Alcohol Issues

Landmark Study Gives Canadian Government Failing Grades In Alcohol Policies The topic of today’s episode is the CAPE – the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation. The CAPE is a world class scientific approach to assessing how Canada’s national and provincial governments are doing in alcohol policy making. The robust, regular, comprehensive evaluation combined with the infrastructure around it and public relations work linked to it make for an inspiring model for countries around the world. To discuss all this in depth, Elizabeth Farkouh joins today’s show. She is the lead author of the study published in May 2024 about their assessment of federal alcohol policies in Canada and priority recommendations. Elizabeth and host Maik Dünnbier had a great conversation with many insights from her different experiences and with many lessons for alcohol policy not just for Canada but worldwide. Highlights of the show In today’s show, Maik speaks with Elizabeth about the heavy alcohol burden in Canada and the country’s policy response. She shares mind blowing – in the concerning kind of way – facts about the magnitude of alcohol harm. In the face of this massive alcohol burden, the CAPE’s results and grades for the Canadian government are truly shocking. Elizabeth explains the grades and in the conversation, Maik and Elizabeth dive into the details of key policy recommendations, focusing on the alcohol policy best buys. They also talk about comparability of the CAPE to other countries and the potential of applying this type of alcohol policy evaluation in other countries. And they explore how the scientific exercise of assessing policy implementation – or complete lack thereof – can be linked to advocacy and community action for change. Elizabeth shares an inspiring best practice from Canada’s experience. Our guest Elizabeth Farkouh is a research assistant at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. She has conducted international work related to alcohol use including a review on the effect of alcohol policies on suicide, an educational curriculum on alcohol and cancer for middle school students, and the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project. Follow Elizabeth's work on LinkedIn. Resources for the episode Science Digest: "Canadian Government Receives Failing Grade for Lack of Evidence-Based Alcohol Policies" The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) New Study: Alcohol Policies to Prevent NCDs Generate Positive Societal Impacts Immediately WHO Report: Alcohol Best Buys With Second Highest Return on Investment Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production from Movendi International. It’s a show about latest alcohol policy developments, brand new research, and stories that reveal the predatory practices of the alcohol industry. We bring you in-depth conversations with trail-blazing alcohol policy makers, visionary community activists, and leading scientists. We do it all to reshape how the world thinks about alcohol’s impact on society and the benefits of alcohol policy action.

When Less Is More: Health And Social Benefits From Reduced Alcohol Consumption In today’s show we’re discussing a brand new report that compiles world class evidence about what happens when alcohol consumption goes down. Together with Dr Tim Stockwell, we bring you an in-depth view of the science behind the benefits of declining alcohol consumption – on the individual and societal levels. The report called “When less is more. The health and social benefits from reduced alcohol consumption” is part of the awesome report series “Alcohol and Society”. You can find all other reports on the website and I’ll put more information in the show notes. We recorded this conversation on March 6, 2025. Highlights of the show In today’s show, Tim and host Maik Dünnbier discuss why the researchers group of the Alcohol an Society report series decided to flip the perspective from looking into the harms caused by alcohol to examining the benefits of reduced alcohol consumption. The new report covers individual and societal dimensions of the benefits of reduced alcohol consumption. Maik and Tim talk about both the individual level and the societal picture to understand what happens when people and populations reduce alcohol consumption. Tim shares which findings he thinks people should absolutely know about regarding the personal benefits from reduced alcohol use. As the report shows, discussing the evidence of the positive consequences for people and societies when alcohol consumption falls is not common. Therefore, flipping the perspective from focusing on harms to focusing on what the science says about the good things that happen when alcohol consumption declines is fascinating. Tim also shares research insights on what governments can do to achieve these benefits. Our guest Our guest for today’s conversation is Dr Tim Stockwell. He’s been on the show before. Tim held the position of director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, at the University of Victoria since its inception in 2004 until 2020. He has also been a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria since 2004. He has published over 400 research papers, book chapters and monographs, plus several books on prevention and treatment issues. The research reports in the Alcohol and Society series are produced by an international group of medical and public health researchers from Canada, Australia, the United States, and Sweden. This group convenes each year without compensation to produce a report about a unique topic concerning alcohol. With the latest report, the series comprises now 11 landmark scientific investigations. The reports have the goal to evaluate the most relevant published scientific research from around the world and to provide a summary of the best knowledge on a highly relevant topics, such as the harm from low-dose alcohol use, or the link between alcohol and blood pressure, or alcohol’s second-hand harms. Resources for the episode The Know Alcohol website Study by Robin Room and colleagues: Long waves of consumption or a unique social generation? Exploring recent declines in youth alcohol use Alcohol policy success in Lithuania: Understanding Lithuania’s Alcohol Policy Success Alcohol policy success in Scotland: Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland Is Linked with 13% Fall in Alcohol Deaths Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production from Movendi International. It’s a show about latest alcohol policy developments, brand new research, and stories that reveal the predatory practices of the alcohol industry. We bring you in-depth conversations with trail-blazing alcohol policy makers, visionary community activists, and leading scientists. We do it all to reshape how the world thinks about alcohol’s impact on society and the benefits of alcohol policy action.

Nordic Alcohol Monopolies As Comprehensive Model For Preventing Alcohol Harm With this episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast we bring you a special discussion of a special alcohol policy topic: how the Nordic alcohol retail monopolies work and why they are so successful. This is a special discussion because for the longest time, there was a gap between the public health success of the Nordic alcohol retail monopolies and public attention to that success. But this is changing and with this episode we’re discussing a brand new report that compiles latest evidence about nordic alcohol monopolies as comprehensive model for preventing alcohol harm. We bring you an inside view of the working and effects of the nordic alcohol retail monopolies together with an esteemed guest: Maria Renström. We recorded this conversation on February 10, 2025. Highlights of the show In today’s show, Maria and host Maik Dünnbier discuss some highlights of her career and how this informs her current work in Sweden and for WHO. They dive deep into the new WHO Europe report "Nordic alcohol monopolies: understanding their role in a comprehensive alcohol policy structure and public health significance", why it is relevant now, what the report finds, and what its recommendations are. Maria explains how the Nordic alcohol retail monopolies work, their key features, and how they are different from private, profit-driven models of alcohol retail. Maria and Maik also talk about the public support and look into the future. Our guest Maria Renström is one of the lead authors of WHO Europe’s new report on the Nordic alcohol monopolies. In her illustrious career, with a background in socialogy, Maria has worked at all levels of government: city of Stockholm, ministry of health and social affiars in Sweden, European Commission, World Health Organization, where she has had different roles and responsibilities over the years. She has been one of the decisive leaders for the adoption of the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy in 2010, the EU Alcohol Strategy in 2006, and the commitment for Sweden to maintain its alcohol retail monopoly when joining the EU 30 years ago. Resources for the episode WHO/Europe highlights Nordic alcohol monopolies as a comprehensive model for alcohol harm prevention, Nordic alcohol monopolies: understanding their role in a comprehensive alcohol policy structure and public health significance (PDF), UN News: Nordic alcohol monopolies are reducing alcohol consumption, and Reducing alcohol consumption, the Nordic way: alcohol monopolies, marketing bans and higher taxation. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production from Movendi International. It’s a show about latest alcohol policy developments, brand new research, and stories that reveal the predatory practices of the alcohol industry. We bring you in-depth conversations with trail-blazing alcohol policy makers, visionary community activists, and leading scientists. We do it all to reshape how the world thinks about alcohol’s impact on society and the benefits of alcohol policy action.

Directly From Geneva: Inside the WHO Executive Board Meeting With this show, we bring you an inside view of the Executive Board meeting of the World Health Organization Director of Strategy and Advocacy, Maik Dünnbier is in Geneva, representing Movendi International the membership to contribute to the discussions about key global health challenges. In the show we want to share unique insights and brand new updates from the proceedings - directly from Geneva. To do that, Maik changes his role and Pierre Andersson is the host of this episode. Pierre is Alcohol Policy Advocacy Advisor at Movendi International. We recorded this conversation on February 11, 2025 – in the morning of the final day of the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board. Highlights of the show In today’s show, Pierre and Maik discuss what the WHO Executive Board is, why it matters, and why Movendi International is participating. They dive deep into several topics that are on the agenda to discuss if and how alcohol harm and alcohol policy solutions are being addressed. Maik shares an analysis of gaps, omissions, and opportunities for improvement. In the conversation, Pierre and Maik also shed light on alcohol industry interference and conflicts of interest. And Pierre challenges Maik to look to the future, asking about what the deliberations and decisions at this Executive Board meeting mean for upcoming major event in global health later this year. Our guest Maik Dünnbier is Director of Strategy and Advocacy at Movendi International. He has an academic background in political science, philosophy, and history of ideas as well as global development Dresden University, in Germany and Stockholm University, in Sweden. In addition, he has extensive experience in youth work on local, national and European levels, having volunteered for more than a decade in different functions for Movendi International. Maik leads Movendi International’s advocacy work on global and regional level, including the engagement with the UN system. Maik develops the strategic approach to advancing comprehensive alcohol policy solutions to support countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. You can follow Maik's work on LinkedIn. Resources for the episode WHO EB 156, February 2025: Movendi International advocacy priorities and agenda item analysis All Movendi International statements WHO 156th Executive Board Meeting landing page All agenda items Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production from Movendi International. It’s a show about latest alcohol policy developments, brand new research, and stories that reveal the predatory practices of the alcohol industry. We bring you in-depth conversations with trail-blazing alcohol policy makers, visionary community activists, and leading scientists. We do it all to reshape how the world thinks about alcohol’s impact on society and the benefits of alcohol policy action.

New Report: "From Sports to Screens - Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices in 2024" For the first episode in our fourth season we discuss a brand new report that reveals the unethical practices of the alcohol industry. The report is called “From sports to screens: exposing Big Alcohol’s predatory practices in 2024”. Movendi International launched the report in a virtual event on January 16, 2025 and in today’s conversation I talk with the main author Pierre Andersson and the moderator of the launch event Kristína Šperková. In this show, Pierre and Kristina share the most appalling cases of alcohol industry misconduct. They provide a unique analysis of how the alcohol industry is doing and what that means for our societies. Host Maik Dünnbier unpacks the key findings of the brand new report with Kristína and Pierre. They discuss the lessons and insights from the launch event, where four experts from four different vantage points discussed alcohol industry interference and what to do about it. Vesna Kerstin Petric, Head of the Office for Cooperation with WHO at the Ministry of Health of Slovenia, and member of the WHO Executive Board Monika Kosinska, Global Head of Economic and Commercial Determinants, World Health Organization Jim McCambridge, University College London, UK Juliet Namukasa, Chairperson, Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance Together they talk about the Dubious Five strategies and the key themes of alcohol industry interference in 2024, and they discuss what it all means for 2025. Our guests Pierre Andersson is Alcohol Policy Advocacy Advisor at Movendi International. As part of this work, he’s monitoring, documenting, and exposing the strategies and tactics of the alcohol industry on a daily basis. For example, in 2024, he published more than 100 cases of misconduct on the BigAlcohol.Exposed website. You can follow Pierre's work on LinkedIn. Kristína Šperková is International President of Movendi International. As part of this work, she faces alcohol industry interference at all levels, be it in local communities in Slovakia or at the international level in the areas of global health and sustainable development. Kristina has worked for 20 years to address alcohol as a women’s rights issue and has documented how the alcohol industry has exploited women to market and sell alcohol to men, and later began to target women to drive up alcohol use in women. All these Big Alcohol practices have severe consequences for the health and rights of women. You can follow Kristína's work on LinkedIn. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production from Movendi International. It’s a show about latest alcohol policy developments, brand new research, and stories that reveal the predatory practices of the alcohol industry. We bring you in-depth conversations with trail-blazing alcohol policy makers, visionary community activists, and leading scientists. We do it all to reshape how the world thinks about alcohol’s impact on society and the benefits of alcohol policy action.

What We Know For Sure – and What Not – About the Potential of Policy Measures to Protect People From Alcohol Marketing For the eleventh episode in our third season we discuss what we know for sure – and what not – about the potential of policy measures to protect people from alcohol marketing. Together with today’s guest, Dr Jakob Manthey, we discuss his recent and hotly debated study that found that alcohol marketing bans do not constitute a best buy for reducing alcohol consumption. In this show, host Maik Dünnbier and Jakob Manthey discuss in depth the study published in January 2024 where Jakob and colleagues systematically reviewed the evidence for effects of total and partial bans of alcohol marketing on alcohol consumption. This study got a lot of attention because of the conclusion that “there is insufficient evidence to claim that alcohol marketing bans are a best buy to reduce alcohol consumption.” Maik and Jakob talk about why this systematic review was necessary, what the findings are, and what the results mean and do not mean. Maik also asks a few critical questions about the study and Jakob shared valuable insights. They also talk about the meaning of the study results and where we go from here – in research, policy, and advocacy. Background to the show and study Alcohol marketing is a billion dollar business and alcohol companies pumping so much money into advertising, promotion, and sponsorship means they are getting massive returns on their investments. Six alcohol companies rank among the world’s largest spenders on advertising. The leading alcohol advertisers worldwide spent an estimated US$ 17.2 billion on alcohol advertising in 2019. In both high- and low-income countries, alcohol marketers occupy dominant positions, and in 24 of the countries tracked by AdAge, they are among the 10 largest advertising spenders. And evidence shows that alcohol marketing makes children and youth initiate alcohol use earlier and if they already consume alcohol, exposure to alcohol marketing makes them consume even more alcohol. A 2021 study revealed that the alcohol industry made $17.5 billion in sales revenue (in 2016) from alcohol sales to minors in the United States. The World Health Organization has classified banning alcohol ads, promotion, and sponsorship as one of three alcohol policy best buy solutions to prevent and redcuce alcohol harm. But a recent and hotly debated study systematically reviewed the evidence for effects of total and partial bans of alcohol marketing on alcohol consumption. Jakob and his research colleagues concluded that available empirical evidence does not support the claim that alcohol marketing bans constitute a best buy for reducing alcohol consumption. For this podcast conversation we have invited the lead author Dr Jakob Manthey. Our guest Dr Jakob Manthey is a renowned researcher in the field of alcohol epidemoelogy and policy. He has published groundbreaking studies in those areas. Dr Manthey is the Head of Working Group "Public health and substance use" at the Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Addiction Research at the University of Hamburg in Germany. You can follow Jakob's work here and on Research Gate. Resources for the episode Review: "Restricting alcohol marketing to reduce alcohol consumption: A systematic review of the empirical evidence for one of the ‘best buys’" Commentary by Critchlow on Manthey et al.: "No more missed opportunities—We need to address the absence of robust and comprehensive evaluations about the real-world impact of statutory restrictions on alcohol marketing" Casswell's letter to the editor: "Misleading conclusion from limited research approach: Comment on Manthey et al. ‘Restricting alcohol marketing to reduce alcohol consumption: A systematic review of the empirical evidence for one of the 'best buys'" Letter to the editor by Manthey and colleagues, in response to Casswell: "Rescheduling alcohol marketing bans within the World Health Organization menu of policy options" Casswell's commentary: "Normative value of ‘best buys’ and the case of bans on alcohol marketing" Blog post: "Three Ways Alcohol Marketing Causes Harm and One Effective Solution" Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production from Movendi International. It’s a show about latest alcohol policy developments, brand new research, and stories that reveal the predatory practices of the alcohol industry. We bring you in-depth conversations with trail-blazing alcohol policy makers, visionary community activists, and leading scientists. We do it all to reshape how the world thinks about alcohol’s impact on society and the benefits of alcohol policy action.

