Judge Eamonn King, district court judge in Northern Ireland, has said that 80% of cases brought before his court are alcohol related.  Read more here.

A new study carried out by the London School of Economics, reports that the more educated you are, the likelier you are to have a drinking problem, showing a strong correlation amongst women the link between educational attainment and alcohol consumption.  The study was based on 39-year-old men and women, all born in the UK during the week in 1970.  The report states the possible reasons for the correlation may include, “a more intensive social life that encourages alcohol intake; a greater engagement into traditionally male spheres of life, a greater social acceptability of alcohol use and abuse; more exposure to alcohol use during formative years; and greater postponement of childbearing and its responsibilities among the better educated.”

Children in Scotland have written a testimony to the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee highlighting three issues that cause drinking problems in Scotland:  1) Exposure to alcohol in foetal position (these adults are at risk far greater than non-affected adults);  2) Coping with negative experiences during childhood or adolescence such as abuse, neglect, domestic violence, homelessness etc; and 3) Lack of activities for teenagers.  Read the testimony here.

MPs debated the Health Committee report on alcohol late last week covering topics to include proposals for a new alcohol strategy.  Opened by Kevin Barron MP, Chairman of the Health Select Committee and responded by Gillian Merron, Minister of State.

She sets out the Government’s position, “[w]e take seriously the harm to health that alcohol may bring, and we have in place a comprehensive and evidence-based plan to tackle that harm, to provide information to make healthy choices easier and to support those who need help through the national health service. Yes, we can improve, yes, we want to continue to do so, and yes, the Committee’s report will assist us in doing so.

As today’s debate has generally confirmed, there is no one action that we could take to change overnight our culture or the situation in which we find ourselves. Action on alcohol requires close working by industry, community services and Departments across Government.”

Read the full Hansard debate here.

Ex-chief Government advisor on drugs and alcohol, Prof David Nutt, is now developing a drink that he claims will give a ‘kick’ similar to that of spirits minus the harmful effects.  Taking place at the Imperial College London, the development of this synthetic alcohol could be available for clinical trials as soon as 2012.  The product is aimed to provide a safe relaxant for users rather than to intoxicate, in order to help decrease the high number of alcohol-related deaths and medical problems.