youth continues to escalate? How come people continue to drink and drive although they have been warned of the danger and the consequences of driving intoxicated?

My opinion of where we are falling down is by not discussing the real issue here – the issue is alcohol. It is a primary problem. We blame the reason our kids are dying in traffic accidents on speed. We fail to acknowledge how often drinking plays a role in these unnecessary deaths. We think not opening a liquor store in Savannah is one solution to the problem. This reminds me of a clinical psychologist I once knew who had no experience in dealing with alcohol and drugs. She suggested the drinker drive down another street so he wouldn’t go past his usual pub. Like there’s not another pub on the next street?

Drinking seems to be a way of life here in the Cayman Islands. It is culturally accepted. Why should our kids be any different? They, too, are growing up in this culture. The other issue is most people do not seem to understand the difference between social drinking, alcohol abuse, and the disease of alcoholism.

There doesn’t seem to be continuity when a person is arrested for drinking and driving. Some people seem to be fined and lose their license. It seems that occasionally a person is mandated to get some counselling and/or education. My opinion is that an alcohol assessment needs to be done on every individual who is arrested for drinking and driving and he/she should be attending educational classes that focus on alcohol use.

How come drinking problems aren’t addressed before individuals are given the option of prison or treatment? Many of the people who end up in treatment here would be on what we call “skid row” (homeless) in the US. Families often take care of these individuals here in Cayman and they do not end up having to be responsible for their behaviour. Consequently, the cycle goes on and on.

Another major issue is that family members do not understand the role they play in the drinking pattern. Family members become anxious and begin to worry, make excuses, pour liquor down the drain, go out and look for their loved one, or sometimes even believe it is their fault the person drinks.

What does all of this mean for the community?

This doesn’t involve just looking at the problem of youth/teen drinking. It means looking at the cultural issues that have led to the issue we are faced with today. It means adults looking at their own drinking patterns. It means addressing alcohol problems before individuals have major losses in their lives (e.g. marriage, family, employment, driver’s license, prison, etc.). It means family members looking at the role they play in the drinking scenario. It means educating people on alcohol abuse, the disease of alcoholism, and the effects on the family. It means family members may need to be the first to reach out for help for themselves, not only focus on the drinker and say he/she needs help; it’s not my problem. It’s everyone’s problem and until this is acknowledged and action is taken, nothing will change.

This has been on my heart for a long time and I need to get this out in the open – to “rock the boat” so to speak. It’s not that I haven’t tried to have some influence in the past. I have been told I am “too old” to work for the government. If my observations and opinions are not accepted or addressed, so be it. However, my hope for the future is that we can begin to educate the people here on the island about alcohol use, alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and the effects on families.

Cayman Net News

Shock drink lessons in the classroom

Dolls that scream and shake are being used to warn schoolchildren of the horrific effects of drink or drugs during pregnancy.

The computerised dolls are programmed to behave like a 28-week-old baby who is undergoing withdrawal symptoms because of drugs or alcohol used by a mother while it was in the womb.

And pupils at Canon Slade School in Bolton were shocked to see how the dolls reacted.

Made in America, the dolls have different physical features. The alcohol-affected doll has extended ears and skull and the drugs baby is thin and trembles periodically.

The school obtained the dolls through the national Mother's Union organisation.

Ian Parkinson, the Applied Science course leader at the Bradshaw school, said: "These babies are actually born physically different, and the drug-addicted doll shakes when it cries."
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The pupils, who have just completed their GCSEs, were originally given normal "virtual babies" to learn about childcare and parenting.

These virtual babies were programmed to demand attention and need feeding and winding. The pupils took them home to experience what parenthood was really like.

Mr Parkinson said the children were then given the drink and drug-affected "virtual babies" during class. Dolls representing different races are used.

"Having these babies really made them think not only about the effects alcohol can have on their own health, but that of the unborn child," he said.

Foetal alcohol syndrome, caused by alcohol from the mother's blood crossing into the womb, is irreversible and is the biggest cause of non-genetic mental handicap in the Western world.

The Canon Slade children also learned that alcohol abuse by both partners can cause permanent physical abnormalities in the baby.

Mr Parkinson said taking part in the project was more beneficial than just earning a Certificate of Personal Effectiveness qualification.

"The course is challenging but it makes young people think about issues," he said. "We also had Alcoholics Anonymous in school and two people talked about being alcoholics and their recovery."

Sophie Hewitt, aged 16, said: "Seeing these two babies was a real eye-opener. It was shocking and scary "Alcohol is legal and is a big part of society and many people do not realise what harm it can cause. The drugs baby was born so thin."

Jade-Lee Smith, aged 16, added: "All young people should be given a chance to see and hold these virtual babies. You learn more this way than reading about it.