Countries Fail To Utilize Alcohol Policy In United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks For the tenth episode in our third season we discuss how countries are using the potential of alcohol policy to achieve the sustainable development goals - based on a landmark report from the UN Interagency Task Force on NCDs. Together with Scott Chiossi and Nick Banatvala we’re telling a story that will change how you view the role and potential of alcohol policy for promoting development. In today’s show, host Maik Dünnbier speaks with Scott and Nick about their landmark report that describes if and how alcohol has been integrated into United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs) as a risk factor for developing NCDs and/or as a link to mental health and behavioural conditions. They analyzed 135 countries that rolled out a UNSDCF recently to see if and how alcohol policy is being addressed. In their conversation they discuss the findings of their analysis and why this analysis was needed in the first place? Together, they make sense of the findings. The results of the study are underwhelming but Nick and Scott help to understand the reasons why - charting a constructive way forward. They explore a key analysis of how different policy areas and dimensions of sustainable develpoment benefit from alcohol policy action. And Nick talks about multiple paths forward that the Task Torce, WHO and other UN agencies, civil society, and countries can take. Our guests Nick is the head of the Secretariat of the UN Interagency Task Force on NCDs. Nick was Head of Global Affairs at the Department of Health in England where he led the development and implementation of the UK Government's first-ever global health strategy. Nick has vast experience from his work in the UK government, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, and at universities. In addition to being the lead author of a number of WHO and UK government publications, Nick has published widely in a range of peer-reviewed journals. Nick is co-editor of Noncommunciable Diseases: A Compendium, published in 2023. You can follow Nick's work on LinkedIn. Scott is a Technical Officer working as part of the Task Force Secretariat. He coordinates and supports a number of the Task Force’s working groups, and works on the Joint Programme on Catalyzing country action for NCDs and mental health. You can follow Scott's work on LinkedIn. Resources for the episode Book: "Noncommunicable Diseases A Compendium," Edited By Nick Banatvala, Pascal Bovet UNIATF Report: "Countries Fail to Utilize Alcohol Policy in United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks" UNIATF Report 2024: "New Report Shows Raising Pro-Health Taxes Could Save 50 Million Lives Over Next 50 Years" UNIATF News update: "Discussions at UNGA highlight alcohol is not being addressed in UN Cooperation Frameworks" Report 2020: "WHO NCDs Progress Monitor 2020" News report: "World Health Assembly Adopts More Best Buys to Tackle NCDs, Reconfirms Impact of Alcohol Policy Best Buys" Scientific study: "The Burden of Non-communicable Diseases Among Adolescents Aged 10–24 Years in the EU, 1990–2019" Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too.

Are We Moving Into a New Era For Alcohol Policy Globally? Season 3, Episode 10 For the tenth episode in our third season we discuss the question of whether we’re moving into a new era for alcohol policy globally. Together with Dr Matt Lesch we’re telling a story that change how you view the challenges, opportunities and progress in global alcohol policy. In this podcast episode, host Maik Dünnbier speaks with Matt about two of his studies that investigate the state and development of global alcohol policy over the past 14 years – from the adoption of the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy in 2010 to the adoption of the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan in 2022. They talk about why both policy documents matter and what their significance is. Matt compares the Global Alcohol Strategy and the Global Alcohol Action Plan and this analysis allows to identify key themes and to assess whether the Action Plan is an advancement for global alcohol policy. The conversation takes place at the intersection of global health, political science, and real world policy making. And Maik and Matt dive into topics that are relevant for policy makers and alcohol policy advocates alike. Together they talk about how the alcohol industry, their fundamental conflict of interest and their interference against WHO-recommended alcohol policy is being tackled and whether this marks a step in the right direction of protecting public policy making from corporate interests. And they explore the pros and cons of whether these developments pave the way towards a new era for global alcohol policy. Our guest Dr Matt Lesch is a lecturer at the University of York, in the UK. Matt’s expertise lies in the politics of policymaking. He has an interdisciplinary research agenda situated at the intersection of comparative public policy, political science, and public health. His main research interests include ideas and policy change, processes of policy transfer, and the politics of evidence-policy making. His research has explored these issues in several different domains, including alcohol policy, public health, and taxation. Follow Matt’s work on LinkedIn. Resources for the episode Study from February 2024: “Are we moving into a new era for alcohol policy globally? An analysis of the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-30” Study from June 2024: “Continuities and change in alcohol policy at the global level: a documentary analysis of the 2010 Global Strategy for Reducing the Harmful Use of Alcohol and the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022–2030” The WHO Global Alcohol Strategy from 2010 (PDF) Movendi International resource page about the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy The WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan from 2022 (PDF) Movendi International resource page about the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan Report: Big Alcohol Attempts to Undermine WHO Global Action Plan News story from May 2022: “World Health Assembly Adopts Historic Global Alcohol Action Plan. Movendi International Makes Four Recommendations For the Way Forward” The Alcohol Issues Podcast episode with Prof. Amandine Garde: “A Human Rights Based Approach to Alcohol Policy: the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan and Beyond” Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too.

Keeping Women Safe From Violence Fueled By Alcohol – Making the Case for Action Season 3, Episode 9 For the ninth episode in our third season we explore the role alcohol plays in fueling violence against women. Together with Caterina Giorgi and Kristina Sperkova we’re telling the story of how we can keep women safe from violence fueled by alcohol. We learn from advocacy success and real progress in Australia and make the case for action. In this episode, host Maik Dünnbier speaks with Caterina and Kristina about their experiences of advocating for alcohol policy to be part of the solutions to the crisis of gender-based violence. They dive into the Australian story and learn about the advocacy success and we discuss the global picture of alcohol’s role in men’s violence against women and why there’s little progress in problem recognition and policy development. They explore the factors of success in Australia and talk about other countries where similar coalitions are achieving progress. They also talk about the commercial drivers of men’s violence against women, the importance of partnerships and of women with lived experience driving the conversation and they discuss the responsibility of governments to take action. Our guests Caterina is the CEO of FARE, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education. FARE is a not-for-profit organisation with a vision for an Australia free from alcohol harms – where communities are healthy and well, and where laws, policies and programs are fair, equitable and just. In her role as CEO of FARE, Caterina is partnering with affected communities and women with lived experience, survivng men’s violence fueled by alcohol. Together they’ve mounted an impactful advocacy initiative to make alcohol policy a priority in the national response to the crisis of violence against women. Follow Caterina’s work on LinkedIn. Kristina is the International President of Movendi International. Movendi International is the largest global social movement working to protect people from the harms caused by alcohol companies and to achieve development for all through advancing alcohol policy solutions so that everyone can live up to their fullest potential. In her role as President of Movendi, Kristina has been leading the work to address alcohol harm as a feminist issue, exposing how the alcohol industry foments stereotypes, norms, and behaviors that dehumanize, objectify and sexualize women and fuel gender-based violence. Follow Kristina’s work on LinkedIn. Resources for the episode FARE has a dedicated page about action on alcohol and gendered violence. FARE’s advocacy campaign timeline is very informative and inspiring. The Prevention Collective – a global network of practitioners, activists, and researchers working to end gendered violence worldwide – released a comprehensive evidence review on the potential of addressing alcohol to prevent and reduce gendered violence. Movendi International resources on alcohol’s role in gendered violence: 300+ resources article on issues regarding alcohol violence. 18 blog posts by Kristina Sperkova with a feminist lens on alcohol harm and policy actions, with a focus on alcohol policy action to prevent and reduce men’s violence against women. 50+ science digest articles summarizing latest science on alcohol and violence against women and the prevention potential of alcohol policy. World class research report: Alcohol and violence – part of the research report series “Alcohol and Society”. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too.

Redefine Alcohol - the Groundbreaking WHO Europe Campaign Season 3, Episode 7 In this episode, we explore Redefine Alcohol - a groundbreaking new campaign launched by the World Health Organization in Europe. Together with Aleksandra Olsen of WHO Europe we’re telling a story that might change how you think about the role of alcohol in society. Stay tuned! About the guest: Aleksandra Olsen is Communication Officer at WHO Europe. She is currently supporting the WHO-EU Evidence into Action Alcohol Project. In this role, Aleksandra works with communication planning and strategy, communications activities, social media, PR and media relations.

How World Cancer Research Fund International Wants to Galvanize Governments to Address Alcohol’s Direct Link to Cancer Season 3, Episode 6 For the sixth episode in our third season we discuss how World Cancer Research Fund International wants to galvanize governments to address alcohol’s direct link to cancer. In today’s episode, we explore the direct link between alcohol and cancer and what to do about it. Together with Kendra Chow from World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRFI) we’re telling a story that might change how you think about the role of alcohol policy in efforts to prevent and reduce cancer deaths. In this episode, host Maik Dünnbier speaks with Kendra about the brand new Alcohol and Cancer Risk policy position statement of the World Cancer Research Fund International. The position statement outlines recommendations for evidence-based alcohol policies to achieve two major things: reducing population-level alcohol consumption and increasing public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer. We discuss the reasons why WCRFI developed the policy position statement, the latest evidence on alcohol’s direct link to cancer, the policy recommendations, and the need for action. We talk about additional considerations in the context of alcohol and cancer, such as language, commercial determinants of health, alcohol industry interference, and no- and low-alcohol products. Kendra also shares personal anecdotes from her life about why cancer prevention interventions are so important, and why public awareness of the risks from health-harming products can impact health outcomes. Our guest Kendra Chow is the Policy and Public Affairs Manager with World Cancer Research Fund International. She is a public health policy specialist and Registered Dietitian. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She also has previous experience developing policy interventions for the prevention of non-communicable diseases as a public health dietitian. Kendra’s research experience centres on the commercial determinants of health, health inequities, and impacts of social media on health policy. Follow Kendra’s work on LinkedIn. You can read all Kendra’s blogs here. Resources for the episode WCRFI has made a number of resources available regarding the direct link between alcohol and cancer, and what to do about it: The brand new Alcohol and Cancer Risk policy position statement of the World Cancer Research Fund International WCRFI Global Cancer Update Programme. Alcohol and cancer – WCRFI’s new global policy priority. All blog posts about alcohol and cancer. Kendra’s blog posts on a range of topics about cancer prevention and research, including alcohol and commercial determinants of cancer. Movendi International resources on alcohol and cancer science and policy action: 250+ resources article on all Alcohol Issues regarding cancer prevention and science. Global Voices blog portal with 20+ opinion articles, column, and essays about alcohol and cancer. 70+ science digest articles summarizing latest science on alcohol and cancer and the prevention potential of alcohol policy – including the Yukon study and other studies mentioned in the episode. Fact sheet about alcohol and cancer. How people can involved: the Be Loud For Change campaign. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too.

The State of Alcohol Policy in the World: Discussing Key Findings of the WHO Global Alcohol Status Report 2024 Season 3, Episode 5 For the fifth episode in our third season we welcome back Dr. Maristela Monteiro. Together host Maik Dünnbier and Maristela talk about the state of alcohol policy in the world. Recently, the World Health Organization released the Global Alcohol Status Report 2024. And Maristela and Maik discuss the key findings of the report and talk about what it all means for alcohol policy advocacy. Our guest Maristela Monteiro is a world class expert in alcohol policy and science. She has worked at the World Health Organization headquarters between 1994 and 2003. And between 2003 and 2023, she was the senior advisor on alcohol at the Pan-American Health Organization. Since she retired from PAHO, Maristela is a freelance international specialist for example regarding alcohol policy advice and research on alcohol related topics. Maristela has been involved in all the WHO Global Status Reports on alcohol, since the very first edition in 2001. All in all, in the 23 years since the first status report in 2001 and the most recent edition in 2024, there have only been 6 reports but Maristela lead on or contributed to all of them. Follow Maristela on LinkedIn. What we discussed In this conversation, Maristela shares her key findings from the latest WHO Global Alcohol Status Report. So Maristela and Maik discuss the latest situation regarding alcohol consumption in the world. Maristela helps make sense of the figures and puts them into perspective – for example how big or small the reduction of alcohol use during the pandemic really was. They also explore latest figures on alcohol harm and Maristela shares which findings stand out to her. In the conversation, Maristela and Maik dive deeper into the report’s findings concerning the state of alcohol policy in the world. Maristela shares her insights on topics such as the alcohol policy best buys, alcohol taxation, and online retail and on-demand alcohol delivery. Where have we made progress and where not, and why – these are issues Maristela explores. Maristela and Maik round this conversation off by looking into the future – as the report does, too. Countries are not on track to reach the alcohol-related global targets of the SDGs. What does that mean and what can be done about it? Maristela shares insightful analysis that is both empowering and inspiring to the alcohol policy and science community. We recorded this conversation on July 1st, 2024 – a few days after WHO released the report in a public webinar. Resources for the episode Global Alcohol Use Rising, Policy Goals out of Reach Already in 2019, a landmark study published by the Lancet revealed that global alcohol consumption had increased over the past 3 decades. The study warned the world would fail to achieve the global targets to reduce alcohol use. Globally, alcohol intake increased from 5.9 litres pure alcohol a year per adult in 1990, to 6.5 litres in 2017, and is predicted to increase further to 7.6 litres by 2030. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on LinkedIn, too.

