Alcohol Review

Alcohol understanding for all

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Alcohol-free beer accepted in beer-drinking Germany

Relatively few people think it is embarrassing to drink alcohol-free beer in beer-drinking Germany compared to France, Italy, Poland and Spain, where wine and spirits are more popular.

Source: Mintel

Only 9% of Germans thought it was embarrassing to be caught in possession of an alcohol-free beer, compared to 14% of French, 19% of Italians, 15% of Spanish and 17% of Poles, according to the  survey (see chart).

The majority of people did not think it was embarrassing in all five countries, and more than one-in-five had no opinion either way. There are currently no equivalent figures for English-speaking countries.

Discreetly drinking alcohol-free beer, or other lookalike drinks, can be a good way to avoid social pressure to drink alcohol. ■

UPDATE: Canada’s Yukon to have world’s first alcohol cancer warning labels

The Yukon territory in Canada will be the first place in the world to trial the sale of alcoholic drinks carrying labels warning of an elevated risk of cancer (pictured).

“Yukon has a chance to be a leader in Canada, as well as internationally, to demonstrate the potential benefits of labelling alcohol containers,” said Brendan Hanley, the territory’s chief medical officer.

For the next eight months the new warning labels will be applied to alcoholic products sold at the Whitehorse Liquor Store in Whitehorse, the western territory’s capital this month.

As elsewhere in the world labels have previously targeted pregnant women and warned of the dangers of combining alcohol consumption with operating machinery.

The eye-catching new labels are part of the second phase of the Northern Territories Alcohol Study led by researchers from Public Health Ontario and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.

This experiment is informed by the unit’s recent research on the potential benefits of enhanced labelling.  There have previously been surveys to assess the cancer warning labels in Australia.

Yukon has the highest alcohol sales per head in in Canada.

Sources: www.gov.yk.ca/news/17-251.html; https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/about/news/current/alcohol-warning-labels-about-cancer-risk-a-canadian-first.php; http://nationalpost.com/health/yukon-rolls-out-world-first-labels-warning-alcohol-can-cause-cancer; http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-alcohol-warning-labels-cancer-1.4414726

Legal warnings halt first cancer label scheme

Legal warnings from alcohol brand-owners have halted the world’s first trial of labels warning that consuming alcohol increases the risk of cancer, raising question marks over similar plans elsewhere.

Unnamed alcohol brand owners have warned the state-owned alcohol retailer applying the labels in Canada’s Yukon territory that it may be infringing trademarks and guilty of defamation, say local media reports.

The Yukon trial had been running from one shop for little more than one of the eight months intended. No new labels have been applied to bottles and cans, but those already applied have be left in place. The trial began late last month.

The enforced hiatus may have implications elsewhere: Ireland decided this month to introduce labels warning of the risk, while Australia’s newly-released draft alcohol strategy mentions alcohol’s contribution to cancer cases and suggests “readable, impactful” warning labels.

Campaigners have also raised concerns that the labels have replaced rather than supplemented labels warning of the risk of drinking alcohol in pregnancy. Labels saying “Warning, drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects” had been applied since 1991.

The trial is part of the second phase of the Northern Territories Alcohol Study led by researchers from Public Health Ontario and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria. Its research suggests enhanced labelling could have benefits.

Yukon has the highest alcohol sales per head in in Canada. ■

Alcohol Companion Top of the Pops new entry: M&S 0.5% Czech Lager

M&S’s 0.5% Czech Lager is a new entry on the Alcohol Companion Top of the Pops rundown of off-the-peg alcohol free drinks, on the back of this Guardian review: “The lemony, herbal saaz hop flavours that distinguish Czech pilsners shine through remarkably well. … Shockingly good.”

Source: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/13/alcohol-free-beer-best-worst-taste-test-supermarket?_scpsug=crawled_57675_195fdbd0-df27-11e6-d1f5-90b11c40440d

[radio] Interviews with children of alcohol dependents (five parts) | BBC Woman’s Hour

Part 1 (@17m10s): Lynne who grew up in Yorkshire with an alcoholic mother who died twelve years ago from complications caused by her drinking.

Part 2 (@18m40s): Hilary’s mother lost herself to alcohol and no one in the family ever talked about it, apart from Uncle David. He intervened and persuaded Hilary’s mum to stop drinking while her daughter was doing her A levels. 

Part 3 (@23m30s): The story of Jackie, known as Jabs, age 22, whose father died two years ago as a direct result of his drinking. 

Part 4 (@start): We hear from listener Camilla who’s supporting her dad with his recovery and from Hilary Henriques, the CEO of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, about helping a parent.

Part 5 (@14m50s): Listeners Karen and Liz discuss the support their friendship has given them with their experience of growing up with an alcoholic parent. ■