"It was quite startling to see the damage alcohol can have. It is scary."

"Virtual babies" have been used in Britain for several years in the campaign to cut down on teenage pregnancy. They were also used during the first series of Big Brother, when contestants had to look after a doll nicknamed "Juanita".

Since then, the dolls have been developed to allow health and education authorities to highlight the difference between healthy babies and those born with addictions.

They were trialled in Cleveland in 2003 and have since been used by several organisations across the UK, including the Fairbridge charity which works with inner-city youngsters.

Bolton News

Chantix may curb alcohol dependence as well as smoking

Pfizer’s anti-smoking drug Chantix may also be effective in curbing alcohol dependence, according to a new animal study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

The study, led by Selena Bartlett, director of the preclinical development group at the UCSF-affiliated Gallo Clinic and Research Center, involved studies with rats who had access to unlimited amounts of alcohol. Under these conditions, they steadily increased their alcohol intake over several months but the first day they received just one dose of Chantix (varenicline), marketed in the UK as Champix, they cut their drinking in half.

Furthermore, the rats received varenicline every other day for a week, and during this period maintained their lower drinking level when the drug was discontinued, they returned to their previous level but no higher. In addition, the drug did not kill appetite, unlike naltrexone, currently the most effective treatment to curb alcohol dependence. The findings have been published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

“The biggest thrill is that this drug, which has already proved safe for people trying to stop smoking, is now a potential drug to fight alcohol dependence,” Dr Bartlett says. “Alcoholism takes a tremendous toll, and so few drugs are available to counter it.” She added that 85% of alcoholics smoke, so if clinical trials confirm varenicline is effective against alcoholism, physicians can prescribe the drug to treat both conditions. Her team, in collaboration with Markus Heilig at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, is now planning clinical trials of Chantix’ effectiveness against alcohol craving and dependence.

Varenicline probably reduces both drinking and smoking because nicotine and alcohol trigger the same “reward circuitry” in the brain, Dr Bartlett noted. Consumption of either substance activates receptors on neurons within this circuitry, deep in the brain in an area known as the ventral tegmental area and this action is thought to release the “feel good” neurotransmitter dopamine into another part of the circuitry, the nucleus accumbens.

The receptor involved is called the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Nicotine binds directly to it, while alcohol induces the release of another neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which then activates the receptor. Either way, dopamine is released, the UCSF researchers said, noting that Chantix also binds to the receptor, and so prevents its activation by nicotine, and maybe alcohol.

Since its safety has already been established, varenicline can be put to clinical use much more quickly if it is found effective in people, Dr Bartlett argues: “Treatments for alcoholism today are like those for schizophrenia in the ‘60s. People don’t talk about it. There are very few treatments, and most drug companies are not interested in it.”

She concluded that “it’s a disease. If you’ve inherited a gene variant, or if some other cause leads you to alcohol dependence, it should be treated – like any disease.

Pharma Times

Staff face a work hours alcohol ban

Lunchtime drinking could be stopped under new plans to make Britain more healthy

The idea of banning all alcohol around the workplace is gathering force as the evidence against the demon drink piles up.

Earlier this year a report published by a group of experts from the Academy for Medical Sciences said that alcohol is more harmful than some Class A drugs.

Drink was ranked the fifth most harmful of the 20 drugs examined, ahead of ampheta-mines, cannabis and ecstasy.

According to the Health and Safety Commission, 90% of human-resources directors from top British organisations say that alcohol is a problem. The commission also claims it accounts for 8m to 14m lost working days in this country each year.

A survey carried out by YouGov for Pru Health found that each day some 200,000 British workers turn up to work hung over from the night before.

“That’s a frightening number of lost days,” said Nigel Lynn, managing director of the professional and executive division of the Carlisle recruitment group. “It is a huge loss of productivity.”

Although Lynn believes that a ban on drinking in and around the workplace similar to the national smoking prohibition may emerge in the future, he is not convinced that there will be completely dry companies, employing only nondrinkers, as some people have suggested.

“There is already a skills shortage. You don’t want to bring in another restriction,” he said. “In the end you have to ask people to be sensible and responsible about alcohol. Obviously, we can’t have drinking at work but there is no reason to ban a glass of wine over a business lunch. Companies should have a code of conduct about drinking and stick to it.

“Where there are problem drinkers, they need to be helped. Companies are already encouraging their workers not to go straight to the pub after work. They often offer perks of gym membership or set up sports events for them. We are all becoming more aware of the effects of drinking on our health,” said Lynn.

Reflecting this, more companies are formalising their policy on alcohol. In a survey carried out by the law firm Browne Jacobson, it was found that 57% of businesses ban drinking altogether during working hours, which includes lunchtime.

