NDPHS Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being

11/09/2026

Alcohol News - 36/2026
https://alcoholweekly.blogspot.com/2026/09/alcohol-news-362026.html

10/09/2026

09/09/2026

ASA Expert Insights #6 | Can banning alcohol advertising protect young people?

According to new research the answer is yes.

At the 30th Meeting of the NDPHS Expert Group on Alcohol and Substance Use, Daša Kokole from WHO Regional Office for Europe shared new evidence evaluating Lithuania's comprehensive alcohol marketing ban, introduced in 2018. The findings showed a 35% reduction in the frequency of adolescent intoxication, alongside decreases in binge drinking and overall alcohol use among young people.

The study also found that comprehensive restrictions were considerably more effective than partial ones. When only some forms of advertising are restricted, marketing often shifts to channels that remain unregulated, reducing the overall impact of the policy.

The presentation highlighted an important lesson for policymakers:
→ When it comes to alcohol marketing, comprehensive measures appear to be more effective than partial restrictions.

WHO also shared updates on ongoing work to support countries through new resources on alcohol labelling, pricing policies and screening and brief interventions, helping translate evidence into effective public health action.

➯ Read more about the research: https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/2/e004245

➯ Read about the 30th ASA Expert Group meeting in Tallinn https://ndphs.org/news/asa-expert-group-meeting-in-tallinn/ and follow NDPHS for the next ASA Expert Insights.

08/09/2026

🎙️ Two new episodes of the Tune in Health podcast are now available on Spotify.

In our latest SAFE and Sound episode Emily Maresch speaks with Britta Elsert Gynning from Karolinska Institutet about the psychosocial work environment in Swedish healthcare. Why do sustainable workplaces require more than individual resilience?

We also welcome Lauri Beekmann, Executive Director of NordAN in conversation with our host Lukas Lorenzen to explore alcohol policy in the Nordic and Baltic region and what happens when strong evidence meets political reality.

🎧 Tune in to explore both conversations:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ps5GHQsc66qRMWLC2jsvT?si=WYdGUSCVSFy3ITV4RdXeuA

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1LTZ19J6VncBxIIHiV0Ngv?si=ajTkvKx9S5iTgnTYR_g_VQ

07/09/2026

Link workers are at the heart of Arts on Prescription. They listen, build trust, encourage, support and help people find hope.

But what happens when the people providing that support are carrying too much themselves? Who helps those who help others? And can anyone even be a link worker who carries the heavy weight of other's problems?

In her keynote at the final conference of the Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region project, Millie Kealy-Jensen highlighted the often-overlooked emotional demands of the link worker role.

Link workers can hear deeply personal stories: people dealing with bereavement, war and displacement, loneliness, burnout, depression, addiction, chronic pain or feelings of being excluded and powerless.

They may help someone through an anxiety attack or a difficult emotional situation. Yet, unlike many healthcare professionals, link workers often have no formal supervision or debriefing structures.

The consequences can be significant. A recent UK-wide survey found that more than 50% of link workers had considered leaving their role in the previous six months, while more than a quarter were actively considering leaving in the following six months.

Why? Among other reasons, link workers reported feeling undervalued and lacking the support systems needed to protect their emotional wellbeing.

As Millie Kealy-Jensen puts it, the role requires a unique balance of strength and sensitivity holding space for others while often having no space held for yourself.

Supporting those who support others should not be optional. It is a fundamental part of building sustainable mental health services.

Sometimes, it can start with a simple question: “How are you today?” 💛

➯ Read the full keynote from the Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region final conference: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project-posts/arts-on-prescription/acting-on-health-can-everyone-be-a-link-worker/

02/09/2026

When it comes to mental health, we too often act only when something has already gone seriously wrong.

Kadri Haljas, the CEO of VATEK - Eesti Vaimse Tervise ja Heaolu Koalitsioon, points out that by the time people seek support, they may already be struggling - and then face a long wait for help. But simply waiting is not a solution.

Low-threshold mental health support services are designed to be easy to find, easy to access and easy to join. They are not worse, lesser or simply cheaper versions of healthcare. They serve a different purpose: helping people care for their mental health through something that resonates with them - whether that is movement, culture, nature, community, peer support, counselling or digital tools.

Medical help must be available whenever it is needed. But it should not be the only door into mental health support.

The best mental health system is not one that only treats illness efficiently. It is one that also creates the conditions for people to stay well.

