Alcohol and Drugs History Society

Big brewers target young Latin Americans

MSNBC reports (9 March 2005) from Bogota that the world's giant brewers hope young and thirsty Latin Americans will bring faster profit growth than aging, carbohydrate-wary consumers in Europe and the United States. Find the full story here.

Smoking ban hits Gallaher's Irish sales

Rachel Stevenson reports for The Independent (3 March 2005) that Gallaher, which makes Silk Cut, Benson & Hedges and Mayfair cigarettes, has won market share in Eastern Europe during 2004 but has seen volumes drop nearly 10 per cent in Ireland, a year on from the smoking ban. Find the full story here.

Britain is the new heroin capital of Europe

Abul Taher reported for the Times Online (27 February 2005) that Britain has become the heroin capital of Europe with the largest number of seizures and one of the highest levels of abuse. The UK accounts for most of the heroin seizures in Europe and, after Luxembourg and Portugal, has the most heroin users. Taher goes on to discuss other findings in the recent report by the International Narcotics Control Board, a body founded by the UN. Find the full story here. Reuters reports on the same story here.

Why the beer belly may be a myth

BBC News reported on 12 October 2003 that researchers in Britain and the Czech Republic surveyed almost 2,000 Czechs, who are generally regarded as the world's biggest beer drinkers. They found no link between the amount of beer they drink and the size of their stomachs. Find the full story here.

Health Experts Worry About Czech Drinking

For the Mercury News, Karel Janicek reports (13 February 2005) from Prague that drinking is a national pastime in the beer-loving country, and health experts worry they have trouble on their hands: A growing number of underaged youths, some as young as 10, are hitting the bottle regularly. The full story can be found here.

Harry G. Levine's "Temperance Cultures"

Here is a link to a lightly-edited version of "Temperance Cultures: Alcohol as a Problem in Nordic and English-Speaking Cultures," in Griffith Edwards, Malcom Lader, D. Colin Drummon, eds, The Nature of Alcohol and Drug-Related Problems (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), pp.16-36.

This is just one of a world of offerings from Levine's electric library, Hereinstead.com. Filed into 26 categories, I believe this link sets a record for the most cross-referenced item on the website. Congratulations, Harry!