Selected media stories since the August roundup:
Alcohol data
The Huffington Post picked up on regional information about alcohol-related liver disease published by the Health & Social Care Information Centre. It highlights areas of the North West and North East of England have the highest rate of emergency hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease in the country.
Global alcohol consumption data published by WHO has been used to create an interactive online map showing per capita consumption of wine, beer and spirits by country.
The Spirits Business reported on new National Diet and Nutrition Survey data on Scots drinking compared to the rest of the UK. Meanwhile, industry figures criticised recent council reports that include “flawed” data that amount to “meaningless propaganda”, according to the Morning Advertiser.
Alcohol and young people 
The Morning Advertiser reported that almost 90% of 18-24 year olds agree that education on the effects of alcohol should be integrated into the National Curriculum. Mentor UK's 'ADEPIS' has produced a number of resources for schools, including a toolkit for helping schools review their alcohol and drug policies.
Research reported in the Telegraph suggests students will spend more than £200 on alcohol and getting into bars and clubs during their first week of University. Meanwhile Manchester University claims its new NUS Alcohol Impact scheme has already attracted interest from 'other institutions wishing to get involved' in trying to create a 'social norm of responsible alcohol consumption among students' - our recent analysis of the scheme here.
Meanwhile a Drinkaware poll reported in the Journal, found that nearly a quarter of parents admitted to supplying their own children with up to nine units of alcohol in one sitting. However, parents in Wales are over-estimating the number of young people who drink alcohol, according to Alcohol Education Trust research reported on ITV.com.
300 young people were referred to an alcohol intervention in Durham in Operation Aries - a crackdown on underage drinking over the summer that also saw 200 litres of alcohol confiscated; 80% was purchased by adults, reports the BBC. More here.
Parental drinking habits can affect children before they are born: new research claims that children of mothers who drink as little as four units of alcohol in a day even once while pregnant are at greater risk of developing mental health problems, reports the Guardian. See more on this from NHS Choices.
Police Alcohol Harm initiatives
In Plymouth, officers have started breathalysing offenders arrested for alcohol related offences. By aiming to ascertain their level of intoxication, police were attempting to identify repeat alcohol related offending, reported the Plymouth Herald. The BBC reports that pub and club goers are to be breathalysed before being allowed into night time venues in Loughborough.
ACPO launched a week-long campaign from 19 September highlighting the realities faced by those dealing with drunkenness and alcohol-related incidents. Police chiefs such as in Worcestershire and Darlington, supported the campaign.
Devon and Cornwall Police kicked the campaign off by tweeting every incident dealt with by officers in the force area overnight on the Friday and Saturday on Twitter to raise awareness of the issue (see @DC_Police #alcoholharm). The last two tweets give a flavour:
Before we say good night, we hope you can see dealing w/ #alcoholharm at weekends has a significant impact on communities & police resources.
Friday final figures were 43 in custody and 374 incidents between 8pm-3am. Saturday we have 59 in custody and 493 incidents.
Greater Manchester Police tweeted videos of 'hugger mugger' incidents (see video), where drunk people are vulnerable to being robbed during apparently friendly encounters.
Also..
Holidaymaker's insurance claims for accidents are being rejected due to drinking in some cases - but insurers have come under pressure from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who said it expected a "high standard of proof" that the amount consumed made a policy invalid. See BBC report.
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