Workers Drunk on Job

15% of U.S. Workers Report Workplace Alcohol   Use or Impairment in Past Year.

An estimated 19.2 million U.S. workers (15.3%) reported using or being impaired by alcohol at work at least once in the past year, according to recently released data from the National Survey of Workplace Health and Safety.

The most common alcohol-related workplace behaviors were;

• being hungover at work (9.2%) and
• using alcohol during the workday (7.1%), primarily during lunch breaks.

Despite the relative magnitude of the problem, most workplace alcohol use or impairment occurred infrequently—

• 70% of workers reported using or being impaired by alcohol on a less than monthly basis,
• 19% reported it on a monthly basis, and
• 11% reported doing so weekly.

According to the authors, “the prevalence of alcohol use and impairment in the workplace was sufficiently high to suggest that employers need specific policies directed at alcohol use and impairment at work and employees need to be aware of these policies”

Adapted by CESAR from Frone M.R. “Prevalence and Distribution of Alcohol Use and Impairment in the Workplace: A U.S. National Survey,” Journal of Studies on Alcohol 67(1):147-156, 2006.

Alcohol Cable TV Advertising and Teens

Alcohol advertising reaching too many teens on cable TV, researchers say

A new study from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, in collaboration with UCLA, has found a striking correlation between teenage viewership and the frequency of alcohol advertising on cable television. The findings show that ads for beer, spirits and "alcopop" aired much more frequently when more teens were watching.

While previous studies have shown that the average adolescent is exposed to well over 200 alcohol ads on television each year, this is the first to demonstrate an association between ad placement and teen cable TV viewership. Cable TV attracts about 95 percent of all nationally televised alcohol ads.

The study will be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health and is currently available online by subscription.

"Alcohol advertisers have pledged to avoid audiences made up of more than 30 percent underage viewers — such as children’s programming," said David H. Jernigan, director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth and an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "However, many other shows have adolescent appeal. This research suggests that ads are aimed at groups that include a disproportionate number of teens and that the alcohol industry’s voluntary self-monitoring is not working to reduce adolescent exposure to ads."

Using advertising industry data from Nielsen Media Research, researchers examined all 600,000 national cable alcohol ads shown from 2001 through 2006 to audiences with less than 30 percent of viewers between the ages of 12 and 20. Among the findings:

• Audiences with a higher percentage of youth between the ages of 12 and 20 were exposed to a higher frequency of alcohol ads, even after accounting for other factors that might explain ad placement decisions.
• Each 1-percentage-point increase in adolescent viewership was associated with a 7-percent increase in beer ads, a 15-percent increase in spirits ads and a 22-percent increase in ads for low-alcohol refreshers/alcopops — flavored alcoholic beverages that taste similar to juice or soda.
• In contrast, wine ads decreased by 8 percent with each 1-percentage-point increase in adolescent viewership; this finding suggests that alcohol advertisers can, in fact, successfully avoid adolescent audiences.

"This study did not examine whether alcohol advertisers are intentionally overexposing adolescents," said lead study author Dr. Paul J. Chung, assistant professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA and a senior natural scientist at the RAND Corp. "The alcohol industry has consistently denied actively targeting teens, and our study isn’t designed to test that claim. However, the ultimate effect of their advertising strategies, intentional or not, appears to be greater exposure than might be expected if adults were the sole targets of ads."

For years, alcohol has been the substance of abuse most commonly used by teens in the United States, and the public health consequences of underage drinking are considerable. Numerous studies and national statistics report that adolescents are involved in a significant proportion of the injuries, violence and crime that stem from binge drinking and other forms of alcohol abuse. Moreover, studies have shown that starting to drink as an adolescent has been linked with much greater risks of lifelong problem drinking.

Multiple studies suggest that alcohol ads can have substantial influence on underage drinking attitudes and behaviors.

"It’s difficult to document experimentally," said Chung, who also directs the UCLA–RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion. "But there’s not too much doubt that advertising and marketing affect the behavior of both children and adults. Common sense tells us that if it didn’t work, companies probably wouldn’t be spending so much money on it. So, it’s a lot harder for parents, teachers and clinicians to successfully encourage kids to delay drinking when so many things they’re seeing — on television, on billboards, on movie screens, on the Internet — are telling them otherwise."

• See also;
• Adolescent Children of Alcoholics
• Adults give booze to kids
• Alcoholic Family Roles
• Current Social Problems
• Tips for Teens: The Truth About Alcohol

Alcohol Information for Teens: Health Tips About Alcohol and Alcoholism (Teen Health Series) by

Alcohol Testing Reduces Drink Driving by Truckies

Mandatory Alcohol Testing For Truck and Bus Drivers Reduces Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Crashes

Mandatory alcohol testing programs for truck and bus drivers have contributed to a significant reduction in alcohol involvement in fatal crashes, according to a new study by researchers at the US Mailman School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Based on a study sample of nearly 70,000 heavy truck and bus drivers and over 83,000 car drivers, the estimated net effect attributed to the mandatory alcohol testing programs for drivers of heavy trucks and buses was a 23% reduced risk of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes.