Master Manipulators: Exposing Big Alcohol Narratives and Spin at Alcohol Policy Evaluation Hearings in the Scottish and British Parliaments Season 3, Episode 4 For the fourth episode in the third season of the Alcohol Issues Podcast we discuss the master manipulators. In two very recent Alcohol Policy Evaluation Hearings in both the Scottish and British Parliaments, alcohol industry participation drew widespread criticism and scrutiny. In this episode, we reveal and discuss the lobbying narratives and spin of alcohol industry lobbyists on display in two separate parliamentary hearings. Our guests Jane Gordon, Policy and Public Affairs Officer at SHAAP, the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems. Jane joined SHAAP in January 2022 as Policy and Public Affairs Officer. She is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, where she completed her Master of Public Health Programme. Jane has a background in global health policy and advocacy, formerly focussing on nutrition policy in her role with World Obesity Federation. She has also previously worked for the NHS during pandemic relief efforts. Follow Jane on LinkedIn: Jane Gordon And Prof. Mark Petticrew. Mark is Professor of Public Health Evaluation in the Department of Public Health, Environments and Society of the Faculty of Public Health and Policy, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is the Director of the NIHR Public Health PRU with a focus on conducting public health research with a social determinants focus, delivered within four broad themes: Understanding what determines people’s physical and mental health, and health behaviours; identifying, developing and evaluating effective and cost effective PH interventions; generating evidence to inform strategies to reduce inequalities in health; and developing new theory and methods, and new ways to apply them to public health challenges. Follow Mark on Twitter: @petticrewmark What we discussed Jane and Mark unpack what the hearings in Edinburgh and Westminster were about, why the alcohol industry was invited and why this is problematic. Maik discusses with them the conflicts of interest at play and why it matters to identify and take conflicts of interest seriously. Jane wrote a powerful blog post reflecting on her experience with the hearing in the Scottish parliament. In the blog post, she used the term “master manipulators”. Maik asks her what she means and Jane goes into more detail regarding a number of topics raised in the blog post. Mark tweeted live from a cold bench in London Bridge Station as he followed the proceedings in the select committee of the British Parliament. In this viral tweet thread he exposed alcohol industry talking points, spin, myths, and lies. Maik asked about those for an in-depth conversation regarding alcohol industry narratives. Jane and Mark also discuss the effects of this type of alcohol industry talking points, spin, and narratives. And in this episode, Mark, Jane, and Maik talk about concrete ways to avoid that the alcohol industry is invited to similar parliamentary hearings in the future. We recorded this conversation on February 13, 2024. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

The State of the World’s Children: How can we provide support to children growing up in households with alcohol problems? Season 3, Episode 3 Seen with the eyes of our children, the world we live in has an alcohol problem. In 2021, UNICEF released the flagship report entitled “The State of the World’s Children”. It explored the mental health of children, adolescents and caregivers. The report addressed alcohol as a risk factor for the mental health of children and young people. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as violence, abuse, neglect, household alcohol problems, are in turn linked to sexual risk taking, mental health issues, alcohol and other drug use problems and violence. Thus, perpetuating a vicious cycle. That children have to grow up in homes with alcohol problems is an invisible and silent but massive crisis - worldwide. For this podcast conversation we have invited four guests to discuss how we can provide support to children growing up in households with alcohol problems. Dr. Joanna Lai DrPH, MPH, MsED Health Specialist Maternal Newborn Adolescent Health Unit Health Section, Programme Division UNICEF NYHQ Kristina Sperkova, MPsy International President, Movendi International, President, Movendi SK Mr. Winyoo Srisupachok Social Innovation engineer Project consultant, The Cultivation of children for Positive Consciousness and protection from health risk factors (Alcohol, Tobacco, other Drugs etc.) Stop Drink Network in Thailand Mona Örjes President, Junis, social movement in Sweden for child rights and child health with a focus on protecting children who grow up in household with alcohol problem We recorded this conversation as a livestreamed event on February 15, 2024, during the global awareness week for children of households with alcohol problems. There is a pressing need for more action to increase recognition of and support for children of households with alcohol problems. Some community programs exists and some advocacy campaigns show promising results, along with growing attention to the magnitude and urgency of the problem. In a timely event, Movendi International brings together experts in the fields of child rights and child health with community leaders working to protect children from adverse experiences due to parental alcohol use problems.

Alcohol Issues Past, Present, and Future: A Review of Alcohol Policy Highlights in 2023 and an Outlook for Alcohol Policy Trends in 2024 Season 3, Episode 2 For the second episode in our third season we discuss alcohol issues past, present, and future. Together with the President of Movendi International, Kristina Sperkova, we will review key alcohol policy highlights in 2023 and we will discuss the outlook for alcohol policy trends in 2024. In the review of alcohol issues in the past year, Movendi International has identified 6 key stories. And in the conversation with Kristina we will discuss the highlights of those in detail, to identify common themes and synergies. Host Maik Dünnbier will also ask Kristina about some of the successes of Movendi International in 2023 to get a flavor of how Movendi International is working and she will share her top three achievements. And we will talk about why those achievements matters in the bigger picture. These two topics will bring us smoothly into the conversation about the future. Maik asks Kristina to share with us her analysis of what will matter in 2024 regarding alcohol issues, what the trends in the field of alcohol policy in the broadest sense are going to be this year. In Kristina’s analysis there are eight trends and we will go into more detail about a few of them. This is an insightful discussion that connected past and future in alcohol policy. Connecting the dots, seeing the bigger picture, charting new ways forward – Kristina provided this and helped gain new insights. We recorded this conversation on February 11, 2024. Our guest Kristina Sperkova has dedicated more than half of her life to empowering people and communities to prevent and reduce alcohol harm and to unlock development and human potential that way. She has a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. She is the International President of Movendi International, the largest global social movement for development through alcohol prevention. She is also the President of Movendi SK, in Slovakia. Kristina is a member of the advisory group on NCDs to the WHO Director General. Follow Kristina on Twitter: @KristinSperkova Follow Kristina on LinkedIn: Kristina Sperkova Questions we discussed Alcohol issues 2023 analysis: What were the big topics and alcohol issues highlights from 2023? How and where did we see alcohol policy progress in 2023? Why is Guidelines development a highlight? In this context what were some of the achievements of Movendi International in 2023? Kristina mentions a few highlights and explains four in greater detail. Alcohol issues outlook for 2024: What will matter for alcohol policy in 2024? Kristina addresses three priority topics and greater detail and why they will be important in 2024 and beyond. Resources for the episode Movendi International: “The 6 Biggest Alcohol Issues Stories of 2023“ In the review of the biggest stories in 2023 Movendi International has identified six alcohol issues that were significant in the previous year: Alcohol policy progress worldwide. Alcohol taxation is becoming the priority it should be. Alcohol warning labelling: people support it and some countries take the lead. Guidelines (diet, nutrition, cancer prevention) on alcohol consumption keep improving worldwide. Growing recognition of the direct link between alcohol and cancer. The changing alcohol norm. Movendi International: “The Alcohol Issues Newsletter – Special Edition 2023 Review“ Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry. This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to support an evidence-based approach to protecting more people from alcohol harm.

How Communities Can Advance Cancer Prevention Through Awareness and Policy Action on Alcohol Season 3, Episode 1 For the first episode in our third season we discuss an action agenda to address the link between alcohol and cancer: How can communities advance cancer prevention through awareness and policy action on alcohol. Cancer due to alcohol affects millions of people every year but the alcohol industry still keeps people in the dark about the fact that their products cause 7 types of cancer. In Movendi International, one of our biggest priorities is to help prevent cancer through alcohol policy. Last year we launched the Be Loud For Change campaign to empower and engage communities to advocate for change by raising awareness about alcohol and cancer and by promoting action from policy makers. In the first year, we’ve seen some inspiring progress. For this podcast conversation we have invited four guests to discuss how the alcohol industry keeps people in the dark about alcohol and cancer and what we can do about it. And we explore insights and lessons from both science and community action in countries such as Sweden, Uganda, and Colombia to chart an ambitious way forward. The Guests Dr Nason Maani is a Lecturer in Inequalities and Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh’s Global Health Policy Unit. His research seeks to describe the mechanisms through which commercial actors affect health inequalities, knowledge and public discourse. He serves as an invited expert and technical consultant for the WHO global programme on economic and commercial determinants of health, and is the host of Money Power Health, a podcast series discussing the social and commercial forces that shape our health. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, and a 2019-2020 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow. Dr Blanca Llorente is Research Director at Fundacion Anaas in Colombia. She is an Economist from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, with decades of experience in teaching and research on topics related to economics, environment and health. She has also developed community interventions for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, including tobacco control and alcohol policy development. Emil Juslin is the former head of the EU office of IOGT-NTO, the largest social movement for alcohol prevention in Sweden. Emil has deep experience in both alcohol policy advocacy, community engagement, and exposing and counter-acting alcohol industry interference in Swedish and EU policy-making processes. Juliet Namukasa is the country director of LM International in Uganda and the chair of the Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance. Juliet is also a member of the International Board of Movendi International. She has profound experience in poverty eradication work in Uganda, lifting up people and communities through advancing community-based and population-level policy solutions. We recorded this conversation as a livestreamed event on February 2, 2024. Questions we discussed How does the alcohol industry keep people in the dark about alcohol and cancer? Overall: what are some of the efforts of the alcohol industry to influence the public discourse in their favor; and to influence the framing of alcohol problems and possible solutions regarding alcohol harm? How are alcohol industry organisations misleading the public about alcohol and cancer? What are the three main strategies you have identified? Community action example #1: Sweden How big is the cancer burden due to alcohol in Sweden? What is the level of awareness among the public healthcare professionals and politicians? How does the campaign in Sweden work to raise awareness about alcohol and cancer? Community action example #2: Uganda Is cancer an issue of concern in Uganda? How are you using the evidence about alcohol and cancer in your advocacy work and what is the response you receive? Community action example #3: Colombia How big is the cancer burden due to alcohol in Colombia? What is the level of awareness among the public healthcare professionals and politicians? How are you working to change this and what is the progress you’ve made so far? Resources for the episode The Commercial Determinants of Health. Nason Maani (ed.) et al. Chapter 6: “The Role of Commercial Influences in Public Understanding of Harms, Causes, and Solutions“ 2017 Alcohol and Society Report: “Alcohol and Cancer“ Original paper: “How alcohol industry organisations mislead the public about alcohol and cancer“ Research article: “Manufacturing doubt: Assessing the effects of independent vs industry-sponsored messaging about the harms of fossil fuels, smoking, alcohol, and sugar sweetened beverages” 2023 Analysis: Growing recognition of the direct link between alcohol and cancer The Lancet: “Denormalising alcohol industry activities in schools“ The Lancet: “Trends in alcohol-specific deaths in the UK and industry responses“ Feature paper: “Alcohol Industry CSR Organisations: What Can Their Twitte

The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 3 Episode 01 This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to support an evidence-based approach to protecting more people from alcohol harm. Two quotes from the report outline the importance, urgency, and potential of the subject of this podcast: Especially alcohol as risk factor for hypertension has not yet been given the attention it deserves in policy, guidelines and clinical practice. The role that alcohol consumption can play in the development of high blood pressure is not well understood by the general public, by healthcare providers or by health policymakers. In this conversation Dr. Tim Naimi talks in-depth about alcohol and blood pressure – and what societies, law makers, health systems and people can do about it. The conversation The conversation covers a range of topics. Among others, Tim and Maik discuss questions, such as: Why does the issue of blood pressure matter in the context of alcohol harm? Why did you and your colleagues decide to write a research report about the issue? How does hypertension relate to heart disease in general? What is the global burden of hypertension? Why is it important to know about alcohol’s effect on blood pressure? What is alcohol’s causal role in hypertension? There is increasing scientific scepticism for the once widely held belief that low dose alcohol use can provide protection from cardiovascular diseases. Why is scepticism growing? What does the report add to this development? In the report you talk about “untapped potential for improved clinical practices and broad-based population-wide alcohol policies to prevent ill-health and prolong life.” Why do clinical guidelines matter and how does the report recommend alcohol should be addressed at the population level? Why does alcohol policy matter for heart disease prevention? The guest: Dr. Timothy Naimi Dr. Timothy Naimi is currently the Director at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada. He has worked as a physician for the U.S. Indian Health Service, and as a senior epidemiologist with the Alcohol Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and as professor in the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine. His research interests include alcohol epidemiology, the health effects of substance use, and the impact of alcohol and cannabis policies. Tim is part of an international group of researchers that come together every year to dive deeply into a specific topic of alcohol research. They conduct extensive research to identify relevant published science on the selected topic. And then, the group reviews and summarizes the search results. This analysis is then published in a report. This year the report deals with alcohol and blood pressure and podcast host Maik Dünnbier has the chance to talk with Tim Naimi about the key findings, conclusions and what it all means. Resources for the episode Movendi International has published more than 40 resources about the link between alcohol and heart disease, since 2015. Research report: Alcohol and Blood Pressure. Media Release: Even Small Amounts of Alcohol Can Be Harmful to Blood Pressure and the Heart The World Heart Federation (WHF) published a policy brief in early 2022 that showed the strong evidence base that no amount of alcohol is good for the heart. The Alcohol Issues Special Feature: “ Alcohol and Heart Disease: “What we know about alcohol’s role in multiple heart conditions and risk factors for negative cardiovascular outcomes” Research report: Effects of low dose alcohol consumption. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too. Listen to the episode Listen to season 3, episode 01 of the Alcohol Issues Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can find the brand new episode on Apple podcasts, here. You can also listen to the latest episode on Spotify. And you can find episode 08 on Google Podcasts. And you can follow the Alcohol Issues Podcast on Podbean, here. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry.

