Alcohol a threat to Finnish internal security

[Tiriol]

Clearly, we must declare War on Alcohol.

Ministry says alcohol poses a threat to Finnish internal security
Action programme urges heavier taxation and reduction in consumption to 2003 levels

Finnish drinking habits pose a considerable threat to the security of the nation.
This is the view of the Ministry of the Interior, which on Tuesday published a broad-based action programme to improve internal security in the country.
Security is being eroded by such things as marginalisation, accidents, and violence. Alcohol is seen as the most common reason for violence and the cause of countless accidents. “Finland is paying a stiff price for its alcohol culture”, says the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Ritva Viljanen.

The most common cause of death among the Finnish working-age population is alcohol.
In 2006, 1,650 people of working age died of alcohol-related ailments or as a direct result of drinking.

Marginalisation is the greatest threat to internal security, believes the Ministry of the Interior.
What is new in this respect is a form of congenital social problems, with the difficulties being easily passed from one generation to the next.
The ministry sees the trend as “worrying”.
The idea behind the action programme is to make Finland the safest country in Europe by 2015.
Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund (National Coalition Party) acknowledges that the timetable is “challenging”.

The programme indicates that other threats facing Finns within their own borders are emerging racism, major accidents, the vulnerability of IT systems and networks, data crime and organised international criminal gangs, terrorism, and violent radical groups.
In addition to painting a picture of the lurking dangers, the ministry offers several suggestions for warding off the threats.

The cure of choice for the thirst for hard liquor would be further increases in alcohol taxation, encouraging sales to decline to the levels of five years ago or even below this point.
Consumption has climbed over the past five years by as much as 15%, and indeed the figures have been rising at a more sedate pace ever since the 1960s.
March 2004 saw an unprecedented cut in the taxation on alcohol, designed to pre-empt a rush of booze tourism to Estonia when that country joined the European Union two months later.
The price-cuts, which then focused most strongly on spirits, have since been somewhat retracted, with alcohol taxes raised across the board such that from January 1st this year a 50cl bottle of Koskenkorva, the popular Finnish clear spirit (38%), cost EUR 10.49, an increase of EUR 1.14.
The price before the cuts of 2004 was nevertheless still higher, close to EUR 14.30.

One inhibitor of marginalisation in society offered is support for village activities in sparsely populated rural areas.
The programme also calls for a tougher line on racist offences, more education in the prevention of data crimes, speedy and effective intervention in cases of violence against children, and improvements in oil spill clearance readiness in the face of a growing threat of environmental disasters.
A total of around 200 experts from different fields took part in compiling the action programme.

[His Divine Shadow]

This article reminded me abot this one as well.

In my experience, the drinking problem is more a problem amongst the older generation, younger people today seem to be able to go out for a beer or two instead of getting shitfaced.

[Tiriol]

This article reminded me abot this one as well.

In my experience, the drinking problem is more a problem amongst the older generation, younger people today seem to be able to go out for a beer or two instead of getting shitfaced.

I've seen both sides of the fence, so to speak. In inner city it is the younger people who cause most trouble (not necessarily violent ones, mind you). However, the older people are more likely to drink a lot and often.

There was a report recently that the level of alcohol consumption has actually been dropping among the younger people, which is good news in itself: sadly it wasn't a big news item (not media sexy enough, I suppose).

[His Divine Shadow]

Over here moonshining was big bussiness pre-2004, I remember going to a wedding party and the hosts had saved money on the punch by buying local produce so to speak. *cough*

It also wasn't unusual for people out partying to have a small plastic cola bottle filled with a clear liquid of some sort and make drinks from it. Nowadays it's more or less the same but the bottle says kosken or leijona on it atleast...

[Alferd Packer]

You can probably mitigate the worst of it through taxation and social programs, but I would guess that some people are using alcohol to cope with the long periods of darkness during the winter. I believe it's called seasonal depression, or something like that, and it is most evident at high latitudes, like Finland.

Hell, I get into a funk during late December and January, and I still get over 9 hours of daylight at minimum. I can't imagine how I'd fare if the sun was only up for four or five hours, or not at all.

[TithonusSyndrome]

I'm actually really glad you posted this. Not because Finns have a serious alcohol problem I want to gloat about or anything, but because I very much want to compile some sources to help shore up my position that seemingly private decisions can affect and hurt others around you. The alcoholism of the Finnish public is one example if the government is standing up and taking notice, even though most people feel that "I can get drunk in my own home and if I miss work tomorrow that's my business" and I'm a pushy jerk for suggesting it's immoral to believe that.

[Dooey Jo]

You can probably mitigate the worst of it through taxation and social programs, but I would guess that some people are using alcohol to cope with the long periods of darkness during the winter. I believe it's called seasonal depression, or something like that, and it is most evident at high latitudes, like Finland.

Those people are probably very few compared to those who drink for other reasons. Alcohol sales (and consumption, presumably) are actually largest in the summer, especially during midsummer, and the weeks after when people are on vacation. Then there are spikes on holidays like Christmas, New Year's and Easter.
This is for Sweden, mind, but Finland is probably very similar. Also, it doesn't take into account the moonshining, but that probably follows the general trend.

[His Divine Shadow]

As I mentioned, moonshining kinda imploded with the 2004 tax cuts, they where significant enough that the economic viability just died out. So did legal homebrewing of wine, cider and beer. I worked at a company that sold these products and sales plummeted 30% in one year. Even the odd person buying super yeast and for hehe, you guess what stopped showing up.

The general impression I get up here is that the classic nordic alcohol monopoly hasn't been that good a solution and it is on it's last ropes.

[Edi]

The monopoly has not been a solution, because hard drinking has been a part of the culture for as long as anyone can remember. The Prohibition didn't work here at all, just like it didn't in the US.

In some ways I've seen attitudes toward drinking change, but that's all anecdotal, not significant. The biggest thing is that as long as drinking isn't made into a mysticism and forbidden fruit as such, it loses a lot of its charm early on. At the same time parents need to keep a firm hand on their kids so that it doesn't go to the other extreme. I think it's largely a part of how we learn to drink that drives later drinking behavior. Doesn't mean that it's predestined to stay the same way, but learning bad drinking habits early on is probably harder to overcome later and may be a contributory cause to fullblown alcoholism. Though that's just my own speculation.