Alcohol Fails

Alcohol-Free Healthy Living

“Alcohol-free healthy living” was the topic of Health Promotion Sharing Forum conducted by the Community Liaison Division of the Department of Health in November. The messages of reducing alcohol-related harms were shared to health promotion partners.

Be aware of Alcohol Trap

The alcohol content of certain alcoholic drink can be very high, as much alcohol as four to five beers. Drinking a can of such alcoholic drink increases the immediate risk of alcohol poisoning, unsafe sex, etc.

Quebec, Canada proposes to ban sales of beverages with high alcohol content in convenience and grocery stores

A young girl died after drinking an alcoholic beverage with high alcohol content in Quebec, Canada. The company has since ceased production of the beverage. The convenience and grocery stores in Quebec, Canada would be prohibited from selling alcoholic drinks that contain more than 7% alcohol.

The Welsh Government plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol

The Welsh Government (United Kingdom) plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol according to the alcohol content of the beverages. It aims to lower the amount of alcohol intake by the public, and to diminish the health and social problems of alcohol drinking. The Welsh Health Secretary said evidence showed a link between price and drinking behaviour.

Health Minister of France Warns: Alcohol drinking is bad for health

The Health Minister of France, Professor Agnès Buzyn, warns there is no difference between wine (such as red wine, white wine) and other types of alcohol as they all can cause harm to health.
Drinking alcohol kills nearly 50,000 French every year.
When it comes to cancer risk, there is no safe level for alcohol drinking. The cancer-causing effect is the same, whether it is wine, beer, vodka or whiskey.

“Alcohol Fails” (School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) Health Educational Talks

Identical Sessions of health educational talks on “Alcohol Fails - Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention” was successfully held on 2nd March and 5th March, 2018. Speakers from the Department of Health talked about “Alcohol-related harms”, “Dispel/myth of alcohol”, guidelines and clinical application of alcohol screening and brief intervention.

“Alcohol Fails” Happy Lunar New Year! Choose non-alcoholic beverages in celebrations and social gatherings!

Alcohol causes cancer. There is no safe drinking level. Non-drinkers are advised not to start drinking while drinkers should gradually decrease their drinking to reduce harm. No binge drinking at any time. You will still have a great time choosing non-alcoholic beverages in celebrations and social gatherings.

“Stay Sober Sport Better” Video

The second video “Stay Sober Sport Better” has been released. Mr. LEE Ka-wai, Karatedo Athlete of Hong Kong, China, and Dr. LOUIE Hung-tak Lobo, President of Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science, discussed how alcohol could impair the performance in sport in an easy way. Please click here to view the video.

“Alcohol Fails” Media Interview

Joyful festival is coming. Dr Karen Ka-yin LEE of the Centre for Health Protection, Dr LAU Fei-lung and Ms Sylvia LAM See-way were engaged in media interview. They stressed the alcohol-related harms and clarified the myths of drinking alcohol. They advised no binge drinking during festival. If people choose to drink, they should understand the risk of drinking and control the amount of alcohol intake.

The Department of Health spoke at “Healthpedia”

The Department of Health encouraged the audience to make an informed choice of drinking and to stay away from the harmful effect of alcohol. The speakers also advised the general public and health care professionals to use the AUDIT Questionnaire to know more about alcohol harms and to gain more health educational information.

Alcohol Fails “Drink or not Drink? Be Informed!” New Video

Alcoholic beverage has been classified by the World Health Organization as Group one Carcinogen, which can cause over 200 disease and injury conditions. There is no safe drinking level. People should not drink alcohol for the sake of improving health. Non-drinkers are advised not to start drinking while drinkers should gradually decrease their drinking to reduce harm. Under the following circumstances, people should not drink, for example, pregnancy, children and youth, ill, on drug treatment, driving, before and after exercise, etc.

Alcohol Fails- Primary Care Practitioners can Make a Difference (Identical Session 2)

Organised by Professional Development and Quality Assurance and Non-Communicable Disease Division of Department of Health, briefing session on “Alcohol Fails- Primary Care Practitioners can Make a Difference” was successfully held on 9th December, 2017. Speakers from the Department of Health talked about “Alcohol-related harms”, “Dispel/myth of alcohol”, guidelines and clinical application of alcohol screening and brief intervention. Social Worker form TWGHs “Stay Sober Stay Free” Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Service was invited as a guest speaker to share his valuable experience and the service provided by the center.

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention-Nurses and Dietitians in Primary Care can Make a Difference (Identical Session 2)

Organised by Department of Health and co-organised by Hong Kong Academy of Nursing, Hong Kong Dietitians Association and Hong Kong Nutrition Association, briefing session on “Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention-Nurses and Dietitians can Make a Difference” was successfully held again on 1st December, 2017. The speakers talked about tools of alcohol screening and brief intervention and the services provided by TWGHs “Integrated Centre on Addiction Prevention and Treatment” respectively.

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention- Doctors in Primary Care can Make a Difference (Identical Session 1)

Organised by Department of Health and co-organised by The Association of Licentiates of Medical Council of Hong Kong, Hong Kong College of Community Medicine, Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, Hong Kong Doctors Union and Hong Kong Medical Association, briefing session on “Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention-Doctors in Primary Care can Make a Difference” was successfully held on 24th November, 2017. Speakers talked about the tools of alcohol screening and brief intervention and the services provided by TWGHs “Integrated Centre on Addiction Prevention and Treatment (ICAPT)” respectively.

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention-Nurses and Dietitians in Primary Care can Make a Difference (Identical Session 1)

Organised by Department of Health and co-organised by Hong Kong Academy of Nursing, Hong Kong Dietitians Association and Hong Kong Nutrition Association, briefing session on “Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention-Nurses and Dietitians can Make a Difference” was successfully held on 15th November, 2017. Three speakers talked about tools of alcohol screening and brief intervention and the services provided by TWGHs “Stay Sober Stay Free” Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Service respectively.

DH spoke at the HKCFP Conference on alcohol harms

The Department of Health held a talk at the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians 40th Anniversary Conference on harm of alcohol use, as well as introduction of alcohol screening and brief intervention to participating primary care doctors.

“Stay Sober, Sport Better” Campaign

To promulgate the message of “Do More Exercise, Drink Less”, the Department of Health kicked off the “Stay Sober, Sport Better” Campaign in July 2017 to remind members of the public the harm of alcoholic drinks.

National Institute on Drug Abuse of the United States：Adolescent drunkenness linked to premature death

People who get drunk for the first time before their fifteenth birthday are more likely to die prematurely than people who do not drink excessively or at least avoid getting drunk until they are older, a US study suggests.

Pregnancy drinking affects craniofacial development of fetuses

An Austrlian study conducted a craniofacial phenotype analysis of 415 children, which showed that any alcohol consumption has consequences on craniofacial development, such as special facies or anomalies. These consequences are associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Therefore, complete abstinence from alcohol while pregnant is the safest option.