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Communities take action to address alcohol harm
19 June 2009
(Community Drug Action Week – 21-27 June 2009)
Alcohol might be Australia’s most common drug but the statistics around harm caused by alcohol are a sobering thought.
Research shows that*:
• Each year, 3000 Australians die and some 10,000 need ongoing medical treatment for alcohol-related harm
• Excessive alcohol consumption contributes to one third of all road deaths; half of all domestic, physical and sexual violence; and 80 per cent of night-time assaults.
• Binge drinking is highly prevalent among teenagers and young adults, with alcohol being responsible for the deaths of more young people under 35 than any other drug. The proportion of people drinking at a risk or high risk levels continues to rise.
• The annual cost in alcohol-related absenteeism is 7.5 million working days and the economic impact of its abuse is $15.3 billion.
‘Alcohol is a Drug – Too’ is the theme this year for Community Drug Action Week from 21 to 27 June. A range of activities and events are being held across the Hunter New England Health Area to encourage people to think and approach alcohol differently. (Please see the following list for details of activities in your area).
Nurse Manager for Hunter New England Health’s Drug and Alcohol Clinical Services Sylvia Myers said many of the activities have been organised by Health staff or by Community Drug Action Teams made up of local people coming together to address issues in their areas.
Two new Community Drug Action Teams – at Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens – will be launched during Drug Action Week (see over for details).
“Because alcohol is so widely used and accepted, many people don’t think of it as a drug and may not realise just how harmful it can be,” Ms Myers said.
“But the cost to our health and our society and of doing nothing about the problems it can bring is high.”
“Community Drug Action Week is a good time for individuals to pause and consider the risks, and also for communities to take action against alcohol’s harmful impacts,” Ms Myers said.
“One thing we can all do is consider the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) new Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.
The guidelines suggest that for healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury; and drinking no more than four standard dinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol related injury arising from that occasion.
They also advise parents and carers that children under 15 years of age are at risk of harm from drinking and that not drinking alcohol is especially important for this age group.
For young people aged 15-17 years, the safest option is to delay the initiation of drinking for as long as possible.
Not drinking is also the safest option for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, and for women who are breastfeeding.
“There is no level of drinking alcohol that can be guaranteed to be completely safe or ‘no risk’,” Ms Myers said.
“How much people drink is an individual choice and the guidelines are designed to help people make an informed choice.”
Go to www.alcohol.gov.au for more information on the 2009 NHMRC guidelines and other useful information; and www.drugactionweek.org.au to learn more about Drug Action Week.
* Source: Information from the Australian Drug Foundation.
Contact: Frances Holz
Phone: 4939 2216
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