Achieving the SDGs Through Alcohol Policy: European Countries Ignore The Potential The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 09 Flawed understanding of alcohol harm leads to lost potential in using alcohol policy as catalyst for sustainable development. Alcohol is, for example, a driver of poverty and hunger (SDG 1 and 2). The products and practices of the alcohol industry cause a significant and increasing global disease burden (SDG 3). Alcohol is a risk factor for violence (SDG 5 and 16), and it contributes to inequalities (SDG 5 and 10). The harm caused by alcohol companies undermines economic productivity and hinders economic growth (SDG 8), disrupts sustainable consumption (SDG 12) and adversely impacts the environment (SDG 6, 13 and 15). But these effects are not considered by European countries in the design of measures to achieve these sustainable development goals. Effective alcohol policy solutions, the so called three best buys, are largely missing from transformative action that the Agenda 2030 calls for and that governments committed to. In this show guest host Pierre Andersson talks with Kristina Sperkova about her freshly published peer-reviewed research article that examines how European countries address alcohol as obstacle to development. In their conversation, they discuss alcohol policy issues beyond the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan to enhance the understanding of alcohol policy not only as public health priority but also as human rights priority – and the potential of such an approach. S2 E9 Topic: New Study Illustrates Failure of European Countries to Address Alcohol as Obstacle to Sustainable Development Alcohol is, for example, a driver of poverty and hunger (SDG 1 and 2). The products and practices of the alcohol industry cause a significant and increasing global disease burden (SDG 3). Alcohol is a risk factor for violence (SDG 5 and 16), and it contributes to inequalities (SDG 5 and 10). The harm caused by alcohol companies undermines economic productivity and hinders economic growth (SDG 8), disrupts sustainable consumption (SDG 12) and adversely impacts the environment (SDG 6, 13 and 15). But these effects are not considered by European countries in the design of measures to achieve these sustainable development goals. Effective alcohol policy solutions, the so called three best buys, are largely missing from transformative action that the Agenda 2030 calls for and that governments committed to. A brand-new study provides ground-breaking analysis showing that most European countries fail to address alcohol as obstacle to multiple other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) than health in the design of measures to make progress towards the SDGs. To make matters worse, inaccurate language related to alcohol harm indicates gaps in understanding of the extent of the alcohol burden and the consequences for sustainable development. This first-of-its-kind study, published in the peer reviewed journal PLOS ONE, spotlights the need to improve countries’ recognition of alcohol harm as cross-cutting impediment to 14 of 17 SDGs and countries’ capacity to utilize alcohol policy solutions as catalyst for sustainable development. The guest host and the guest expert This episode is guest hosted Pierre Andersson. He talks with Kristina Sperkova about her brand new study about the uptake of alcohol policy as catalyst for sustainable development in European countries. Pierre Andersson is the Policy Advisor Alcohol and Development at the IOGT-NTO Movement, from Sweden. The IOGT-NTO Movement is a Swedish development organization that works for poverty eradication by supporting partners to tackle alcohol as obstacle to development. Pierre has extensive experience is journalism as well as development work. Follow Pierre on Twitter: @pierrea Follow Pierre on LinkedIn: Pierre Andersson Kristina Sperkova is the International President at Movendi International. She is the lead author of the peer-reviewed research article “Alcohol policy measures are an ignored catalyst for achievement of the sustainable development goals” that she co-authored with Peter Anderson, Eva Jané Llopis. Follow Kristina on Twitter: @KristinSperkova Follow Kristina on LinkedIn: Kristina Sperkova Resources for the episode The Use of Alcohol Policy to Reach the Sustainable Development Goals in European Countries WHO Europe: New Factsheet Illustrates How Alcohol Impedes Sustainable Development in the Region UN Statistical Commission Refines SDG Alcohol Indicator Obstacle To Development Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

A Human Rights Based Approach to Alcohol Policy: the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan and Beyond The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 08 Lost opportunity or new momentum or both? In the end of May, the 75th World Health Assembly will discuss and adopt the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan. It is meant to help accelerate action on alcohol policy development after a lost decade when no progress was made. But is the new action plan up to the task or is it a lost opportunity for accelerating action on alcohol as public health priority? In this show host Maik Dünnbier talks with Prof. Amandine Garde about the human rights law perspective on the global alcohol action plan. In their conversation, they discuss alcohol policy issues beyond the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan to enhance the understanding of alcohol policy not only as public health priority but also as human rights priority – and the potential of such an approach. S2 E8 Topic: Improving the global alcohol policy response with a Human Rights based approach In this conversation, Amandine shares her analysis of the strengths and gaps of the draft WHO Global Alcohol Plan. Maik and Amandine discuss the potential of a human rights based approach to improving the global and regional alcohol policy response. They talk about alcohol issues, such as labelling, trade, taxation, and the harm caused by the products and practices of the alcohol industry – from a human rights law perspective. And they dive into why and how governments should act collectively to protect people from alcohol harm. The discussion goes into depth regarding the following questions: What does a Human Rights based perspective of the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan find? What is a rights-based approach to alcohol policy development and what is its potential? What can countries do collectively to advance alcohol policy development, regarding the many cross-border alcohol issues, such as taxation, marketing, labeling, the emergence of online trade and on-demand delivery? What is the potential of a global binding instrument for alcohol control? The guest Amandine Garde is a Professor of Law at the University of Liverpool. She has developed a specific research expertise on the role of law in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and is Founding Director of the Law & NCD Research Unit, which regularly advises international organisations, NGOs, public health agencies and governments worldwide. Follow Amandine on Twitter: @AmandineGarde Resources for the episode 140+ scientific articles about alcohol harm and human rights, from Movendi International’s Science Digest. 700+ news stories about alcohol policy development and human rights, from Movendi International’s News Center. The UNICEF report, April 2018: “A CHILD RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO FOOD MARKETING: A GUIDE FOR POLICY MAKERS“ Prof. Garde’s publications on NCDs (including alcohol) and human rights, relevant recent studies: On the rocks? A few sobering thoughts on the growing EU alcohol problem Garde, A., & Bartlett, O. (2017). On the rocks? A few sobering thoughts on the growing EU alcohol problem. In T. Hervey, C. Young, & L. Bishop (Eds.), Research Handbook on EU Health Law and Policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. doi:10.4337/9781785364723.00029 DOI: 10.4337/9781785364723.00029 Regulating Lifestyle Risks: The EU, Tobacco, Alcohol and Unhealthy Diets (Book) Alemanno, A., & Garde, A. (Eds.) (2015). Regulating Lifestyle Risks: The EU, Tobacco, Alcohol and Unhealthy Diets. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781107478114 DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781107478114 Combatting obesogenic commercial practices through the implementation of the best interests of the child principle(Chapter) Garde, A., Byrne, S., & Byrne, S. (2020). Combatting obesogenic commercial practices through the implementation of the best interests of the child principle. In Ending Childhood Obesity – A Challenge at the Crossroads of International Economic and Human Rights Law (pp. 251-281). Edward Elgar. Digital food marketing to children: Exploitation, surveillance and rights violations (Journal article) Tatlow-Golden, M., & Garde, A. (2020). Digital food marketing to children: Exploitation, surveillance and rights violations. Global Food Security. doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100423 DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100423 Harmful Commercial Marketing and Children’s Rights: For a Better Use of EU Powers (Journal article) GARDE, A. (2020). Harmful Commercial Marketing and Children’s Rights: For a Better Use of EU Powers. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 11(4), 841-850. doi:10.1017/err.2020.83 DOI: 10.1017/err.2020.83 International Investment Law and Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention (Journal article) Garde, A., & Zrilic, J. (2020). International Investment Law and Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention. The Journal of World Investment & Trade, 21(5), 649-673. doi:10.1163/22119000-12340190 DOI: 10.1163/22119000-12340190 Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions fo

Lessons From Big Tobacco: How and Why Big Alcohol Created Social Aspects Public Relations Organizations The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 07 A new groundbreaking study changes our understanding of the alcohol industry, elucidating similarities and inter-relationships with the tobacco industry. The researchers examined the Truth Tobacco Documents Library to gain unique insights regarding alcohol industry social aspects organizations. They analyzed content directly from industry actors themselves. This way the researchers are now able to tell the story of how and why Big Alcohol began creating public relations front groups. This podcast episode with Jim McCambridge is part of Movendi International’s work to raise awareness about the unethical practices of the alcohol industry and how to advance public health oriented alcohol policy solutions. Analyzing internal industry documents In this episode host Maik Dünnbier talks with Professor Jim McCambridge. The conversation with Jim provides deep insights into the evolution of social aspects and public relations organizations that operate in the interest of alcohol companies. They discuss, for example, that based on the study’s findings alcohol companies’ front groups can no longer be called “social aspects” organizations. In this conversation Prof. Jim McCambridge shares unique insights into the origins and purposes of alcohol industry “social aspects organizations” as portrayed in internal tobacco industry documents. The guest Jim McCambridge holds the Chair in Addictive Behaviours & Public Health at the University of York. Jim is also Visiting Professor at Linkoping University in Sweden, and Conjoint Professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Jim now holds a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award in Humanities and Social Science to advance study of the alcohol industry, public health sciences and policy. This supports one of two five-year research programmes that Jim leads. Jim first trained in Sociology, then in Social Work, and went on to work with drug users. His PhD study, at the National Addiction Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, was a randomised controlled trial of motivational interviewing for drug prevention among young people. Jim’s scientific work is dedicated to policy-related research that seeks to develop our understanding of the roles the alcohol industry plays in national and international policy making context. S2 E7 Topic The alcohol industry regards the harms caused by the use of their products as a public relations issue that needs to be managed as such. So, in the 1950s the began working with the tobacco industry to devise strategies to undermine policy as well as science development. Maik and Jim discuss what the long-term public relations goals of the alcohol are. And they dive into three major developmental periods in the evolution of alcohol industry social aspects organizations to discuss which threats the alcohol industry felt they need to respond to and which strategies they deployed. The conversation explores the objectives and methodology of the study entitled “The Origins and Purposes of Alcohol Industry Social Aspects Organizations: Insights From the Tobacco Industry Documents”. Maik and Jim talk about two major questions: What is the strategic purpose of SAPROs for the alcohol industry? Why do they spend considerable amounts on SAPROs? And which major developmental periods in the evolution of alcohol industry social aspects organizations can be identified and what do we learn from them? In the study, Jim and colleagues show that the alcohol industry identified the developing population-level understanding of alcohol problems in the 1980 as existential threat. That is a remarkable finding and so Maik discusses this issue in depth with Jim. There is another remarkable thought in the study: "It is challenging to contemplate just how profoundly the alcohol industry may have biased what we think we know about alcohol.” Jim McCambridge, Jack Garry, and Robin Room, The Origins and Purposes of Alcohol Industry Social Aspects Organizations: Insights From the Tobacco Industry Documents, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2021 82:6, 740-751 Jim talks about what that means and what could be done about this. Resources for the episode Increased pressure on risk industries to reduce their negative impact on society has resulted in an increasing volume of “risk” and “responsibility” communications from interest groups known as Social Aspects Public Relations Organizations (SAPROs). Building on risk industry research from the public health sphere, this article examines the SAPRO phenomenon and situates it in the political public relations (PR) literature. Specifically, it considers how SAPROs perform an indirect lobbying function on behalf of their funding industries. The U.S. distilled spirits industry regarded the harms caused by use of their products as a public relations issue to be managed. The strategy designed

How Big Alcohol Derails Alcohol Prevention Efforts in the Netherlands The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 06 This episode is a brand new and real time case study of how the alcohol industry hijacks and derails alcohol prevention efforts. People and communities in the Netherlands are burdened by heavy alcohol harm. And in 2018 the government made a commitment to better prevent and reduce that harm. Unfortunately, though, this is all unravelling now. The Pitfalls of Big Alcohol Being at the Policy Table To understand the alcohol policy debate in the Netherlands, host Maik Dünnbier talks with Wim van Dalen of STAP. Wim tells the story of an alcohol prevention effort that got totally hijacked and derailed by the alcohol industry. It started with ambitious targets to better protect people from alcohol harm but now the country faces the real possibility that alcohol will become even more easily and widely available. The conversation between Maik and Wim is very timely because there are important alcohol policy development processes going on at national, European, and global levels where the alcohol industry is also interfering and trying to get a seat at the table. But the case of the alcohol roundtables in the Netherlands illustrates clearly what the pitfalls are. Read full story: "The Pitfalls of Big Alcohol Being at the Policy Table: Dutch Alcohol Industry Derails Efforts to Prevent, Reduce Alcohol Harm" The guest Wim van Dalen is a sociologist. He graduated the University of Wageningen in 1976. He is one of the first university-trained health educators in the Netherlands. Wim worked for 4 years as a national policy officer at the former Federation of Alcohol en Drugs Institutions and then worked for more than 15 years as a project developer and later as manager in a regional addiction institution. From 1986 he was a member of the advisory committee of the national alcohol campaign ‘Drink destroys more than you would like’ of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. From 1996 to 2002 he led this campaign as an employee of the Netherlands Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. In 2002 he became director of STAP. He is also chairman of EUCAM, a European network of organizations that focus on monitoring alcohol marketing. Follow Wim van Dalen on Twitter: @WimvanDalen Follow STAP on Twitter: @STAP_Nederland Find out more about STAP’s work. Follow EUCAM on Twitter: @EUCAM1 Find out more about EUCAM’s work. S2 E6 Topic Wim van Dalen is one of the most renowned and accomplished public health alcohol policy champions in the Netherlands and Europe. In the conversation he will touch upon some of the policy improvements he was part of bringing about in the Netherlands over the years. And in this capacity, Wim is at the center of the current alcohol policy debate. Through talking with him, we get a seat in the front row to better see and understand the alcohol harm and policy solutions needed in the Netherlands and how the alcohol industry lobbies to derail and obstruct efforts to develop evidence-based public health action on alcohol harm. Resources for the episode In recent years, some alcohol policy improvements have been decided in the Netherlands, while more ambitious action is lacking. Read full story: "Netherlands: Alcohol Policy Best Buys Save Healthcare Costs" Read the full story: "Netherlands: New Alcohol Law Eliminates Obscene Alcohol Price Promotions" Read the full story: "Netherlands: New Report Outlines Possibilities For Mandatory Alcohol Labeling" Read the full story: "Dutch Government Investigation: MUPs Reduces Alcohol Harm" Read the full story: "Acute Alcohol Intoxication in Dutch Adolescents Before, During, and After the First COVID-19 Lockdown" Read the full story: "Netherlands: Brewers Incentivize Heavy Student Alcohol Use" Read the full story: "Netherlands: Widespread Misconceptions about Alcohol" Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

