Drowning in Alcohol, Aborigines Split Over Booze Ban

Beefed-up measures target rampant sex abuse of children

(NEWSER) - Australia will ban alcohol and pornography in some Aboriginal areas in an attempt to tackle widespread child sex abuse. A report last week blamed booze and poverty for the high levels of abuse in Aboriginal communities throughout the Northern Territory. "Exceptional measures are required to deal with an exceptionally tragic situation," says PM John Howard. More»

'Alcohol abuse stem from other drinks,' he says

(NEWSER) - In order to combat alcoholism, Dmitry Medvedev would like Russia to push people to drink more wine. That is not a joke ... and neither is Russia's battle with alcoholism . Medvedev believes that encouraging people to put down the vodka bottle and pick up a nice chardonnay is one way to win the war. "Countries where this sector is strong have no problems with alcohol abuse: problems with alcohol abuse stem from other drinks," he explained. More»

Gene variation causes people to get drunk faster, may stave off alcoholism

(NEWSER) - A "drunken" gene—or, some might say, a "lightweight" gene—has been discovered by researchers probing the causes of alcoholism. Some 20% of people have a version of the gene CYP2E1 that causes them to get drunk much faster than others. The researchers say these people are less likely than others to become alcoholics because they are more sensitive to alcohol and can't consume large amounts of it, the Telegraph reports. More»

Laura Hall also swore at a cop

(NEWSER) - Note to Laura Hall: Once you’ve been banned from every bar in the United Kingdom, it’s probably not a good idea to drunkenly yell at a police officer that you “want to go to the f****** offie to buy some beer!” But that is what Hall did early Sunday, after being caught drinking in public and shouting in the street, and was subsequently arrested and fined almost $300. More»

(NEWSER) - Australia’s interventions in remote Aboriginal communities “overtly discriminate” against them, and prove that entrenched racism remains in Australia, a UN official said today. In 2007, Australia sent police and troops to aboriginal lands, and instituted special bans on alcohol and pornography. These measures "infringe their right of self-determination and stigmatize already stigmatized communities," a UN special envoy concluded after a 12-day visit. More»