Alcohol and Drugs

As part of its commitment in the framework of the European Alcohol and Health Forum, FEANTSA has gathered information relating to homelessness and alcohol addiction. This briefing paper gives an overview of the main issues, which should be taken into account when addressing alcohol addiction and homelessness.
Based on the input from FEANTSA’s working group on health and social protection, the briefing paper reveals that there are generally high levels of substance misuse among (...)

Use of illicit drugs among 15-16 year-old students appears to have stabilised or slightly fallen, a new study by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) revealed.
The report, which is built on data collected across 35 European countries in 2007, allows for an interesting comparison of changes in adolescent substance use across Europe today. The report also provides an overview of adolescent perceptions about the associated risks and availability of substances. (...)

A snapshot survey of doctors and nurses treating patients in the UK with alcohol-related harm showed that many believe public health campaigns to be ineffective and that action on sales of low priced alcohol is the most important weapon for tackling the rising tide of alcohol problems.
The survey was carried out by two EPHA members, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing. It asked gastroenterologists, hepatologists, acute physicians and nurses for their expert (...)

On Monday 6 April 2009, DG SANCO released a comprehensive report commissioned to RAND Europe on the affordability of alcoholic beverages in the EU. The study found a positive relationship between alcohol affordability, consumption and harm.
The report, “Understanding the link between alcohol affordability, consumption and harms,” analyses the effect of alcohol affordability on consumption and three measures of associated harm : fatal traffic accidents, increase in traffic (...)

A group of leading European health experts today call for a European-wide ban on alcohol advertising that appeals to children and adolescents. Such measures are needed in order to protect young people from the harmful effects of alcohol.
The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) points to an article published in this month’s Clinical Medicine journal that underlines the significant influence marketing has on young people. Evidence from 13 studies of more than 38,000 young people (...)

An article recently published in the British Medical Journal claims that Britain is ’awash with low price, heavily-marketed alcohol.’ In a country where the mortality rate from cirrhosis is now one of the highest in Europe, action is needed to tackle the issue in an adequate manner for the sake of public health.
The UK has seen a steady increase in levels of alcohol consumption over the last twenty years. This has resulted in more alcohol-related deaths, more hospital admissions, and (...)

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has revealed that levels of drug consumption in European remain alarmingly high, and the use of cocaine has even noted an increase in some countries.
In its annual report, presented at the European Parliament, the EMCDDA confirmed that cannabis remains the most widely-used drug in Europe with some 71 million people having tried it at least once in their lives. However, there have been more worrying signs suggesting that (...)

On 3 December 2008 EPHA attended as speaker at the European Public Health Symposium. The event was hosted by the Public Policy Exchange and held at the Centre for Parliamentary Studies in Westminster, London.
The purpose of the event was to examine how partnerships can enable key stakeholders to address the social and health consequences of excessive drinking among the European Population.
The day’s proceedings were chaired by Dr. Nick Sheron, Head of Clinical Hepatology at the University (...)

On 18 September 2008, the Commission adopted an "EU Drugs Action Plan" for the period 2009-2012. The action plan proposes a series of wide-ranging measures to strengthen European cooperation in tackling issues linked to drug use.
The Action Plan will build on the existing framework set out in the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012. The five main priorities of the Action Plan aim to reduce the demand for drugs, raise public awareness, mobilise European citizens, reduce the supply of drugs, improve (...)

Each year, more than two million people die from alcohol-related causes. WHO was asked by its Member States in May at the World Health Assembly to develop a global strategy to combat the harmful use of alcohol. All parties with an interest in reducing the harmful use of alcohol are now invited to share their views in a public hearing being organized by WHO. The one-month web-based hearing will run between 3 and 31 October.
"The harmful use of alcohol is a leading risk factor for premature (...)