How Big Alcohol Uses the World Trade Organization to Influence Global Alcohol Policy The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 05 This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to raise awareness about the unethical practices of the alcohol industry and how to advance public health oriented alcohol policy solutions to protect people and communities from the harm caused by the products and practices of the alcohol industry. No Ordinary Commodity: Trade, Big Alcohol and Alcohol Harm This episode provides profound new insights into a topic that needs much more attention. Public health and human rights are at a serious disadvantage in trade and investment negotiations where preference is given to alcohol industry interests. How and to what extent the alcohol industry uses the trade policy arena to shape alcohol policy around the world remains poorly understand. This conversation with Dr Pepita Barlow sheds light on the issue and provides deep insights into a parallel arena that shapes health policy, without public health expertise even being present. The guest Pepita Barlow is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics. Previously, Dr Barlow was a Research Associate at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and completed a DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford. Pepita’s research examines how policies and actors outside the health sector impact on health and health policy, with a particular focus on using novel methods and data to study the health impacts of trade policies and agreements. Follow Pepita Barlow on Twitter: @pepitabarlow Find out more about Dr Barlow and her research work at the London School of Economics S2 E5 Topic Dr Barlow and colleagues conducted a qualitative analysis, studying discussions on alcohol health warning labelling policies at the WTO’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee meetings. Using the WTO Documents Online archive, they analyzed documents covering a 14 year period to identify minutes and referenced documents pertaining to discussions on alcohol health warning labelling policies. Host Maik Dünnbier talks with Pepita about this analysis, how they worked and why this methodology matters. And they dive into the details of the findings. Maik and Pepita discuss what the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee is and why it matters for alcohol policy making. Pepita and colleagues identified instances in which WTO member representatives indicated that their statements represented industry. They also developed and applied a taxonomy of alcohol industry lobbying talking points. That facilitated the identification of whether or not WTO member statements advanced arguments made by industry in domestic forums. Pepita talks about the significance of the findings that alcohol industry friendly countries challenge another country’s alcohol policy in the WTO using alcohol industry talking points. And Maik and Pepita discuss the global justice dimension that most countries, 8 out of 10, listed in the study that wanted to improve their alcohol labeling regulation where low- and middle-income countries. But the challenges to their alcohol labelling efforts come from high-income countries that produce and export alcohol. In the conversation, Pepita reveals the alcohol industry playbook deployed at the WTO. And Maik and Pepita talk about why the WTO matters so much for Big Alcohol and how public health concerns can play a stronger role in the future at the WTO. Resources for the episode The study: “Industry Influence Over Global Alcohol Policies via the World Trade Organization: A Qualitative Analysis of Discussions on Alcohol Health Warning Labelling, 2010–19” The Special Feature: “No Ordinary Commodity: Trade, Big Alcohol and Alcohol Harm“ Listen to the episode Listen to season 2, episode 05 of the Alcohol Issues Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can find the brand new episode on Apple podcasts, here. You can also listen to the latest episode on Spotify. And you can find episode 19 on Google Podcasts. And you can follow the Alcohol Issues Podcast on Podbean, here. Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry.

Big Alcohol’s Attack on the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 04 This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to promote evidence-based alcohol policy development at all levels and to translate scientific evidence into policy action that protects people and communities from alcohol harm. Alcohol’s cancer burden in Europe The products and practices of the alcohol industry cause a massive burden of harm, including cancer. But most people remain unaware of this extent and severity of alcohol harm. For instance, in the European Union, in 2016 cancer was the most common cause of alcohol-related deaths at 29%. Alcohol causes 7 types of cancer. Low-dose alcohol consumption levels caused almost 23,000 new cancer cases in the EU in 2017, and accounted for 13.3% of all alcohol-attributable cancers. Almost half of these (∼11,000 cases) were female breast cancers. More than a third of the cancer cases due to low-dose alcohol use resulted from a level of

The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 03 This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to promote evidence-based alcohol policy development at all levels and to translate scientific evidence into policy action that protects people and communities from alcohol harm. CoA Week 2022 This episode is special because it is part of CoA Week 2022, the international awareness week to bring attention to the challenges children face when alcohol harm affects their homes. Movendi International is arranging a special online event on February 14, 2022. The guest There’s no better guest to speak to about this important and often overlooked child rights issue, than Nacoa UK, that has been working for several decades to help vulnerable children and bring about change. Host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Dr. Piers Henriques, Nacoa’s Head of Communications to the podcast. Piers has been around for the full 32 years of the Nacoa journey to protect and promote the health and rights of children growing up in households affected by alcohol problems. Among other things, he has created a worldwide community of organizations advancing this cause. And he’s also masterminding Nacoa’s ‘Widening Access’ programme. Follow Piers Henriques on Twitter: @Piers_henriques Follow Nacoa UK on Twitter: @NacoaUK S2 E3 Topic In the UK, 2.6 million children are growing up in homes with parental alcohol use problems. That is one in five children. Piers and Maik talk about the extent of the problem and what it is like for children to be exposed to alcohol harm in their homes. They talk about what the children experience and what parental alcohol problems mean for them. They also discuss stigma, the importance of a child-centered approach, and the lack of services and support for affected children and their parents. Piers shares about the ground-breaking work Nacoa is doing and their two major projects. And Maik and Piers talk about the big picture to answer the question: What needs to happen for change? And who has the responsibility to bring about change? Resources for the episode Emotional Speech from Liam Byrne at Alcohol Harm Debate, in the UK Parliament All Party Parliamentary Group and its ‘Manifesto for Change’ published in 2016 Nacoa’s ‘Widening Access Project’ Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry.

THE ALCOHOL ISSUES PODCAST – EPISODE 02 – SEASON 02 ALCOHOL POLICY AND THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: WHAT HAPPENED AT THE RECENT EXECUTIVE BOARD This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to promote evidence-based alcohol policy development at all levels and to translate scientific evidence into policy action that protects people and communities from alcohol harm. The guest host For this episode there is a guest host who will lead the conversation with Maik Dünnbier of Movendi International about the WHO global alcohol action plan, the discussions at the Executive Board, and many other related questions. Pierre Andersson is hosting today’s conversation. Pierre Andersson is the Policy Advisor on Alcohol and Development at the IOGT-NTO Movement. The IOGT-NTO Movement is a Swedish development organization that works for poverty eradication by supporting partners to tackle alcohol as obstacle to development. Follow Pierre Andersson on Twitter. Learn more about the IOGT-NTO Movement’s work. S2 E2 Topic More than 100 countries were represented by 27 statements made during the debate about the WHO draft global alcohol action plan at the Executive Board Meeting. Following the discussion, the Executive Board decided unanimously to adopt the global alcohol action plan and recommend final approval at the World Health Assembly later this year. This decision underlines that alcohol harm is a public health priority and that accelerated alcohol policy action has strong support from WHO Member States. So, how did we get here? What were the key issues during the debate? And what happens next? After an extensive, two-year long process of developing a global alcohol action plan, the WHO Executive Board discussed the plan in particular and alcohol policy issues in general. Pierre talks with Maik about the content of the action plan, the process of developing it, and the attempts of the alcohol industry to interfere and water it down. And they share their assessments of what’s good and bad regarding elements of the action plan. Pierre and Maik followed the Executive Board discussion about alcohol policy and we they share their impressions, reflections, and take aways. They shed some light on countries that champion making alcohol policy a public health priority and countries that promote the alcohol industry’s profit interests. And they talk about bigger picture considerations and the way forward. Resources for the episode On Movendi International's News Center, you can find multiple resource on the topics covered in the conversation: WHO Executive Board Discusses Alcohol Policy, Adopts Global Alcohol Action Plan. Read more here… Finally a Priority? Alcohol Policy at WHO EB150. Read more here… Civil Society Steps Up to Help Accelerate Alcohol Policy Action Worldwide. Read more here… WHO: Global Alcohol Action Plan Consultation Submissions Published. Read more here… Exposed: The Strategies Big Alcohol Deploys to Interfere in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation. Read more here… Big Tobacco’s Strategic Ally Interferes in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation. Read more here… WHO Fails to Adequately Protect Global Alcohol Policy Development From Alcohol, Tobacco Industry Interference. Read more here… Big Alcohol Attempts to Undermine WHO Global Action Plan. Read more here… Big Alcohol’s Fundamental Conflict of Interest. Read more here… 4 Reasons WHO Should Quit the Concept of ‘Harmful Use of Alcohol’. Read more here… Landmark Study: No Level of Alcohol Use Improves Health. Read more here… Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected] . You can also reach me on twitter and find my contact details in the show notes. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too. About The Alcohol Issues Podcast The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry.

The Alcohol Issues Podcast - Season 2 Episode 01 HOW THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY MISREPRESENTS THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry. Background Alcohol’s harm on cardiovascular health is arguably the area where scientific knowledge and public awareness have progressed most slowly in the last decade. For example, public health organizations and health professionals working on cardiovascular issues have been much slower to address alcohol harm in their work, compared to the area of cancer prevention, control and treatment. In addition to inaction, the myth of alcohol’s benefits for cardiovascular health persists. And in policy making processes this misunderstanding is a critical impediment to accelerating action on alcohol as public health priority. But this is changing. Today’s show is exploring why change is needed and how it can be further accelerated. The Guests: Season 2, Episode 1 In this episode of The Alcohol Issues Podcast, host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Mark Petticrew and May van Schalkwyk. Mark is Professor of Public Health Evaluation in the Department of Social and Environmental Health Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is Director of the NIHR Public Health Research Unit. May is Specialist Registrar in Public Health and (NIHR) National Institute for Health Research Doctoral Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, researching the commercial determinants of health. The Discussion: How the alcohol industry misrepresents the truth about alcohol and cardiovascular health Our guests are two of the authors of a very important study called “Analysis of the Accuracy and Completeness of Cardiovascular Health Information on Alcohol Industry-Funded Websites”. Together, we take an in-depth look at how alcohol industry-funded websites mis-represent the evidence on cardiovascular health. The topic of alcohol’s impact on cardiovascular health is important in three aspects: protecting people and patients from avoidable alcohol harms; increasing public recognition of the real effects of alcohol; and facilitating alcohol policy action to prevent and reduce alcohol harm. The Alcohol Industry and the Social Aspects and Public Relations Organisations it funds, have been shown to mis-represent the risk of alcohol with respect to cancer and pregnancy. Therefore, the assumption seems plausible that Big Alcohol would do the same with regards to alcohol and cardiovascular health. In their recent study, researchers around Mark Petticrew and May van Schalkwyk investigated the assumption that the alcohol industry would position alcohol as ‘heart healthy’ to further undermine public perceptions of risks from alcohol consumption. In this conversation we talk about the study, its findings and implications. The conversation provides an update about what scientists actually know about alcohol’s link to cardiovascular disease. And we take a broader and more detailed look at the strategies and tactics of the alcohol industry to frame and misrepresent the effects of their products on human health. For instance, we talk about what we know about alcohol industry misrepresentation of alcohol’s link to cancer. And we discuss what to do with the findings of the study. Resources for the episode Follow Prof. Mark Petticrew on Twitter. Follow Dr. May van Schalkwyk on Twitter. On Movendi International's News Center, you can find multiple resource on the topics covered in the conversation, such as the link between alcohol and cancer, the link between alcohol and heart disease, the strategies of the alcohol industry, and other research projects of Mark and May relevant to this conversation. Summary of the recent study: "Alcohol Industry-Funded Websites Mis-Represent the Evidence on Cardiovascular Health" Summary of the study by Golder and McCambridge: "Alcohol, Cardiovascular Disease and Industry Funding" Summary of the 2017 study on alcohol industry's misrepresentation of alcohol's cancer risk: "How Big Alcohol Misleads Public About Alcohol And Cancer" Research commentary: "The Strategies of Big Alcohol: Downplaying the Risk of Cancer" Special Feature: "Alcohol and Cardiovascular Disease – Understanding the Scientific State of the Art" Previous The Alcohol Issues Podcast episode with May van Schalkwyk: "Sludges and Dark Nudges in Big Alcohol’s CSR Campaigns” Feedback Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: [email protected] . You can also reach me on twitter and find my contact details in the show notes. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on T