Let's not wait. Mental health is an investment not a cost 🌱

👉 Read more insights on BSR Mental Health Plaform: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/bsr-mental-health/

01/09/2026

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, this year marking its 25th anniversary.

Around 7,600 people died from drug-induced deaths in the EU in 2024.

Behind every number was a person, a family and a community. Many of these deaths were preventable.

Every overdose is one too many.

At least 7 600 people died from overdose in the EU in 2024. But these deaths could have been prevented.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember those who have lost their lives, acknowledge the people affected by overdose, and reaffirm the importance of compassionate and evidence-based approaches to preventing drug-related deaths.

Drug-induced deaths remain a major public health challenge across Europe, but all are preventable through measures such as timely interventions, access to treatment, naloxone and broader health and social support.

Find out more about the latest figures and responses in the European Drug Report 2026: https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/european-drug-report/2026/drug-induced-deaths_en

01/09/2026

We all experience difficult emotions. The challenge is not to avoid them, but to understand what they are telling us and how to be with them.

Ernests Pūliņš-Cinis, Latvian physician-psychotherapist from RSU Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy says that emotions give us important information about what we need, what matters to us, what we like or dislike. Emotional intelligence is more than simply being able to name an emotion. It also means understanding its context, communicating it and recognising emotions in others.

Often we lack the emotional capacity to deal with difficult feelings, and consequently we may try to numb them through alcohol or other substances, for example. We may also turn to work excessively.

Workaholism can sometimes become a way of compensating for self-doubt or low self-worth: achievements, praise or professional success provide external confirmation that we are valuable. But when our sense of worth depends solely on these external sources, the underlying issue remains.

Finding healthier ways to recognise, express and process difficult emotions is therefore an important part of mental well-being.

Ernests Pūliņš-Cinis reminds us that emotions are not a weakness. They are information, tools and an essential part of being a human 🩵

👉 Read more insights on BSR Mental Health Plaform: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/bsr-mental-health/

26/08/2026

ASA Expert Insights #5 | Alcohol policy: balancing markets and public health

For decades, alcohol policy in Finland has primarily been viewed through the lens of public health.

Today, that perspective is changing.

At the 30th Meeting of the NDPHS Expert Group on Alcohol and Substance Use, a representative from the Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö presented how Finland's current Government Programme is bringing economic policy stronger alongside the public health aspects, with an emphasis on opening markets, increasing competition and expanding consumer choice.

This shift is reflected in several reforms that have already been adopted, as well as in legislative proposals that are still under consideration, including:

• allowing home delivery of alcoholic beverages;
• clarifying cross-border distance sales;
• permitting online marketing of strong alcoholic beverages; and
• extending the opening hours of Alko stores.

These reforms come at a time when Finland's alcohol consumption has been declining for more than 15 years. In 2024, total alcohol consumption fell by another 4.4% compared with the previous year. While the Government expects the legislative changes to have only a limited impact on overall consumption, public health actors are concerned that they may particularly affect high-risk drinkers.

Finland's experience illustrates a broader question facing many countries: How can governments balance economic objectives with the protection of public health?

➯ Want to know more? Read about the 30th ASA Expert Group meeting in Tallinn https://ndphs.org/news/asa-expert-group-meeting-in-tallinn/ and follow NDPHS for the next ASA Expert Insights.

25/08/2026

ASA Expert Insights #4 | How much alcohol is too much?

Ask people in different Nordic countries what counts as "low-risk drinking" and you may get different answers.

At the 30th Meeting of the NDPHS Expert Group on Alcohol and Substance Use, Pia Nevala Westman from the Nordens välfärdscenter presented A Guide to Guidelines, an overview comparing national alcohol consumption guidelines across the Nordic countries.

The comparison shows that while the countries share similar public health goals, they differ in how alcohol-related risks are communicated and what advice they give on alcohol consumption.

❓These differences raise an important question: How can people make informed choices if health messages vary from one country to another?

To support evidence-informed policymaking, the Nordic Welfare Centre maintains PopNAD.com, a platform that brings together accessible research, statistics, news and policy information on alcohol, drugs, to***co, ni****ne and gambling across the Nordic countries.

As alcohol remains one of the leading contributors to preventable disease and premature death, clear and understandable public guidance is an important part of reducing alcohol-related harm.

🔗 The article on the guidelines can be found here: https://nordicwelfare.org/popnad/en/artiklar/a-guide-to-the-guidelines/