There are regional variations, with a much sterner view being taken in the West Midlands than the rest of England and Wales. The most liberal is the southeast, where only one in four businesses have drinking bans.

Peter Jones, employment partner at Browne Jacobson, defends the policy: “It is not so much a case of businesses wanting to be prescriptive, as aiming to ensure safety, quality and productivity at work.

“Businesses relying on drinking bans must ensure that these policies are consistently applied and that the reasoning behind them is clearly communicated to staff and fully understood throughout the organisation,” he said.

Sikin Andela, an employment-law specialist at Glovers Solicitors, said employers had a right to ban alcohol during the working day without fear of being accused of discrimination. But she said: “They should be careful when devising alcohol policies. It may not be possible to apply them to existing employees.”

In the public sector, outright drinking bans are not so common, and there is greater reliance on common sense.

Birmingham city council doesn’t ban all drinking during working hours except for workers who are driving or using machinery but people are expected to behave reasonably.

Its spokeswoman, Janet Priest-ley, said: “There are some occasions when it is appropriate to have a drink at work a party in an old people’s home, for example.”

Brighton and Hove city council, which has 8,000 employees, takes a more stringent view.

Its deputy leader, Sue John, said: “We introduced a complete ban on drinking during working hours in 2005. It is deliberately a clear policy ruling out drinking, including at lunchtime. We don’t see it as a Big Brother policy at all. It is more about getting people to take responsibility for their own actions.

“It has worked well. There are a lot of benefits for the council, including a healthier work-force and a better image with the public. It also helps us to manage our health and safety and increases the productivity of our workers.

“Council staff are allowed to drink in their own time in the evening and at weekends. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their lifestyles. But when they are at evening functions because of their job, they have to stick to soft drinks,” she said. This does not apply to elected councillors, although they are expected to adhere to their code of conduct.

“The drinks ban is something that might catch on in the public sector,” she said. “We are in the front line here. It wasn’t inspired by a particular case. It came from our continued focus on gaining further professionalism in our work.

“If employees are known to have been drinking they are sent written reminders of the rules and given warnings under the normal disciplinary procedures. For us, this has been enough enforcement. We haven’t found it necessary to be so heavy-handed as to use a breathalyser but if people smell of alcohol they are asked to go home at once,” she said.

Helen Symons of Alcohol Concern said that banning drink during the working day would be a huge first step in helping employees with a drink problem, but other steps must follow.

“It must be regarded as a health rather than a discipline problem,” she said. “Workers need to be given support and not stigmatised and their confidenti-ality needs to be respected. Managers need appropriate training. Specialist treatment should be available and a clear policy publicised regularly,” she said.

Whatever has to be done, there is little doubt that it will be cost-effective. Government figures for alcohol problems in the UK estimate the annual total cost of reduced performance and productivity amounts to £6.4 billion.

That is a sobering thought.

Times Online

Teen drinking still a serious problem

Each day, 5,400 American citizens under the age of 16 take their first drink of alcohol. Some might say that this is one of the primary substance abuse problems in the United States.

In connection with teen drinking is the alarming fact that teens who have had their license for a comparatively short period of time are drinking and driving. Teen drinking doesn't just affect people who come from slums or broken families. It affects the family who lives two houses down from you. It affects your local officials' children, senators and even our own beloved president and his daughters.

A study done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that roughly 2.6 million teenagers are unaware that a person can die from an alcohol overdose. Oblivious to this startling fact, teens will drink until they can no longer see, unconscious of their body's decay. These devastating occurrences happen most frequently on the premises of college campuses.

Alcohol depresses nerves that manage involuntary actions such as breathing, the heartbeat and gag reflexes that thwart suffocation. A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually hinder these functions. After the victim stops drinking, the heart continues to beat, and the alcohol in the stomach still enters the bloodstream and circulates through the system.

Various credible surveys released by the Department of Health and Human Services have reported that white male youths have the highest likeliness to drink. White females fall second. Although minorities are often scapegoated as lawbreakers, youths of African-American and Asian descent tend to drink the least, even though there is still quite a high portion that do choose to.

The adolescents of the United States have benefited greatly from the raise in the drinking age. European youths suffer deeply with their ability to drink at an earlier age, and the statistics from a survey done by the European School Survey on Alcohol and Drugs illustrate that the general percentage of binge drinkers is overwhelming. Eighteen may not be a ripe enough age for teens to muster up the gumption to fight off their demons and refrain from drinking in excess.

Approximately three adolescents are killed each day in the United States due to accidents caused by driver under the influence of alcohol.

You may ask yourself how these teens are acquiring their alcohol. I can say fr