Even small amounts of alcohol weaken sleep quality, while binge drinking can disturb sleep for several days. Professor Solja Niemelä highlights that alcohol has no safe use limit and is not a health product. She also calls for routine low threshold conversations about alcohol use in health and social services.

Latvia has launched a pilot project to build an integrated care pathway for minors with drug related mental and behavioural disorders. A unique multidisciplinary team at the Children’s Hospital, extended motivation programmes and cooperation with social and law enforcement services aim to ensure continuous support beyond acute treatment. Since the project began, 107 minors have received structured clinical and social assessments.

The third Monday in January is often called “the worst day of the year”, but Av-og-til says the health benefits of White January still matter, even if you slipped for a weekend.

Norway has launched overdosefare.no, a national digital alert system designed to warn when high-risk drugs are circulating and help prevent overdoses through rapid information-sharing and coordinated preparedness.

Latvia plans to remove criminal liability for drug use by minors, while Estonia is preparing penal code reforms to direct users toward treatment instead of prison and strengthen prosecution of dealers. The developments signal a wider Baltic move toward evidence based drug policy focused on health, prevention, and harm reduction.

Icelandic prevention organisations say the current debate on alcohol policy should be grounded in facts, including a long-running police case on online alcohol sales that is now before the courts.

A survey conducted shortly before Christmas found that 29 percent of Danes were considering a “hvid januar” (alcohol-free January) in 2026. Dagrofa also reports a 20 percent year-on-year rise in sales of alcohol-free alternatives in the weeks before Christmas.

More than one third of Norwegians who drink alcohol are considering or planning an alcohol-free month in 2026. A new survey from Blå Kors shows that interest is strongest among younger people, driven mainly by health-related motivations.