Entries Tagged 'alcohol' ↓

The recent 63rd United Nations Department of Public Information NGO Conference held in Melbourne focused on improving women and children’s health.

“Advancing global health is essential to the Millennium Development Goals, and you are essential to advancing global health,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The central concern of Mr. Ban’s opening remarks was the need to improve women’s and children’s health “the area where we are most behind”.  Simple measures could make a huge difference, he told the gathering, whose activism the United Nations not only valued, but depended upon.

On the agenda was a workshop hosted by Australia on the harms of alcohol misuse. Conducted by Rev. Tim Costello Director of the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER Foundation), the discussion and workshop concentrated on identifying community driven solutions to alcohol misuse.

The Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation (AER) is a unique, independent, not-for-profit organisation with a goal to change the way we drink.

AER Foundation Chairman Cheryl Bart said: “Alcohol misuse has been identified as a priority issue by the World Health Organisation, yet a policy response remains noticeably absent from our own political agenda.”

“We can no longer ignore the significant human and financial cost of alcohol-related harms, which impact upon the physical, mental and social wellbeing of drinkers and people around them. The $36 billion cost of alcohol-related harms demonstrates to government the urgent need for reform in this area” he added.

Research has found that young people and women are at greatest risk of harm from others misuse of alcohol. In Australia every year 24,000 women are victims of alcohol related domestic violence assaults and 20,000 children are victims of alcohol-related child abuse.

Professor Ian Webster of the AER Foundation said, “Much more needs to be done to support our young people, particularly young women, to prevent them from being negatively affected by our current problematic drinking culture.”

A report funded by the AER Foundation, conducted by the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University, Perth revealed voluntary restrictions on the sale of alcohol in the town of Norseman WA, led to a 17.5% reduction in assaults, a 60.5% fall in alcohol related hospital admissions and a 10% decrease in per capita consumption of alcohol.

The report entitled, Don’t Wake Up Angry No More – The Evaluation of the Norseman Voluntary Liquor Agreement, measured the impact of voluntary alcohol restrictions put in place in the town of Norseman with a population of 857 individuals, 12% of whom are Aboriginal people.

The AER Foundation workshop shared internationally significant findings from its major new research report: The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others, Beyond the drinker: Alcohol’s hidden costs*.

“We need to change the way we drink. Australia is a very fortunate nation, yet we squander our good fortune by continuing to sideline the preventative health agenda. Enough is enough,” said Ms Bart.

Alcohol misuse is a significant contributor to a range of health and social issues, including violence, crime, child abuse and mortality, in both developed and developing countries.

The AER Foundation workshop will focus on the disproportionate effect of alcohol misuse on children, young adults, women and Indigenous people.

*The study was commissioned by the AER Foundation to assess harm caused by the heavy drinking of others. It draws on existing and newly developed data, including a national survey of more than 2,600 Australians aged 18 or older conducted in 2008.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: AER Foundation. UN Department of Public Information NGO Conference.

70,000 Australians are reported victims of alcohol related assaults every year
24,000 women are victims of alcohol related domestic violence assaults
20,000 children are victims of alcohol-related child abuse

The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER Foundation) recently commissioned a new report The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others, which has just been published.

The AER is a unique, independent, not-for-profit organisation with a goal to change the way we drink.

The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others report was carried out by the AER Centre for Alcohol Policy Research in Melbourne. It offers an insight into how individual acts of alcohol misuse affect both families and communities.

Young Australians bear the brunt of the negative effects of drinking by others, with young women suffering the most when a person they were in a relationship with misused alcohol.

According to The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others report, young people aged 18-29 years were three times more likely to be affected by the drinking of someone they knew compared with older people and they were also twice as likely to be affected by strangers.

AER Foundation Director Professor Ian Webster said: “We often talk about young people as being part of the problem when it comes to alcohol-related harms. But we now know that they are one of the most vulnerable groups in our community when it comes to the impact of others’ drinking.”

He added “Much more needs to be done to support our young people, particularly young women, to prevent them from being negatively affected by our current problematic drinking culture.”

As part of the report, the Alcohol’s Harm to Others survey* also found that young people aged 18-29 years were more likely to experience harm from the drinking of strangers by:
• Being forced or pressured into sexual activity
• Being physically abused
• Encountering trouble or noise related to a licensed venue
• Having to avoid places where drinkers are known to hang out
• Being involved in a traffic accident
• Being verbally abused and threatened
• Getting into a serious argument
• Feeling unsafe in a public place and public transport
• Having their property or personal belongings damaged

Nearly 75% of both men and women aged 18-29 years who had been negatively affected in the last year by the drinking of a family member or friend said they also had to spend time looking after that person as a result of their drinking (cleaning up after them, driving them somewhere, caring for them or their children).