This is the first study to comprehensively evaluate the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991, which made alcohol testing mandatory for transportation employees with safety sensitive functions. Findings from the study are published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

In the U.S., there are approximately 4,000 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks and buses each year, and nearly 80% of these fatal crashes are collisions between a motor carrier and a passenger car. About 3% of the motor carrier drivers and 27% of car drivers in these fatal crashes are under the influence of alcohol.

“The mandatory alcohol testing programs for transportation employees with safety-sensitive functions are a major policy intervention,” says Guohua Li, senior author of the report. “However, this policy remains a controversial one, because of legal and ethical concerns and little empirical data about its safety benefit. Our study provides compelling evidence that implementation of the mandatory alcohol testing programs has significantly reduced alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes.”

The authors also report that the estimated safety benefit of the mandatory alcohol testing programs is consistent across age groups and between sexes. Moreover, implementation of these programs has reduced alcohol involvement by motor carrier drivers in daytime and night time fatal crashes to a similar degree.

Free cross-border trade by motor carriers is a major component of the North America Free Trade Agreement but has been hindered by issues around safety. One of the differences in regulations is mandatory drug and alcohol testing, which is required of drivers in the U.S. but not in Canada and Mexico. According to Mailman School of Public Health’s Joanne Brady, “results from this new study suggest that implementation of the mandatory alcohol testing programs in the U.S. has substantially reduced alcohol-impaired driving by motor carrier drivers.”

More at the; Mailman School of Public Health

• See also;
• $4 Million Killer Kids
• Brief-TSF can assist people cease alcohol consumption.
• AA and Treatment Work Better Together
• Ten percent of adults abuse drugs
• Twelve Step Facilitation

Drug And Alcohol Abuse: The Authoritative Guide For Parents, Teachers, And Counsellors by H. Thomas Milhorn

When Alcohol Abuses Our Marriage (Recovering Hope in Your Marriage) by Dave Jackson

Minimising the Risk of Addiction to Codeine

New advice on over the counter analgesics containing codeine

The British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today announced new advice on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines containing codeine and dihydrocodeine (DHC) to minimise the risk of overuse and addiction.

The package of measures include clear and prominently positioned warnings on the label and patient information leaflet (PIL) about the risk of addiction, and the importance of not taking these medicines for longer than three days.

The revised guidance on the use of these products will focus on treating moderate pain not relieved by simple painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. There will also be updated controls on advertising to ensure the new warnings are clearly presented.

Large packs of effervescent codeine containing products will no longer be sold in the pharmacy but will be available on prescription, which further strengthens the voluntary action taken by manufacturers in 2005 on pack size reduction. All packs containing up to 32 tablets remain available for sale through a pharmacy.

MHRA Director of Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines, Dr June Raine said that taken in the correct manner and for the right purposes, codeine and DHC are very effective and acceptably safe medicines.

“However, these products can be addictive and we are taking action to tackle this risk,” she said.

“The MHRA is ensuring that people have clear information on codeine containing medicines on what they are to be used for and how to minimise the risk of addiction.

“Anyone who has concerns should speak to their pharmacist or a doctor.”

All indications related to colds, flu, coughs and sore throats, and references to minor painful conditions will be removed. The remaining list of indications will be for the short term treatment of acute, moderate pain which is not relieved by paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin alone.

Patient Information Leaflets (PIL) and Labels
The PIL and Labels will state that the products are for short term use only (up to three days) for the treatment of moderate, acute pain, and that the products can cause addiction or overuse headache if used continuously for more than three days. In particular, the following warning will be positioned clearly and prominently on the front of the pack:

‘Can cause addiction. For three days use only’

The PIL will also carry information about the warning signs of addiction, ie if the medicine is needed for longer periods and in higher doses than recommended, and if stopping the medicine makes you feel unwell but you feel better when you start taking it again.

Advertising

The advertising and promotion code of practice for manufacturers and retailers will be updated to reflect the new indications and warnings, and to remove references to painkilling power and strength. Also, all advertisements will include the statement ‘Can cause addiction. For three days use only’.

Full story at British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

• See also;
• $4 Million Killer Kids
• Current Social Problems
• Double Trouble in Recovery for Alcoholics
• Ten percent of adults abuse drugs
• Types of Dysfunctional Families

Addict In The Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery. by Beverly Conyers

Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family: 101 Incredible Stories about our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & "Dysfunctional" Families by Jack Canfield

Doctors want booze marketing ban

There should be a ban on all alcohol advertising, including sports and music sponsorship, doctors say.

The British Medical Association said the crackdown on marketing was needed along with an end to cut-price deals to stop the rising rates of consumption.

The industry spends £800m a year on promoting drinks – just a quarter of which goes on direct advertising.

Doctors said action was needed as alcohol was now one of the leading causes of early death and disability.

Only smoking and high blood pressure is responsible for a greater burden of disease, according to the World Health Organization.

Full story at BBC News

• See also;
• Adults give booze to kids
• Canadian alcohol policy
• Current Social Problems

Drug And Alcohol Abuse: The Authoritative Guide For Parents, Teachers, And Counsellors by H. Thomas Milhorn

Another Chance: Hope and Health for the Alcoholic Family by Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse