Alcohol Companion Newsletter, May 5th 2017
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This week: UK drinking drops, but veteran drinkers crowd hospitals; “Loneliness epidemic” among British men; The Scottish public is split on minimum pricing; Lithuania considers an alcohol ad ban; Queries raised over the alcohol industry's low Australian tax bills; Rats are scapegoated in India. Squaring responsibility with forgiveness in addiction; Alcohol regulation's relationship with liberal values discussed online. Studies find: Alcohol is a breast cancer risk for black women too; A genetic component in post-traumatic stress; Alcohol is analgesic; Men have gayer thoughts after a drink. And, is it time to look at the brain as a whole?
In the news
- Drinking in England has fallen 9% over the last decade and heavy is down 20%, as younger people shun it
- But there were a record number of alcohol-related hospital admissions as baby boomers rock on
- There is a ‘silent epidemic’ of loneliness among British men, with 35-year-olds suffering most. Alcohol can only provide temporary respite
- People in Scotland are evenly split over the prospect of minimum pricing plans for alcohol
- Lithuania, whose people drink the most Europe, is thinking of banning alcohol advertising and raising the drinking age to 20
- Alcohol companies in Australia seem to be paying a surprisingly small amount of tax
- Police in the dry Indian state of Bihar accuse rats of drinking 900,000 litres of seized alcohol
Perspectives
- Addicts can be responsible without blamed, say philosopher Hanna Pickard. Alcohol Companion offers a similar compromise
- Alcohol Companion’s author has a lively discussion with an alcohol industry advocate on minimum unit pricing and liberal values
Studies find
- Alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer in black women, as it is in white ones
- Moderate alcohol intake could increase the risk of breast cancer relapse
- Evidence our ability to recover from trauma is inherited, helping to untangle the relationship of alcohol and stress response
- Alcohol reduces pain, while still being the cause of a great deal
- Men are more likely to entertain the idea of having sex with a man after drinking alcohol
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