This report, which was carried out by Prof Kevin Malone of UCD’s school of medicine and St Vincent’s hospital, and funded by the charity 3Ts (Turn the Tide of Suicide), foudn that alcohol was a factor in half of the cases of suicide it looked at. The study is based on interviews with families involving 104 suicides between 2003 and 2008. The vast majority of those who died (84) were males, with 14 people taking their lives when they were aged 20 – the highest number of suicides among any one age group.
This article explores alcohol industry attempts to frame the debate about pricing and promotions policy in the United Kingdom. Framing theory, it is argued, offers us important insights into the dynamics of the policymaking process as a contest between competing conceptualizations of both problems and solutions. Drawing on a documentary analysis and a series of interviews with policymakers, public health advocates and alcohol industry actors, it argues that industry actors framed the policy debate in ways which were consistent with their underlying commercial interests. A clear challenge was posed to the industry by the shift towards whole-population interventions favored by the Scottish government. This led to a reassertion of the industry frame in which alcohol-related harm is limited to a small minority of the population and which advocates targeted interventions.
A report commissioned by the EU cites research showing the long-term health effects of even moderate drinking among children. "Preventing Alcohol Use Disorders Among Children and Adolescents in the EU" was published by the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood at the European Parliament. The Working Group is a think-tank informing policy makers and other interested parties about current issues concerning childhood and adolescence and offering policy recommendations to EU institutions and member states.
Alcohol consumption and heavy drinking in young adults have been key concerns for public health. Alcohol marketing is an important factor in contributing to negative outcomes. The rapid growth in the use of new social networking technologies raises new issues regarding alcohol marketing, as well as potential impacts on alcohol cultures more generally. Young people, for example, routinely tell and re-tell drinking stories online, share images depicting drinking, and are exposed to often intensive and novel forms of alcohol marketing.
The paper, written by Dr Tim Stockwell and Dr Gerald Thomas, reviews the most recent evidence on minimum pricing, whilst addressing common criticisms of the policy. The authors conclude that policymakers can be confident that substantial health and social benefits will follow if the measure is introduced in the UK.