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Special Episode 20 Lessons For Alcohol Policy From the Coronavirus Crisis: Potential and Challenges For Building Back Better Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to the Alcohol Issues Podcast and our 20th episode - another Special Episode as Kristina Sperkova is back on the podcast. Kristina is the International President of Movendi International. Movendi International is the largest global social movement for development through alcohol prevention. More than 130 Member Organizations from more than 50 countries work together to address alcohol as obstacle to development in the most comprehensive way. In this Special Episode Kristina reflects on the recent joint event during the 74th World Health Assembly about alcohol policy, COVID-19 and building back better. The conversation with Kristina was recorded on June 11, 2021 and the event itself took place on May 27th. Discussing the lethal interaction between alcohol and COVID-19 and the potential of alcohol policy as catalyst for building back better During the 74th session of the World Health Assembly, Movendi International together with the NCD Alliance, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) jointly hosted a virtual side event with the title "Lessons for alcohol policy from the coronavirus crisis: potential and challenges for building back better". The event brought together high-level decision-makers from member states, WHO regions and opinion leaders from civil society and intergovernmental organizations to discuss the role of alcohol prevention and control for building back better in the coming months and years. Host Maik Dünnbier talks with Kristina about key insights and the most important lessons that were discussed during the event. Kristina reflects on the analysis that each of the speakers shared and what she thinks the highlights were. More than a year into the global pandemic, we aimed to take stock of global and regional experiences and knowledge around alcohol and the coronavirus crisis. We also hear from the speakers themselves with crucial facts, succinct explanations and powerful quotes. And Kristina talks about the crucial lessons learned for the way forward. In the event the speakers collectively mapped the needs for addressing alcohol harm going forward. And they shared lessons learned to come out of the crisis and into a better future with the help of alcohol policy solutions. Resources for the special episode Read the event summary here, where you can also find all the presentations: Joint Event Report: Lessons For Alcohol Policy From the Coronavirus Crisis Three major reports have provided unique and timely insights into the lethal interactions between alcohol and COVID-19. Exposed: How Big Alcohol Turns COVID-19 Into the World’s Largest Marketing Campaign - get to the Signalling Virtue report here... Groundbreaking New Report Shows Lethal Interaction Between Alcohol and Coronavirus Pandemic - get to the alcohol and COVID-19 report here... New OECD Report Summary: Governments Should Step Up Efforts to Prevent, Reduce Alcohol Harm - get to the OECD report here... WHO: Restrict Alcohol Access During COVID-19 Lockdown - get to the WHO guidance here... WHO: Alcohol Use NOT a COVID-19 Coping Tool - get to the WHO coping tool here... See the entire event Watch the event and see all the presentations on YouTube... Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Episode 19 Brand New OECD Report: The Economic and Health System Case for Alcohol Policy Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to the Alcohol Issues Podcast and our 19th episode and this fresh, new in-depth conversation about the brand new OECD report on alcohol harms and policy. The conversation was recorded on May 19, 2021 just before the report was released. Discussing the potential of alcohol policy solutions to improve health systems, strengthen the economy and build back better after COVID-19 For the 19th episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast we welcome Michele Checchini. He is the senior health policy analyst and project leader public health at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Grouping 35 member countries and working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. It provides a forum where governments can compare and exchange policy experiences, identify good practices and promote decisions and recommendations. Through its work on health, the OECD helps countries achieve high-performing health systems by measuring health outcomes and health system resource use and by analysing policies that improve access, efficiency, and quality of health care. The brand new OECD report analyses the cost of alcohol consumption in 52 countries (including OECD, European Union and G20 countries) and the economic case for enhancing policies to tackle alcohol harm. The report called “Preventing Harmful Alcohol Use” presents new evidence on the health, social, and economic burden of alcohol harm and presents compelling data on the potential of improved alcohol policy solutions that can save millions of lives and generate savings that are greater than the implementation costs. In this conversation, host Maik Dünnbier and Michele crunch some of the most significant numbers in the report. This means that Michele and Maik discuss alcohol consumption and harm trends before and during the pandemic. Michele puts the economic figures in context and perspective to illustrate the magnitude of alcohol harm and how it affects health system functioning and the overall economy. The report makes a compelling case – driven by astounding economic data – for upscaling investment in alcohol policy solutions. Maik talks with Michele about these policy measures. He explains the triple dividend of tackling alcohol harm and what the 4Ps Package is all about. They explore the gaps that remain in countries’ alcohol policy response – across 6 policy areas. This conversation is a deep dive into the brand new OECD report with Michele. Talking about the report’s key findings helps put into perspective the potential of alcohol policy solutions. For example, Michele explains the return in investment into alcohol policy measures and in this way helps chart the way to build back better after COVID-19 with the help of alcohol prevention and control. Resources for the conversation with Michele You can follow Michele Cecchini's research work, here. You can read about the OECD's work on health, here. For further reading: Find the 2015 OECD report on alcohol harm and policy, here. Read more about the recent WHO Europe report "Making the European Region Safer: developments in alcohol control policies, 2010–2019 (2021)" Get all information about the WHO process to develop a global alcohol action plan, with Movendi International's Special Feature, here. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Episode 18 The 3-Year Anniversary of Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing and the Future of Alcohol Policy Development in Scotland Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to the Alcohol Issues Podcast and our 18th episode. For the three year anniversary of the historic alcohol minimum unit pricing policy coming into effect in Scotland, we focus in this episode on the first evidence from full MUP implementation and discuss wider issues around the alcohol floor price in particular and alcohol policy development in general. The conversation for this podcast episode was recorded on May 5, 2021 and final recordings were made on May 13. Discussing MUP, its history, first evidence and future and the bigger picture of alcohol harm and policy solutions in Scotland For the 18th episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Alison Douglas, the Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland. She joined AFS in December 2015. Her commitment to and experience of preventing and reducing alcohol harm stems from her time as Head of Alcohol Policy and Delivery at Scottish Government from 2007 to 2012. In this capacity Alison was responsible for developing and implementing Scotland’s national alcohol strategy, "Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol". Alison previously worked as a policy adviser to Scottish Ministers, advising on issues ranging from prostitution, to GM crops, and the marine environment. From April 2012 until she joined AFS she was Head of Public Bodies and Public Service Reform with responsibility for advising Ministers on reform and ensuring the effectiveness of public bodies. Alcohol Focus Scotland is the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm. Alison will also explain a bit more about the important work that Alcohol Focus Scotland is doing. In the conversation, Alison and Maik take a deep dive into the historic and trailblazing minimum unit pricing policy in Scotland. They discuss how it works and why it was needed in the first place. Alison also explains how it is going after three years of MUP implementation. What is the evidence in terms of alcohol consumption, alcohol harms and public support for the alcohol floor price? Host Maik Dünnbier also used the opportunity to ask Alison about lessons learned across the entire period, including the advocacy struggle to get the MUP adopted, then defend it against alcohol industry litigation and then to get it implemented properly. So, Alison shares a few highlights in the wider historic perspective. This conversation with Alison provides deeper understanding of how policy can shape norms and culture, the importance of bold leaders, and the significance of the alcohol industry’s interference not only in policy processes but also in public perception of and discussion about what constitutes alcohol harm. Alison shares thoughtful reflections that really resonate coming from one of the champions at the forefront of successful alcohol policy advocacy. Resources for the conversation with Alison You can follow Alison Douglas on Twitter, here. You can follow Alcohol Focus Scotland on Twitter, here. You can read about Alcohol Focus Scotland's work, here. For further reading, about alcohol minimum unit pricing in Scotland: Scotland, UK: Communities Call For Increased MUP MUP in Scotland explained, here. Movendi International's resource page about MUP implementation and evidence analysis around the world, here. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Episode 17 The Inner Workings of the Public Health Alcohol Act In Ireland: From MUP To Changing the Alcohol Norm Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to the Alcohol Issues Podcast and our 17th episode. This week we focus on the Public Health Alcohol Act in Ireland and pay special attention to the recent news of the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in Ireland. Discussing the Irish alcohol policy model with a special focus on the alcohol floor price policy For the 17th episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Dr Sheila Gilheany to discuss the workings and issues around one of the world’s best alcohol acts. Sheila is the Chief Executive of Alcohol Action Ireland. She is a tremendously impressive person and leader. Sheila holds a PhD in astrophysics. She has led a range of not-for-profit organisations in science, education, public engagement and social enterprise. And now she is at Alcohol Action Ireland that has been the key civil society advocate for support of the Public Health Alcohol Act that was passed into law in October 2018. Alcohol Action Ireland was established in 2003 and is the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm in Ireland. Alcohol Action Ireland campaigns for the burden of alcohol harm to be lifted from the individual, community and State. The organization has a strong track record in campaigning, advocacy, research and information provision. In their conversation, Maik and Sheila take a deep dive into the alcohol policy model of Ireland. Sheila describes from a scientific and a human perspective why alcohol policy development was so important for Irish society. They talk about the alcohol norm in Ireland and how the alcohol industry fuels cognitive dissonance, misconceptions and inertia, despite pervasive alcohol harm. And yet the country adopted a comprehensive set of policies in the Public Health Alcohol Act. Sheila explains how that happened and she shares inspiring lessons learnt. Maik and Sheila also talk in more detail about the different provisions of the alcohol law and how they work. Just a few days ago, the government announced that the alcohol floor price would be introduced on January 1st, 2022. So, Sheila and Maik look more closely at that issue and what the MUP will be in Ireland. And they discuss what the future holds, both in short, medium and long term. Sheila shares insightful reflections and bold ideas for an integrated and comprehensive approach to protecting the people in Ireland from alcohol harm. Resources for the conversation with Sheila You can follow Dr Sheila Gilheany on Twitter, here. You can follow Alcohol Action Ireland on Twitter, here. You can read about Alcohol Action Ireland's work, here. For further reading, about alcohol pricing policies in the WHO European region, get the resource here: New WHO Europe report “Making the WHO European Region SAFER. Developments in alcohol control policies, 2010–2019” Alcohol Policy Development: Three Country Success Stories Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch with [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Episode 16 Commercial Determinants of Health and the WHO: Conflicts of Interest at the New WHO Foundation Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to the Alcohol Issues Podcast and our 16th episode. This week we focus on commercial determinants of health and the World Health Organization, zooming in on conflicts of interest at the new WHO Foundation and shedding light on the broader context of the corporate objectives of health harmful industries such as Big Alcohol and Big Junk Food. Discussing the global governance of health and corporate interference For the 16th episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Professor Jeffrey Collin and Dr Nason Maani. Jeff Collin is Professor of Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK. A political scientist by background, he previously worked at the London school of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Moving to Edinburgh in 2005, he established a suite of MSc programmes in health policy, joining the School of Social & Political Science in 2010 when the Global Public Health Unit was created within Social Policy. Nason Maani was most recently a 2019-2020 Harkness Fellow at the Boston University School of Public Health and an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is focused on the structural and commercial determinants of health. Nason also serves as advisor to the Boston University/Rockefeller 3D commission on Data, Determinants and Decision-making. They are two of the authors of a very timely, important and high profile scientific commentary published in February in BMJ Global Health. Their commentary is called “The New WHO Foundation — Global Health Deserves Better” and has received much attention, especially among civil society and community groups dealing with the effects of health harmful industries interfering in public health policy making, particularly in the areas of Non-Communicable Diseases and their risk factors. In the conversation, they discuss the topic of global health governance, the importance of WHO’s independence and the challenges posed by commercial determinants of health. They analyze key conflict of interest issues that threaten the credibility and norm-setting function of the World Health Organization. This topic is brought into sharp focus by the newly created WHO Foundation and how it decides to treat the alcohol industry and other health harmful corporate giants, such as Nestle. With Jeff and Nason, Maik discusses to what extent the recent debacle of the European Super League in football can serve as analogy to help understand key concerns around the WHO Foundation. Nason and Jeff share profound insights into how health harmful corporations work and leverage donor relations to achieve their key corporate objectives. They also look at the bigger picture. In the era of sustainable development, where NCDs and their risk factors, such as alcohol, are among the biggest obstacles to not only good health but sustainable development overall, conflicts of interest inherent in many partnerships and donor relations with commercial determinants of health pose serious threats to achieving NCDs and SDGs targets. Nason and Jeff explain how and why. Resources for the conversation with Evan You can follow Prof Jeffrey Collin's research output, here. You can read more about Jeff's work, here. You can follow Dr Nason Maani on Twitter, here. You can see Nason's research activity and read more about his work, here. You can read more about the WHO Foundation, here. For further reading, Movendi International's Science Digest covering the topic of Commercial Determinants of Health and covering Conflict of Interest issues. Press release from 2015: AB InBev's corporate social responsibility campaign to "influence social norms and individual behavior" with $1 billion. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch with [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Episode 15 Understanding Alcohol Taxation: Design, Potential and Window of Opportunity Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to this in depth and far ranging conversation with Dr Evan Blecher of the World Health Organization focusing on pro-health taxes and specifically the design, potential and window of opportunity for better alcohol taxation. Discussing alcohol taxation issues: affordability, framing, design and WHO's work to support countries For the 15th episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast we welcome Evan Blecher from the World Health Organization. Dr. Evan Blecher is an Economist in the Fiscal Policies for Health unit at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. His work focuses on tax policy and its influence on health behaviors, including tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. He is responsible for the development of new streams of work including alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. In the conversation, Evan and host Maik Dünnbier go deep into the weeds of health taxes, focusing more specifically on alcohol excises taxes. They discuss different terms for health taxes and what they reveal about the purpose and potential of health taxes. Evan talks for instance about the term “sin taxes” and shares his analysis of the weaknesses of such a frame. Host Maik Dünnbier also asks Evan about the evidence-base for health taxes in general and alcohol taxes in particular and how confident we can be in the knowledge today. Evan shares deep insights into how to design effective alcohol taxes and how to understand the primary purpose and objectives of alcohol taxation. In the policy discussion of alcohol taxation often there seems to be a conflict in the minds of policy makers between raising revenue through alcohol taxes or reducing alcohol harm. Maik thus wanted to know from Evan if this conflict really exists and how we can best understand the potential of alcohol taxation. Given the moment in time, where a public health crisis and an economic crisis are affecting people, communities and societies, WHO is working to support more countries to develop evidence-based alcohol taxes in order to make the most of the current window of opportunity to advance health taxes in general and alcohol taxes in particular to come out of the crisis healthier and stronger. Resources for the conversation with Evan You can follow Dr Evan Blecher on Twitter, here. You can see Evan's research activity, here (Research gate) and here (Google Scholar) You can read about the recently released WHO Tobacco Taxation manual, here. Movendi International's Science Digest on alcohol taxation can be accessed here. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch with [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues Podcast - Episode 14 THE WHO, BIG ALCOHOL SELF-REGULATION AND THE NEW GLOBAL ALCOHOL ACTION PLAN Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Welcome to this in depth and far ranging conversation about specific alcohol policy issues at the World Health Organization, alcohol industry regulation, World Trade Organization issues and the future of alcohol policy on the global level. Questioning the alcohol industry's position of influence at the World Health Organization For the 14th episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Paula O’Brien, Tim Stockwell, and Robin Room. Together with Kate Vallance they wrote an editorial in the latest Addiction Journal with the title: “WHO Should Not Support Alcohol Industry Co‐Regulation of Public Health Labelling”. Paula O'Brien is an Associate Professor at Melbourne Law School, specializing in public health law. Professor Robin Room, of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), is a sociologist working on social, cultural and epidemiological studies of alcohol, other drugs and gambling behaviour and problems. Professor Tim Stockwell is the Director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) and a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria. In their research editorial the scientists discuss, why it is unwise for the World Health Organization (WHO) to include the alcohol industry in co-regulation of alcohol labelling. In this podcast conversation host Maik Dünnbier discusses with the three guests their editorial in detail to explore the reasons why the alcohol industry should not be invited to co-regulate alcohol labelling. Beyond that, they also talk about the scientific evidence on alcohol health warning labelling and alcohol industry self-regulation. To expand the conversation beyond the specific WHO proposal to invite Big Alcohol to self-regulate alcohol labelling, they further talk about possibilities for improvements to the global governance of alcohol. And finally, the conversation dives into an important point from the editorial that also has larger significance: what does it mean to remove the alcohol industry from their position of influence? Resources for the conversation with Paula, Robin and Tim Read the complete editorial here. Learn more about Associate Professor Paula O'Brien work at Melbourne Law School. Follow Robin Room's Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) at La Trobe University on Twitter. Follow Tim Stockwell's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) on Twitter. Movendi International coverage of issues surrounding the on-going development of the alcohol action plan, exposing how the alcohol industry works to derail the alcohol policy improvement at the WHO, using both tobacco industry allies and strategies. Read the analysis #1: "Exposed: The Strategies Big Alcohol Deploys to Interfere in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation" Read the analysis #2: "Big Tobacco’s Strategic Ally Interferes in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation" Listen to the first podcast: "Exposing the major strategies of the alcohol industry to derail the development of the WHO alcohol action plan" Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch with [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 13 Exposed: The Strategies Big Alcohol Deploys to Interfere in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Revealing Big Alcohol Strategies to Undermine the Development of WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan For this episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast we welcome Shehara Cooray. And back on the podcast is also Kristina Sperkova. Shehara is the manager of the Big Alcohol Exposed campaign – Movendi International’s initiative to expose and counter-act the unethical business practices of the alcohol industry. Shehara documents and exposes the unethical tactics and practices of transnational alcohol giants, compiles company profiles, maps the alcohol industry and works with Movendi International members to expose the strategies of Big Alcohol. Kristina is the President of Movendi International and is occasionally joining the Alcohol Issues Podcast for special occasions. With host Maik Dünnbier, Shehara and Kristina discuss the submissions of alcohol industry front groups to WHO's consultation about the development of an action plan to better implement the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy. Most recently, the World Health Organization published all submissions made to a web-based consultation from late last year about the development of a global alcohol action plan. Shehara analyzed 16 submissions of major alcohol industry front groups from around the world. We discuss the findings of the analysis and try to make sense of them, examine whether there are commonalities or even through-lines across the different front groups, from different countries and parts of the world. We also shed light on the use of science, or lack thereof, by the alcohol industry in their submissions. And Kristina joins the conversation to help put the claims into context and discuss what Big Alcohol is actually up to. Taking a detailed look at the suggestions of the alcohol industry for the development of a global action plan is revealing. The conversation helps identify the contradictions, shortcomings and the PR-spin the alcohol industry applies even to a technical consultation on a specific issue. It's eye-opening conversation with Shehara and Kristina. This rapid analysis and short evaluation helps to expose why and how Big Alcohol engages with the World Health Organization. Resources for the conversation with Shehara and Kristina Read the first part of the analysis: "Big Tobacco’s Strategic Ally Interferes in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation" Read the second part of the analysis: "Exposed: The Strategies Big Alcohol Deploys to Interfere in WHO Alcohol Policy Consultation" Follow Kristina on Twitter. Read Shehara's opinion pieces on our global voices portal. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch with [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 12 Hearing the Silent Voices: Children from families with alcohol problems - Working for change in Ireland Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Special edition - CoA Week 2021 For this special edition of the Alcohol Issues podcast we welcome Dr Sheila Gilheany for an in-depth conversation about the situation of children living in families with alcohol problems, the size of the problem and concrete solutions. Sheila is the Chief Executive of Alcohol Action Ireland. CoA Week 2021 is the international awareness week to bring attention to the reality of children growing up in families with alcohol problems. With host Maik Dünnbier Sheila discusses Alcohol Action Ireland’s work to raise awareness and improve the conditions of children growing up in families with alcohol problems. They are running the much needed initiative Silent Voices that works to end the silence around the impact of family alcohol problems on children. Sheila shares deep insights into the extent of the problem in Ireland and we talk about what life is like for vulnerable children. I learn more about the Silent Voices initiative, how it works and what they’ve been doing in the last two years since it was started by three founding voices. While the situation of children from families with alcohol problems is dire and yet there remains silence around the topic, there is a set of big and small solutions. Sheila talks with me about those and shares her vision of how the rights of vulnerable children can be much better protected through concrete alcohol policy and other interventions. Resources for the conversation with Sheila Follow Sheila on Twitter. Follow Alcohol Action Ireland on Twitter. Read more about Alcohol Action Ireland's important work, here. Read more about the SILENT VOICES campaign, here. And follow the Silent Voices initiative on Twitter. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 11 Changing the alcohol norm: The potential of digital communities and alcohol-free challenges Movendi International's weekly in-depth conversation about latest alcohol issues. Special edition - Dry January & February and more As Dry February is in full swing in several countries, many people are continuing going alcohol-free after Dry January and there is this huge interest digital sober communities, we are bringing you a conversation with and about Hello Sunday Morning and Dry January. There is the cultural phenomenon of Dry January, increasingly popular around the world. There is a campaign to spend February alcohol-free. There are initiatives for Sober Spring. Dry July and Sober October have also been established and enjoy increasing popularity. And there are campaign supporting people to spend the holidays alcohol-free. Hello Sunday Morning and their Daybreaker App as well as Dry January and the Try Dry app are outstanding examples of the success and momentum to use digital technologies in support of people who want to reduce and quit their alcohol use and achieve other health and life goals in doing so. Last October, to celebrate World Alcohol-Free Day on October 3rd and to support Sober October, we arranged an Sober Inspiration Talk with Andy Moore, CEO of Hello Sunday Morning, and Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, the charity running Dry January. It was such an inspiring and insightful conversation that we want to bring some highlights back. In this special edition, the Alcohol Issues Podcast host Maik Dünnbier is joined by Kristina Sperkova, the President of Movendi International and the moderator of the Sober Inspiration Talk with Andy and Richard. Kristina and Maik picked some highlights from the original conversation that they want to share. And they discuss some topics that Richard and Andy raise in more detail and depth. Resources for the conversation with Andy and Richard All about Alcohol Change UK and Richard: Follow Richard on Twitter. Follow Alcohol Change UK on Twitter. Read more about Alcohol Change UK's important work, here. Read more about DRY JANUARY, here. And follow Dry January on Twitter. Here's more about Hello Sunday Morning and Andy: Follow Hello Sunday Morning on Twitter, here. The Hello Sunday Morning website. Andy's blog post about changing the role alcohol plays in his life. The Daybreak app, can be downloaded here. Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected]. You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 10 New Report: The Lethal Interaction between Alcohol and the Coronavirus Pandemic Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Special edition For this special edition of the Alcohol Issues podcast we welcome Frida Dangardt and Tim Stockwell for an in-depth conversation about alcohol issues related to COVID-19. Frida Dangardt is an Associate Professor in Clinical Physiology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg and doctor at the Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, which is part of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg. Tim Stockwell is the Director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) and a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria. With host Maik Dünnbier they discuss key findings and unique insights into a brand new and ground-breaking report called “Alcohol and the coronavirus pandemic: individual, societal, and policy perspectives”. Frida and Tim are part of a team of world-renowned researchers in the field of alcohol harm and policy, led by Harold Holder. This group has written influential research reports in the series “Alcohol and Society” every year since 2013. This year’s report is a bit different and a bit more special. It deals with a subject that we are right now all living in: the coronavirus pandemic. And it’s the first systematic assessment of individual, societal and policy issues related to alcohol and COVID-19. Resources for the conversation with Frida and Tim Follow Frida on Twitter. Follow Tim's institute on Twitter: CISUR. The media release about the report can be found here... The report can be downloaded as PDF here... Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected].