The survey found that 46% of young women who lived with a drinker would need to care for that person as a result of their drinking habits. They were also likely to experience verbal abuse from that person, which could also lead to cases of domestic violence.

The 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that younger men were more likely than women to experience verbal and physical abuse, while both younger and older women were more likely to be put in fear by someone affected by alcohol.

“We need to be asking what we can do to ensure that the whole community is protected from these harms. Now more than ever alcohol policy development is supported by a sound evidence base that shows which strategies are effective in reducing alcohol-related harms.” said Professor Webster.

He concluded “Significant policy reform is required in alcohol taxation, advertising and sponsorship restrictions, and limiting the availability of alcohol to protect young people.”

The report found the hidden cost of harms caused by someone else’s drinking brings the total economic impact of alcohol misuse in Australia to $36 billion annually, more than double previous estimates.

*Alcohol’s Harm to Others is a national survey completed in 2008 of more than 2,600 Australians aged 18 years or older conducted by Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales has released its findings from a study that examined data from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. This survey interviewed 9,000 Australians aged 16-85 years of age.  The report is ground breaking in that it provides the first ever lifetime estimates of alcohol problems in Australia.

It has found that 22% of Australians will experience problems of alcohol abuse and dependence during their lifetime but only 20% of these will seeks treatment; with young men being most at risk.

Two of the most worrying facts to come out of the report are:

• Young men are two and a half times as likely to have current alcohol use problems, with more than 11% of men aged 16 to 24 reporting symptoms consistent with an alcohol use disorder over the previous 12 months.
• 42% of Australians with alcohol problems have at least one co-existing mental illness, such as depression or an anxiety disorder.

Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), author of “Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs” and Generation Next speaker said that for young people, especially young males “Getting drunk is often viewed as a ‘badge of honour’. The challenge is to get across the message that drinking for intoxication is not acceptable and is potentially life threatening.”

He added “Alcohol is the drug our kids are most likely to come into contact with during the teenage years and beyond, and without any doubt it is a drug they have problems with”.

Young men aged between 20 and 29 are almost twice as likely to drink at risky levels than those born 10 years earlier. “Alcohol problems are most common in young men, so we need better intervention and prevention strategies for young Australians” said Professor Teesson, lead author of the report.

“People need to know that alcohol abuse which is impacting on their personal, home and work life can be treated,” she added.

It is important to note that the study considers that alcohol abuse does not measure the quantity of alcohol consumed but rather relates to the impact of using alcohol including: failure to fulfil duties at home or work, using alcohol in dangerous situations such as driving, legal problems and fights with spouse over use of alcohol.

Professor Teesson said “People are much less likely to want to own up to having a problem with alcohol than they are about other physical or mental illnesses, yet their abuse of alcohol has serious consequences to them personally and around them including getting into fights, drink driving, taking time off work, child neglect, getting into trouble with the Police, and driving while drunk.”

The report showed that 42% of Australians with alcohol problems have at least one co-existing mental illness, such as depression or an anxiety disorder. Yet while close to 50% of all Australians suffering from depression are being treated; only 22% of people with alcohol related problems receive help.

Paul Haber, the director of the drug and alcohol service at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and a co-author of the paper said that the high rate of alcohol problems uncovered was a surprise, while the low levels of treatment were a disappointment.

The country’s “alcohol-consuming culture” was widely acknowledged as encouraging drinking problems, Professor Haber said.

Key findings from the report include:
22 % of Australians have alcohol disorders over their lifetime
18.3 % experience alcohol abuse and 3.9% are dependent
Only 22.4% of people with alcohol problems are treated
33% of men will have a problem at some point compared with 12% of women, and
Married people and people from a non-English speaking background are less likely to have a problem with alcohol.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

headspace is supporting this series of national seminars relating to the health and wellbeing of young people.

The next Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010 Seminar will be held in Sydney on Friday September 10, 2010

WHAT: Topics this year include major and current issues

• Cyber-bullying
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Body Image & Eating Disorders
• Teen Depression
• Resilience
• Sexualisation, Consumerism, the Media and Mental health

