Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy

Alcohol is the most abused licit psychoactive drugs that affect one 's ability to think rationally and distorts their judgement if consumed excessively. Alcohol addiction is an illness arising from prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks. An alcoholic is a person suffering from alcohol addiction. Prolonged excessive use of large quantities can eventually lead to chronic health diseases like cirrhosis of the liver, anaemia, cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression seizures, gout and alcohol related accidents and crime. Statistics show that 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily intake while an estimated 8.697 died of alcohol-related deaths in 2014. According to the WHO worldwide alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Alcohol beverages with varied percentage content are consumed globally during religious, social, cultural events, festivals and other occasions. The use of alcoholic beverages has been an integral part of many cultures for thousands of years (McGovern, 2009). Over the centuries, there have been ongoing measures, research, interventions and policies which are aimed at promoting the moderate use of alcohol with a particular emphasis on preventing or reducing undesired outcomes. This essay will outline the key components of brief interventions in alcohol, the difference in approach with traditional methods of treatment and in conclusion, the

In Australia and throughout other western countries, the misuse of alcohol by young people has been highlighted as a problem (Toumbourou et al 2003).

In this study will be discussed whether increasing the minimum legal drinking age is effective strategy to control young populations’ drinking trends and expecting positive public health consequences in Australia.

According to Olsson et al. (2017), problematic alcohol use is both dangerous and addictive as it affects the brain functions by producing a euphoric effect, such as a sense of happiness and excitement. VicHealth (2017) outline that alcohol is heavily promoted and socially accepted in Australian culture nowadays. As a result, people are misusing alcohol in the course of socialising and celebrating events by binge drinking. This binge drinking culture is becoming a social and economic issue in Australia (Jones, Gordon, & Andrews, 2016; Miller et al., 2016; Dietze,Wright, & Lim, 2016). The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA, 2017) conclude that the recommended level of alcohol is 30 ml for pure alcohol and 425 ml

In today’s society, drinking alcohol has become the cultural norm. Since 1788, binge drinking has been a cultural problem in Australia, since then alcohol has being a fundamental aspect of Australian’s life (Scott, 2015). It is defined as the heavily consumption of alcohol, during short period of time with the intention of becoming intoxicated (Australia Drug Foundation, 2016). Despite, the improvement of Australian’s attitude towards alcohol, there still remains a significant pressure not just to drink but to drink excessively (Scott, 2015). In Australia more than $7 billon of alcohol-related tax is generated annually, becoming the most widely used drug (Australia Drug Foundation, 2016). According to the Australian Drug Foundation, 2016, binge

Drinking in Australian is viewed as a rite of passage and as such, is more easily available than ever before however, there is a high correlation between availability and use (Donnelly N et al, 2006). A lack of dependency amongst adolescent drinkers does not detract from concern about such individuals, some of whom may be abusing alcohol or may be putting themselves at risk for alcohol abuse and dependence in later life: there is some evidence that early drinking experiences are linked to subsequent alcohol abuse and prolongation of binge drinking (Livingston M et al,

Youth is the time of life when one is young, but often means the time between childhood and adulthood. The amount of youth that consume alcohol in dangerous amounts is alarming. In a 2013 study, it was shown that 18.2% of people 14 and older drank excessive amounts of alcohol that exceeded the national recommended alcohol serving and 26% of those people drank excessive amounts of alcohol at least once a month (NHMRC, 2015) . Binge drinking can be defined as ‘the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time.’ Binge drinking is a large social issue (GreenFacts, 2016) that affects not only the individual but the community and can have negative effects on mental health, physical health, emotional health and social health. Binge drinking increases the risk of many health issues such as: road accidents, domestic abuse, crime, disease, public violence and can contribute to social dysfunction and relationship issues (Drinkwise Australia, 2016). The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) released a report that stated that one in five high school girls engage in binge drinking. There are many factors that could contribute to adolescent binge drinking such as peer pressure, family attitudes, social status and the culture surrounding alcohol. There are many risks involved with binge drinking (details in appendix 1). One problem associated with binge drinking is physical violence that occurs when under the influence of alcohol and around 40% of all

Research has stated that “young adults aged between18-24, attending University and/or young women are most at risk of being binge drinkers in Australia and 25% of the general population of Australia are at risk of obtaining a drinking problem.” (Davies, O’Hara, Raciti, Reinhard, Sharma, 2012)

While many people view consuming alcohol as charming, it is indeed detrimental to a person’s health and well-being. “[As of] 2013, 86.6 percent of people ages eighteen and older have drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime…56.4 percent reported that they drank in the past month” (NIAAA). Drinking is the cause of many accident inflicted hospital visits, increases the risk for a plethora of illness, and is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States (NIAAA).

Risk taking behaviour involving alcohol is a growing issue within our society so young people need to be aware of the long and short terms risks involved, how alcohol is abused and misuse; and its effects on themselves, their family and community. The use of alcohol is widely accepted as most Australians have tried alcohol at some time in their lives. People use alcohol for a broad range of reasons and in different social and cultural situations. They may drink for sociability, cultural participation, or as a result of peer influence.

The NHS Information Center (2010) Smoking, drinking and medication use among youngsters in England. Discoveries by locale, 2006 to 2008. Leeds: The Health and Social Care Information Center

Alcohol is a popular product that has permeated global markets and dominated Australia’s social and cultural spheres. The use of Alcohol transcends both time and geographical barriers, with historical accounts portraying vivid scenes of alcohol consumption to mark momentous occasions or the medium for misbehaviour. A phenomenon of adolescents drinking to intoxication has been observed in recent years. In order to understand the present situation it is vital to consider the social and historical context of Alcohol consumption globally. In Australia a harm minimisation strategy has been adopted, with the three core pillars being harm reduction, supply reduction and demand reduction. Throughout history there have been

In 2013, the cost for treating alcohol dependent cases not only rose but also doubled from 1.51 million to 3.13 million. Of these, 6,490 resulted in death. On a minute scale, excluding those who depended on alcohol; 1,008,850 adults here who are categorised between the age of 16 and over were administered into hospitals for alcohol related illnesses. It was estimated that in 2008, the total harm that alcohol caused to society was 21 billion a year, (National statistics, 2014). The issue of alcohol has and still is one of a political importance, given that the taxpayer funded this. Tackling the issue by raising prices to dismay the population from drinking has failed. In fact, it has increased; in 1992, 527 millilitres (ml) were consumed per person per week, it then peaked to 700 (ml) per week in 2012, (National statistics, 2014).

Young people are considered to constitute the largest number of alcohol consumers and they account for a large portion of alcohol sales. This is despite the strict drinking laws that govern many countries as regards alcohol purchase and consumption. Underage drinking, which has been on the increase, is allegedly the major cause of alcohol-related problems facing the modern

Teenage binge drinking (consumption of five or more alcohol drinks in a row) has grown to be a serious problem in the United States. A report in 2009 from the Surgeon General’s office show alcohol consumption by teens start as early as 11 years of age for boys and 13 years of age for girls (Grant & Dawson, 1997). In the youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report (2007), data results showed that over three million teenagers in grades 6 through 12 are alcoholics, and several million teens have serious health issues due to drinking. Further research conducted by the Harvard School of Public health (2006) show a direct correlation of automobile accidents, alcohol poisoning, poor academic performance. violence and