Alcohol Issues

Alcohol Issues - Episode 6

Alcohol's (and the Alcohol Industry's) Role in the NCDs Tsunami

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

In my conversation with Nina, we talk about alcohol’s role as risk factor in the global NCDs tsunami and what the NCD Alliance is doing about it. And Nina shares insights into the advocacy environment during and after the coronavirus crisis with regard to attention to non-communicable diseases and their risk factors. We discuss some of the most recent scientific findings about the preventable healthcare costs of NCDs risk factors and shed more light on the concept of commercial determinants of health.

With Nina, we enjoyed a far-reaching conversation and some really deep dives into the topics of NCDs, alcohol, industry interference and advocacy for high-impact policy solutions. And to top it all off, Nina shares her powerful and inspiring thoughts on the most important advocacy issues.

This week we highlight three alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy news, we talk about Canada during COVID-19 and how rising alcohol use is fueling mental health problems and what all that says about the country’s alcohol policy situation. In this week’s Science Digest we look at new research showing just how much healthcare spending could be prevented through policy action on health risk factors such as alcohol. And in the Big Alcohol Watch we expose how Big Alcohol uses the illusion of small-scale alcohol production in the Swedish countryside to lobby for the undoing of the successful Swedish alcohol policy model.

Healthcare Spending Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors in the USA

New Resource: Alcohol and NCDs – Harm and Solutions

Canada and COVID-19: As Alcohol Use Rises, Mental Health Worsens

Health-Care Spending Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors in the USA: An Economic Attribution Analysis

IOGT-NTO Exposes Big Alcohol’s Trojan Horse: “Farm Sales” Benefit Multinational Alcohol Industry Giants, Not Small Local Producers

Alcohol Issues - Episode 5

Lithuania's journey to worldwide alcohol policy-making role model

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

1. Lithuania: Parliament Passes Alcohol Policy Measures. Read more here...

1. Wales: Alcohol Use Falls After MUP Introduction. Read more here...

Alcohol Issues - Episode 4

Lessons from an advocacy success story

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this fourth episode, we are talking with Caterina Giorgi, the CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) in Australia.

With Caterina, we discuss a massive advocacy success to secure alcohol warning labels in Australia and New Zealand against heavy alcohol industry opposition. We talk about the decision as such to understand it in detail. Caterina also reveals the tactics of the alcohol industry but the main focus of the conversation is the lessons that can be drawn from this advocacy success and what the future holds for other alcohol policy solutions.

This is an insightful, inspiring and engaging conversation that helps to shed light on some of the most important elements of successful advocacy campaigns.

This week we highlight four alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy news, we talk about Sweden’s plan to raise alcohol taxes; and we take a look at two European countries’ alcohol policy during the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

And interestingly, this week’s Science Digest and Big Alcohol Watch overlap, meaning that we are discussing two new compelling studies that help expose alcohol industry strategies.

Resources for the conversation with Caterina Giorgi

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

In terms of alcohol policy news, this week we published a story about alcohol policy developments in Sweden and we take a look at the role of alcohol in the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in some countries Estonia and France) and how they are responding.

This week’s Science Digest and Big Alcohol Watch overlap, meaning that we are discussing two new compelling studies that help expose alcohol industry strategies.

The first study we want to highlight was recently published and exposes how the alcohol uses so called nudges and sludges to exploit people’s cognitive biases in order to undermine awareness of alcohol harm and recognition of scientific evidence.

The second study we want to highlight exposes alcohol industry strategies to undermine independent science.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 3

Alcohol as obstacle to development

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this third episode, I’m talking with Dudley Tarlton who is a program specialist for health and development at the United Nations Development Program, UNDP.

It’s an insightful conversation that provides unique perspectives on alcohol as obstacle to development and some inspiring ideas how to tackle it.

UNDP stands out among UN programs and agencies for their strong support of WHO and for their commitment to work on alcohol, health and development. I talk with Dudley about why UNDP is so committed and why some other UN programs and agencies are not yet addressing alcohol harm in their specific fields of expertise.

Dudley and UNDP address alcohol as obstacle to development not only from a health burden perspective but are also making other linkages – to poverty, economy and even environment. Dudley is also going into more detail regarding this unique approach.

And we discuss alcohol policy solutions as catalysts for development: how that works, what resonates with countries and what Dudley thinks are key issues to advance alcohol policy solutions to accelerate the SDGs.

Resources for the conversation with Dudley Tarlton, program specialist, health and development, UNDP

• Issue brief "Preventing and controlling NCDs"

1. Example workshop in African region: https://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/botswana_2016/en/ 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

In terms of alcohol policy news, this week we published a long-read about alcohol harm in the UK, to foster understanding of current issues and the alcohol burden in the country. Two reports came out recently that – taken together – bring into focus the specific alcohol issues troubling British society and the solutions that communities are calling for.

This week’s alcohol issues in science are about alcohol harm to the human brain.

A new study has found even low-dose alcohol use can lead to brain damage in the form of loss of brain volume. These new findings have implications specifically for middle aged and older people. 

This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol dives into a new report about how health harmful industries exploit COVID-19 for marketing purposes.

A brand new report by the NCD Alliance and the SPECTRUM Research Consortium has exposed how Big Alcohol along with other unhealthy industries turns COVID-19 into the world’s largest marketing campaign. The report outlines four main strategies used by these industries and contains more than 360 examples of alcohol industry activities exploiting the public health crisis to pursue profit maximization.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 2

Understanding the global governance of alcohol

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

Resources for the conversation with Dag Rekve, WHO and our in-depth comments

1. Prioritizing action on alcohol for health and development - BMJ article https://movendi.ngo/reports/prioritising-action-on-alcohol-for-health-and-development/ 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

This week’s alcohol issues in science also address alcohol’s role in the NCDs tsunami. A brand new study shows that alcohol plays a strong role in obesity.

https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/07/study-alcohol-use-linked-with-obesity/ 

This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol highlights the issue of market concentration and domination. The story this week is about Heineken in Nigeria pushing for further for beer market dominationthrough increasing its power over Nigerian Breweries. https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/11/nigeria-heineken-pushes-further-for-beer-market-domination/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/04/big-alcohol-more-market-concentration-and-alcohol-market-changes/ 

Alcohol Issues - Episode 1

Reflecting with the WHO about the past, present and future of alcohol control

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

Every episode, we are also bringing you an in-depth conversation about alcohol issues of global importance.

For the very first podcast episode, we’ve set down with Dag Rekve, the senior technical officer at the World Health Organization in Geneva, working on “alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviors”.

Resources for the conversation with Dag Rekve, WHO 

Prioritizing action on alcohol for health and development - BMJ article https://movendi.ngo/reports/prioritising-action-on-alcohol-for-health-and-development/ 

"Russia: Alcohol Control Policy Works" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/10/02/russia-alcohol-control-policy-works/ 

Resources to reflect more about cognitive dissonance:

"Big Alcohol and the Importance of Coporate Literacy in the 21st Century" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/06/18/big-alcohol-and-the-importance-of-corporate-literacy-in-the-21st-century/ 

"Australia: CEOs, Law makers Are the Biggest Alcohol Users" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/04/17/australia-ceos-are-biggest-alcohol-users/ 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

This week’s alcohol issues in science is about alcohol and COVID-19:

"Alcohol's Healthcare Burden during COVID-19 Pandemic" https://movendi.ngo/reports/alcohols-healthcare-burden-during-covid%E2%80%9019-pandemic/ 

This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol highlights strategies to exploit the pandemic:

https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/02/big-alcohol-targets-kids-exploits-pandemic-to-promote-alcohol/