Alcohol Issues - Episode 9 Understanding alcohol harm as feminist issue Movendi International's 9th episode of the Alcohol Issues podcast. This is a special edition. For Human Rights Day marking the end of another 16 days of activism period to raise awareness about and campaign for ending violence against women, we skip the weekly alcohol issues highlights to completely focus on the in-depth conversation. Special guest For this special edition of the Alcohol Issues podcast we welcome Kristina Sperkova, the President of Movendi International. Kristina is a trained psychologist who specialized in social psychology and discourse analysis, writing about comparative analysis of gender norms and stereotypes in Sweden and Slovakia. With this background, Kristina has been leading Movendi International’s work for advancing gender equality and female empowerment for the last 14 years. In-depth conversation This is deep-dive into alcohol issues through a gender and Women’s Rights lens. With Kristina we discuss alcohol ‘s role in the epidemic of violence against women. It’s a broad topic that does not receive the attention it deserves. Kristina shares her analysis of how and why the Women’s Rights movement is failing in this regard. We go into detail about how the alcohol norm and gender norms overlap and the lessons that can be drawn from discussing the overlaps. We talk about the role of alcohol marketing in fueling violence and fomenting the oppression of women. And we discuss the solutions that are available to help advance women’s rights through addressing alcohol. Kristina shares profound insights that expose the alcohol industry; as a feminist herself she challenges the feminist movement and outlines a bold and comprehensive approach to eliminating violence against women, driven by the communities most affected. Resources for the conversation with Kristina Follow Kristina on Twitter. Kristina's blog corner Read Kristina's opinion pieces here... Comprehensive coverage of alcohol issues and Women's Rights Read more here... Alcohol as obstacle to development - alcohol's adverse effects on the SDGs (including SDG 5) Read more here... Overview of facts: alcohol and breast cancer Read more here... Overview of facts: alcohol and violence against women Read more here... Feedback For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected]