Feedback from our previous event:
• ”It was very insightful. I got such a lot out of hearing from the wonderful line up of speakers you organised for us. I congratulate you on putting such a powerful line-up and message together.”
• “Thank you again for organising such a great event- it was a wonderful success and hopefully the start of many more in the future!”
• “Congratulations and thank you on a well informed and planned conference. My colleague and I loved it. I know next year I would like to send my middle years staff.”
• “The day was a very valuable one and I know that there will be more teachers from our school attending the next one.”
• “The conference speakers were engaging and stimulating and to be honest I have thought of little else since…! It was extremely uplifting to listen to people who love what they do, who are passionate about young people, passionate about their area of expertise and who are generous enough to share their knowledge, insights and understanding to improve the lives of others. Congratulations to everyone involved, I for one have been moved into action and inspired to act!”
• “Thanks once again for such a wonderful conference. I got so much out of it. I plan to use much of the info I gained on the day on a whole school basis. It’s great to have practical info that can be adapted to a school setting.”
• “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “It was wonderful to learn in such a funny and stimulating way. The power of humour…! I will tell all colleagues about what a great professional event it was and how they can possibly get to the next one.”
• “Thank you for your vision, passion and dedication for the wellbeing of young people.”
•  “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “Again thank you for a wondrous seminar.”
• “I will promote the next conference for you, as last week was fantastic!”
• “Thanks for putting on a great conference.”
•  “Thank you so much for your part in organising the wonderful event…..It was inspiring to hear such a collection of speakers on the one program, all most informative and entertaining. I …. shall be passing on the information to others.”
•  “The event WAS wonderful and I am happy to see that you are hosting another so soon.”

 
95% of the delegates felt that the seminar was definitely worth attending

Australia’s leading experts in one event:
• Michael Carr-Gregg, Adolescent Psychologist and Beyondblue Ambassador
• Dr Sloane Madden, Expert in Body Image and Eating Disorders, The Children’s Hospital, Westmead
• Paul Dillon, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training
• Susan McLean, Cyber safety Expert
• Lyn Worsely, Psychologist, Developer of The Resilience Doughnut
• Evelyn Field, Psychologist, Author of Bully blocking, National Centre Against Bullying
• Dr Ramesh Manocha, GP, Mental Health Researcher, University of Sydney

For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

“The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.
Date: Friday, September 10, 2010
Venue: Mathews Lecture Theatre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney
Time: 9am-5pm

To look at the full programme, download the brochure or register go to Generation Next

Or phone 1300 797 794

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN)

This is a great website full of resources about the effects of alcohol; especially on young people.  Its aim is to equip people at a local level to help them change the drinking culture we have in Australia – to make it a safer environment for people to drink.

CAAN works to reduce cultural pressures that encourage Australians to drink unsafely. They include the alcohol industries’ marketing strategies, popular culture’s celebration of binge drinking, and social expectations that lead to complacency regarding alcohol problems.

CAAN’s strategy includes alerting the media, the public, and policy makers to:
• aggressive marketing and promotion of alcohol
• failure of the codes that regulate alcohol advertising
• encouragement of unsafe drinking via popular media
• violation of licensing regulations (e.g. free drinks, drinking competitions)
• development of dangerous products (e.g. ‘super strength’ pre-mixed drinks), and
• the need for greater controls over availability.

The website has great facts and figures on the following topics:
Alcohol and its effects – the liver breaks down 91% of alcohol.
Standard drinks – a standard drink is defined as one that contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.
Minimising the risks from drinking – we know that drinking too much alcohol can cause problems, but how much is too much?
How to drink less- how to pace yourself, monitor your alcohol consumption and make healthy choices during a night out.
Alcohol Use in Australia – facts and statistics about the prevalence of alcohol use in Australia.
Alcohol – Recent Reports and Research.

Our drinking culture
Parents and teachers alike have all expressed a sense of helplessness about underage drinking, in the face of strong social and cultural pressures to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Young people’s opinions and acceptance of alcohol are guided by the beliefs and expectations of the society they live in.

Australian society embraces alcohol and has always done so. Excessive alcohol consumption is not frowned upon. In fact, it is celebrated and plays an important role in many of our social customs. We tolerate heavy and unsafe drinking including underage drinking, sending a message to our young people that it is acceptable for them to drink.

The alcohol industry feeds this culture, last year alone the Foster’s Group spent $30-35 million on advertisements. In addition to that, alcohol companies invest millions of dollars each year in sponsorship. Most national sports teams and sports events in Australia are sponsored by alcohol brands.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN)

50% of parents say 15 year olds should be allowed alcohol at home
20% of teenagers drink on a weekly basis
1 Australian teenager a week dies of alcohol abuse*

The dilemma of whether or not to let underage teenagers drink at private parties is one that many parents have faced.

The majority seem to feel that it is better to let young people drink in the safety of their own home rather than letting them try to obtain alcohol by false ID’s or other people purchasing it for them.

However, the recent case of a 16 year old youth who had passed out at a party in Sydney and was then set alight after petrol had been poured over his head brings this quandary into the spot light yet again.

Apparently the petrol was poured over him as a prank; the so called prankster greatly mis-judging the gravity of his behavior, probably also due to too much alcohol.

Thankfully the teenager woke up and ran for help, but he did suffer burns to his face and hands and went to hospital for treatment before being released.

