Kommune Kujalleq in southern Greenland has temporarily suspended alcohol sales following serious concerns about children's wellbeing and public safety. As local authorities consider future alcohol policy measures, NordAN has expressed support for efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm, emphasising evidence-based policies, local decision-making and the importance of putting people's health ahead of commercial interests.

Norwegian technology and defence company KONGSBERG has shared its experience with workplace alcohol prevention at a high-level meeting hosted by the government. The company emphasised the importance of supportive managers, early intervention and systematic cooperation with the Akan Competence Centre. Its approach combines clear workplace expectations with individual support, helping employees address substance use problems while maintaining safety and remaining in employment.

NordAN has contributed to a Danish consultation on electronic age verification, welcoming stronger checks while calling for effective enforcement and an 18-year purchase age for all alcohol.

The Christmas party season can bring familiar expectations around drinking. EHYT highlights how planning ahead, tracking consumption and choosing alcohol-free alternatives can help people make their own choices.

Finland recorded 333 drug deaths in 2025, an increase of 86 from 2024 and the highest total on record. Helsinki had the most deaths, while Päijät-Häme had the highest rate relative to its population. Deaths rose across all age groups, and 94 of those who died were women.

Statistics Norway’s 2026 survey found that 30% of people aged 16–79 reported drinking alcohol weekly and 5% reported cannabis use in the past year. The figures offer a snapshot of substance use, with survey methods and uncertainty important to their interpretation.

The Swedish Temperance Guide and Scout Association (NSF) is joining Movendi Sverige, bringing almost a century of links between scouting and the temperance movement into the shared organisation. A cooperation agreement with Scouterna will enable scouting to continue within Movendi’s activities for children and young people, with a commitment to maintaining and developing alcohol-free scouting.

A Finnish modelling study estimates that prenatal alcohol exposure has declined substantially since the 1990s. Drinking before pregnancy recognition and underdiagnosis of FASD remain concerns.

Anders Hammarberg receives CAN’s 2026 Drug Research Award for research on psychological treatments for alcohol problems, particularly treatment with controlled drinking as its goal.

Denmark’s Parliament is considering electronic age checks for alcohol sales in physical shops, alongside stronger supervision of unattended shops.

New figures from CAN show that alcohol consumption in Sweden fell by 2.7% in 2025 and by 8% over three years, continuing a long-term downward trend.

NordAN's General Assembly in the Faroe Islands adopted two resolutions calling for better alcohol data across the Nordic and Baltic countries and stronger safeguards for young people.

Reflections from NordAN’s gathering in the Faroe Islands on prevention, public health protections and the everyday work supporting people and families. What do we take home, and how do we turn it into action?

Ahead of the NordAN 2026 conference in Tórshavn, we reflect on some of the wider questions behind this year’s discussions: how to protect effective policies, respond to changing political and commercial pressures, support young people, and remain open to learning from each other.

A new Helsinki study finds that risky alcohol use is now most common among older employees. More than one in three working residents aged 50–64 drink at risky levels, while alcohol problems have declined much more sharply among younger age groups.

NordAN has submitted a contribution to the European Commission’s TRIS procedure supporting Lithuania’s proposal to restrict the sale of certain alcohol-branded non-alcoholic drinks to people under 18.

A new Danish survey finds that concerns about other people’s drinking are common, but many still hesitate to speak up despite most saying they would welcome such concern themselves.

New Finnish research involving more than 82,000 men found an association between alcohol consumption and increased prostate cancer risk, including at relatively low consumption levels.

An initial WHO assessment suggests that alcohol availability restrictions introduced in Latvia in August 2025 were followed by a 27% reduction in deaths wholly attributable to alcohol, corresponding to more than 60 deaths prevented by the end of the year.

A new EHYT report based on responses from 1,890 young people in Finland shows a complex picture of youth culture in 2026. Substance-free lifestyles are widely seen as attractive, while alcohol remains socially normalised and flavoured nicotine pouches have become increasingly prominent.