Alcohol Issues - Episode 8 Alcohol consumption and harm in the Americas region Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. In-depth conversation We begin the podcast with an in-depth conversation with an inspiring guest and global leader for alcohol policy development and implementation Maristela Monteiro, the Senior Advisor on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, in the Non Communicable Diseases and Mental Health department of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. Weekly alcohol issues highlights In policy news, we talk about the role of ultra-cheap alcohol in the UK’s heavy alcohol burden; and we explore similar stories from different countries about the need to strengthen services for people with alcohol problems during the pandemic. Regarding the latest science digest, we talk about a new study that examined the impact of alcohol policy development in former soviet union countries over the last 30 years. And in the Big Alcohol Watch we discuss corporate capture of the government in the Northern Territory in Australia that has moved to allow an alcohol mega-store in the middle of alcohol-free Aboriginal communities.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 7 Sludges and Dark Nudges in Big Alcohol's CSR Campaigns Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. In-depth conversation For this seventh episode, we are talking with Nason Maani and May van Schalkwyk. Nason is a Harkness Fellow at the Boston University School of Public Health and an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. May is a public health doctor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They are two of the authors of a highly important and innovative research article that we have discussed on the podcast previously. Their paper is called “Dark Nudges and Sludge in Big Alcohol: Behavioral Economics, Cognitive Biases, and Alcohol Industry Corporate Social Responsibility”. The conversation with Nason and May was even joined by Kristina Sperkova, the President of Movendi International and a studied psychologist. In our conversation with May and Nason, we talk about the findings of their research and what the findings mean in the larger context of social norms and healthy environments and behaviors. Their research is innovative because it applies well-studied concepts of behavioral economics and how human psychology works to the field of prevention and reduction of alcohol harms. In discussing with May and Nason, we learn how the alcohol industry deliberately exploits cognitive biases and we get to understand better how information and campaigns to increase recognition of alcohol harms could be designed. With May and Nason, we enjoyed a mind-blowing conversation about how the human mind works, how the alcohol industry exploits this and about what could be done to better promote health and well-being in an evidence-based way. Weekly alcohol issues highlights This week we highlight two alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy and science news, we talk about the latest Global Burden of Disease study, its key findings and what they mean for alcohol policy-making. And in the Big Alcohol Watch we discuss evidence from Ireland about the child rights harm due to alcohol and the delay in implementing the Public Health Alcohol Act. Resources for the conversation with May and Nason Follow May on Twitter. Follow Nason on Twitter. Dark Nudges and Sludge in Big Alcohol: Behavioral Economics, Cognitive Biases, and Alcohol Industry Corporate Social Responsibility Read more here... Find the video here... Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update Landmark Study Shows Failure in Tackling Preventable Disease Read more here... Ireland: Alcohol Is Widespread, Pervasive in Children’s Lives Read the research article here... For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected] And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 43.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 6 Alcohol's (and the Alcohol Industry's) Role in the NCDs Tsunami Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. For this sixth episode, we are talking with Nina Renshaw. Nina is the Policy and Advocacy Director at the NCD Alliance, based in Geneva in the heart of global health policy-making. In my conversation with Nina, we talk about alcohol’s role as risk factor in the global NCDs tsunami and what the NCD Alliance is doing about it. And Nina shares insights into the advocacy environment during and after the coronavirus crisis with regard to attention to non-communicable diseases and their risk factors. We discuss some of the most recent scientific findings about the preventable healthcare costs of NCDs risk factors and shed more light on the concept of commercial determinants of health. With Nina, we enjoyed a far-reaching conversation and some really deep dives into the topics of NCDs, alcohol, industry interference and advocacy for high-impact policy solutions. And to top it all off, Nina shares her powerful and inspiring thoughts on the most important advocacy issues. This week we highlight three alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy news, we talk about Canada during COVID-19 and how rising alcohol use is fueling mental health problems and what all that says about the country’s alcohol policy situation. In this week’s Science Digest we look at new research showing just how much healthcare spending could be prevented through policy action on health risk factors such as alcohol. And in the Big Alcohol Watch we expose how Big Alcohol uses the illusion of small-scale alcohol production in the Swedish countryside to lobby for the undoing of the successful Swedish alcohol policy model. Resources for the conversation with Nina Renshaw Follow Nina on Twitter. Follow the NCD Alliance on Twitter. Healthcare Spending Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors in the USA Read more here... New Resource: Alcohol and NCDs – Harm and Solutions Read more here... NCDs risk factors and prevention. Read more here... Signalling Virtue, Promoting Harm: Unhealthy commodity industries and COVID-19, authored by the NCD Alliance and the SPECTRUM Consortium. Read more here... More about NCD Alliance advocacy can be found here. Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update Canada and COVID-19: As Alcohol Use Rises, Mental Health Worsens Read more here... Health-Care Spending Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors in the USA: An Economic Attribution Analysis Read the research article here... IOGT-NTO Exposes Big Alcohol’s Trojan Horse: “Farm Sales” Benefit Multinational Alcohol Industry Giants, Not Small Local Producers Read more here... For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected] And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 42.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 5 Lithuania's journey to worldwide alcohol policy-making role model Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. For this fifth episode, we are talking with Nijole Gostautaite Midttun, the President of the Lithuanian Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition (NTAKK). This week we are joined by Nijole Gostautaite Midttun. Nijole is the President of the Lithuanian Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition. In the conversation with Nijole, we follow-up on a topic that Dag Rekve from the World Health Organization raised in the first two episodes of The Alcohol Issues Podcast: national alcohol policy making success stories. Dag talked about Russia. But of course there are more countries, and Lithuania is one of the most remarkable success stories in the world. And Nijole has been right in the center of advocacy for evidence-based alcohol laws in Lithuania in recent years. With Nijole, we are getting into the weeds of alcohol policy making. We talk about the alcohol burden in Lithuania and why the country needed to address alcohol urgently. We also discuss in detail what the alcohol policy solutions entail and which barriers and obstacles had to be overcome. And Nijole shares some insights public opinion today regarding the alcohol laws. We discuss past, present and even explore the future of alcohol policy making in Lithuania. This week we highlight four alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention.In policy news, we talk about the first indications of success with Minimum Unit Pricing in Wales and we discuss what happens to alcohol harm when Uber comes to town. In this week’s Science Digest we look at new research into risk factors for adolescent alcohol use and trajectories of alcohol harm in adult life. In the Big Alcohol Watch we expose how Coca-Cola is pushing into alcohol markets around the world, targeting youth and women. Resources for the conversation with Nijole Gostautaite Midttun Follow NTAKK on Twitter. Lithuania: Parliament Passes Alcohol Policy Measures. Read more here... Lithuania: Most People Happy with Alcohol Retail Laws. Read more here... Contrasts in Alcohol-Related Mortality in Czechia and Lithuania. Read more here... More from the NTAKK website. Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update Wales: Alcohol Use Falls After MUP Introduction. Read more here... Since Uber Came to Town: Ride-Sharing Fuels Alcohol Harm. Read more here... Adolescent Alcohol Use Trajectories: Risk Factors and Adult Outcomes. Read more here... Coca-Cola Pushes into Big Alcohol, Plans Launch of First Alcohol Product in USA by 2021. Read more here... For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: [email protected] And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 41.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 4 Lessons from an advocacy success story Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. For this fourth episode, we are talking with Caterina Giorgi, the CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) in Australia. With Caterina, we discuss a massive advocacy success to secure alcohol warning labels in Australia and New Zealand against heavy alcohol industry opposition. We talk about the decision as such to understand it in detail. Caterina also reveals the tactics of the alcohol industry but the main focus of the conversation is the lessons that can be drawn from this advocacy success and what the future holds for other alcohol policy solutions. This is an insightful, inspiring and engaging conversation that helps to shed light on some of the most important elements of successful advocacy campaigns. This week we highlight four alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy news, we talk about Sweden’s plan to raise alcohol taxes; and we take a look at two European countries’ alcohol policy during the second wave of COVID-19 infections. And interestingly, this week’s Science Digest and Big Alcohol Watch overlap, meaning that we are discussing two new compelling studies that help expose alcohol industry strategies. Resources for the conversation with Caterina Giorgi Follow Caterina on Twitter. The news story about the alcohol pregnancy warning label decision: "Australia: Ministers Adopt Pregnancy Warning Labeling, Reject Big Alcohol" More from the FARE website. Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update In terms of alcohol policy news, this week we published a story about alcohol policy developments in Sweden and we take a look at the role of alcohol in the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in some countries Estonia and France) and how they are responding. This week’s Science Digest and Big Alcohol Watch overlap, meaning that we are discussing two new compelling studies that help expose alcohol industry strategies. The first study we want to highlight was recently published and exposes how the alcohol uses so called nudges and sludges to exploit people’s cognitive biases in order to undermine awareness of alcohol harm and recognition of scientific evidence. The second study we want to highlight exposes alcohol industry strategies to undermine independent science. For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: [email protected] And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 39.

Alcohol Issues - Episode 3 Alcohol as obstacle to development Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. For this third episode, I’m talking with Dudley Tarlton who is a program specialist for health and development at the United Nations Development Program, UNDP. It’s an insightful conversation that provides unique perspectives on alcohol as obstacle to development and some inspiring ideas how to tackle it. UNDP stands out among UN programs and agencies for their strong support of WHO and for their commitment to work on alcohol, health and development. I talk with Dudley about why UNDP is so committed and why some other UN programs and agencies are not yet addressing alcohol harm in their specific fields of expertise. Dudley and UNDP address alcohol as obstacle to development not only from a health burden perspective but are also making other linkages – to poverty, economy and even environment. Dudley is also going into more detail regarding this unique approach. And we discuss alcohol policy solutions as catalysts for development: how that works, what resonates with countries and what Dudley thinks are key issues to advance alcohol policy solutions to accelerate the SDGs. Regarding the weekly highlights of alcohol issues in policy, science and Big Alcohol revelations, we discuss the alcohol burden in the UK; in science digest we talk about alcohol use and brain damage; and in the Big Alcohol Exposed segment we will dive into a new report about how health harmful industries exploit COVID-19 for marketing purposes. Resources for the conversation with Dudley Tarlton, program specialist, health and development, UNDP Follow Dudley on Twitter. Overview of alcohol as obstacle to development and linkages to other SDGs adversely affected by alcohol. More information about the SAFER technical package, on the WHO website. UNDP's work on NCDs Issue brief "Preventing and controlling NCDs" UNDP guidance note on NCDs investment cases Fact sheet: Alcohol and NCDs https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/05/20/new-resource-alcohol-and-ncds-harm-and-solutions/ More about the WHO-UNDP Joint Program on alcohol, infectious diseases and violence Example workshop in African region: https://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/botswana_2016/en/ Overall description of the joint program Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update In terms of alcohol policy news, this week we published a long-read about alcohol harm in the UK, to foster understanding of current issues and the alcohol burden in the country. Two reports came out recently that – taken together – bring into focus the specific alcohol issues troubling British society and the solutions that communities are calling for. This week’s alcohol issues in science are about alcohol harm to the human brain. A new study has found even low-dose alcohol use can lead to brain damage in the form of loss of brain volume. These new findings have implications specifically for middle aged and older people. This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol dives into a new report about how health harmful industries exploit COVID-19 for marketing purposes. A brand new report by the NCD Alliance and the SPECTRUM Research Consortium has exposed how Big Alcohol along with other unhealthy industries turns COVID-19 into the world’s largest marketing campaign. The report outlines four main strategies used by these industries and contains more than 360 examples of alcohol industry activities exploiting the public health crisis to pursue profit maximization. For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: [email protected]

Alcohol Issues - Episode 2 Understanding the global governance of alcohol Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. For this second episode, we are following-up on last week’s conversation with Dag Rekve, senior technical officer for alcohol, other drugs and addictive behaviors at the World Health Organization and we are going more in depth on some of the most interesting points that Dag Rekve talked about. Regarding the weekly highlights of alcoohl issues in policy, science and Big Alcohol revelations, we discuss a brand new WHO policy brief on COVID-19 and NCDs, a brand new study on the link between alcohol and obesity, and we shed light on the alcohol industry's continuing market concentration with a story from Nigeria. Resources for the conversation with Dag Rekve, WHO and our in-depth comments In this follow-up episode, we explore the global governance of alcohol and examine in more detail the successes and failures of the last decade in global alcohol policy-making. "WHO: Countries Request Accelerated Action on Alcohol" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/02/10/who-countries-request-accelerated-action-on-alcohol-harm/ Guest expert blog post by Clare Slattery and Suzanne Zhou, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer: "Where Next for the Global Governance of Alcohol and Public Health?" https://movendi.ngo/blog/2020/07/27/where-next-for-the-global-governance-of-alcohol-and-public-health/ Fact sheet: Alcohol and NCDs https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/05/20/new-resource-alcohol-and-ncds-harm-and-solutions/ Understanding alcohol as obstacle to development, including loss of human capital https://movendi.ngo/the-issues/the-problem/obstacle-to-development/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/12/04/new-resource-how-alcohol-affects-the-sdgs/ All about the SAFER initiative, alcohol policy blue print and technical guidance Prioritizing action on alcohol for health and development - BMJ article https://movendi.ngo/reports/prioritising-action-on-alcohol-for-health-and-development/ WHO: New Technical Guide for Alcohol Policy https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/12/14/who-new-technical-guide-for-alcohol-policy/ New SAFER Initiative Launched at UN https://movendi.ngo/news/2018/09/28/new-safer-initiative-launched-at-united-nations/ Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update In terms of alcohol policy news, there is a brand new policy brief about noncommunicable diseases during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/11/who-new-policy-brief-on-ncds-during-covid-19/ This week’s alcohol issues in science also address alcohol’s role in the NCDs tsunami. A brand new study shows that alcohol plays a strong role in obesity. https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/07/study-alcohol-use-linked-with-obesity/ This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol highlights the issue of market concentration and domination. The story this week is about Heineken in Nigeria pushing for further for beer market dominationthrough increasing its power over Nigerian Breweries. https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/11/nigeria-heineken-pushes-further-for-beer-market-domination/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/04/big-alcohol-more-market-concentration-and-alcohol-market-changes/ For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: [email protected]

Alcohol Issues - Episode 1 Reflecting with the WHO about the past, present and future of alcohol control Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations. Every episode, we are also bringing you an in-depth conversation about alcohol issues of global importance. For the very first podcast episode, we’ve set down with Dag Rekve, the senior technical officer at the World Health Organization in Geneva, working on “alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviors”. Regarding the weekly highlights of alcohol issues in policy, science and Big Alcohol revelations, we discuss alcohol and violence, new data from Sweden about the costs and magnitude of alcohol's harm to others; we discuss a new scientific comment about alcohol's burden during COVID-19; and we shed light on the alcohol industry's strategies to exploit the pandemic for their purposes. Resources for the conversation with Dag Rekve, WHO In this, Dag Rekve discusses the global alcohol burden, successes and failures in the response to alcohol harm and key issues for improving the future of alcohol control. "WHO: Countries Request Accelerated Action on Alcohol" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/02/10/who-countries-request-accelerated-action-on-alcohol-harm/ Understanding alcohol as obstacle to development, including loss of human capital https://movendi.ngo/the-issues/the-problem/obstacle-to-development/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/12/04/new-resource-how-alcohol-affects-the-sdgs/ Prioritizing action on alcohol for health and development - BMJ article https://movendi.ngo/reports/prioritising-action-on-alcohol-for-health-and-development/ "Russia: Alcohol Control Policy Works" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/10/02/russia-alcohol-control-policy-works/ Resources to reflect more about cognitive dissonance: "Big Alcohol and the Importance of Coporate Literacy in the 21st Century" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/06/18/big-alcohol-and-the-importance-of-corporate-literacy-in-the-21st-century/ "Australia: CEOs, Law makers Are the Biggest Alcohol Users" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/04/17/australia-ceos-are-biggest-alcohol-users/ Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update In terms of alcohol policy news, there is new evidence about the link between alcohol and violence and how alcohol policy solutions help reduce violence, and there is new data from Sweden about the costs and magnitude of alcohol's harm to others. "Sweden: Alcohol Violence Massive, Costly Societal Problem" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/04/sweden-alcohol-violence-massive-costly-societal-problem/ "New Zealand: Alcohol Violence Declines After Late-Night Alcohol Sales Regulations" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/08/29/new-zealand-alcohol-violence-declines-after-late-night-alcohol-sales-regulations/ This week’s alcohol issues in science is about alcohol and COVID-19: "Alcohol's Healthcare Burden during COVID-19 Pandemic" https://movendi.ngo/reports/alcohols-healthcare-burden-during-covid%E2%80%9019-pandemic/ This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol highlights strategies to exploit the pandemic: https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/02/big-alcohol-targets-kids-exploits-pandemic-to-promote-alcohol/ For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: [email protected]