Welcome to the third season of the Alcohol Issues Podcast, 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.
S3 E9: Are We Moving Into a New Era For Alcohol Policy Globally?
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.
S3 E8: Keeping women safe from violence fuelled by alcohol. Making the case for action
For the eighth 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 speak 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.
S3 E7: Redefine Alcohol – the Groundbreaking WHO Europe Campaign
For the seventh episode in our third season we discuss how WHO Europe is working to denormalize alcohol and support people and policy makers to take action for preventing and reducing alcohol harm. 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.
S3 E6: How World Cancer Research Fund International Wants to Galvanize Governments to Address Alcohol’s Direct Link to Cancer
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.
S3 E5: The State of Alcohol Policy in the World: Discussing Key Findings of the WHO Global Alcohol Status Report 2024
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.
Maristela Monteiro 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.
S3 E4: Master Manipulators: Exposing Big Alcohol Narratives and Spin at Alcohol Policy Evaluation Hearings in the Scottish and British Parliaments
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 with Jane Gordon and Prof. Mark Petticrew, we reveal and discuss the lobbying narratives and spin of alcohol industry lobbyists on display in two separate parliamentary hearings.
Jane and Mark unpack what the hearings in Edinburgh and Westminster were about, why the alcohol industry was invited and why this is problematic. They discuss 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.
S3 E3: The State of the World’s Children: How can we provide support to children growing up in households with alcohol problems?
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.
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, Kristina Sperkova, Mr. Winyoo Srisupachok, and Mona Örjes.
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.
S3 E2: Alcohol Issues Past, Present, and Future: A Review of Alcohol Policy Highlights in 2023 and an Outlook for Alcohol Policy Trends in 2024
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.
S3 E1: How Communities Can Advance Cancer Prevention Through Awareness and Policy Action on Alcohol
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 Dr Nason Maani, Dr Blanca Llorente, Emil Juslin, and Juliet Namukasa 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.