The incident is still under investigation.

Surprisingly the MBF Healthwatch survey showed that parents in the higher income bracket were more in favor of supplying alcohol to under-age teenagers (63%) than their lower socioeconomic counterparts.

Bupa Australia chief medical officer Dr Christine Bennett said “some may see this approach as a way to teach their teenage children about socially responsible drinking but we want parents to understand that early exposure may actually be doing them damage,” she said. “Too much alcohol impairs young people’s judgment, which can lead to violence, injury and build a pattern of use that leads to lifetime dependence”.

“It’s shocking to think that one teenager a week dies of alcohol abuse. Binge drinking can lead to violence, high risk sexual activity, depression and, in some instances, brain damage and alcohol dependence”.

“Parents perhaps believe that supervised underage drinking in the home is safe but we don’t yet know enough about whether it is possible to drink safely in this way so we need to make sure that our children are protected. Be a good role model and help to protect your child and their brain” urged Dr Bennett.

Paul Dillon, author of Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs and Generation Next speaker, said “alcohol, like any other drug taken in large amounts, can lead to an overdose situation. ‘Binge drinking’ or ‘drinking to get drunk’ is often the cause for alcohol poisoning, particularly among young people.

When someone drinks alcohol faster than their liver can metabolize it, the amount of alcohol in the blood rises, sometimes to a danger point. This can lead to an overdose situation. At very high blood alcohol levels, a person loses consciousness and goes into a coma. People do die due to alcohol poisoning” he said.

Professor Ian Hickie, Executive Director of the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Research Institute, said that he was concerned.

“These statistics highlight the gap between best medical evidence and parental actions, while also challenging the belief parents are well-placed to assist their children avoid alcohol during the critical years of brain development,” he said.

“Parents need to understand that early exposure to alcohol can disturb a wide range of key brain functions” concluded Professor Hickie.

The Brain and Mind Research Institute studies diseases of the brain and mind, including substance abuse, clinical depression and dementia. These conditions now account for more than 40% of all illness and cost the Australian economy an estimated $30 billion each year.

Figures show that alcohol consumption at harmful levels among school age Australian teenagers increased 5% to 31% between 1999 and 20051 and that the majority of young people who drink at home say their parents buy it for them.

The dangers of under age binge drinking

• Maturation of the adolescent brain. Disruption with a neurotoxin like alcohol may lead to learning difficulties, memory problems, reduced performance on attention-based testing2
• Alcohol-associated illnesses, and
• Social problems

How can parents help?

• Be a good role model – parent’s actions and attitudes influence a young person’s life
• Talk about alcohol laws and the consequences of breaking them
• Praise a responsible attitude towards alcohol*
• Adopt a zero tolerance alcohol policy for the first 3 years of high school as children under 15 at greatest risk of harm3
• After this, if they must introduce alcohol, introduce moderate and responsible drinking in association with food4

For more help and information on the effects of under age drinking visit the following websites:

Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) with Generation Next speaker Paul Dillon
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aging (Alcohol)   

or for brochures on  Alcohol and your kids: a guide for parents and carers and Young people -  Don’t lose your standards.

References:
*figures supplied by Bupa Australia, which operates MBF and Mutual Community.
1. Australia: the healthiest country by 2010, National Preventative Health Taskforce, 2009
2. Monash University, 2008
3. Alcohol and your kids, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government, 2009 (alcohol.gov.au)
4. Generation Next speaker, Michael Carr-Gregg

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: Brain and Mind Research Institute. Bupa Australia. Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA)

The “In The Driver’s Seat II: Beyond the Early Driving Years” is the second report from the collaborative partnership between the Australian Institute of Family Studies, the Transport Accident Commission of Victoria and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria.

1,000 adolescents participated in this report which looks at the driving behaviours of young people aged 23 to 24 years old.  The main dangerous driving behaviours committed by young people seems to be speeding, driving while fatigued, driving without a seatbelt, drink driving, driving while under the influence of an illegal substance and using a mobile phone.

The report showed that there is a connection between young people undertaking risky driving and other risk taking activities in life such as alcohol and substance abuse. Those who indulged in one risk taking activity were more likely to indulge in other risky activities while driving and during their everyday lives.

Rather than decrease with age and understanding, the occurrence of risk taking behaviour by some young people seemed to increase with confidence and experience. Risky driving appeared to be one element of a risk taking lifestyle for a number of young people.

The report addressed 6 main issues:
1. Young people’s driving behaviours
2. The consistency of driving behaviours from 19–20 to 23–24 years
3. Links between drink-driving, other risky driving, and substance use
4. The relationship between crashes, high-level speeding and fatigue
5. The influence of parents on young people’s car purchases, and
6. The links between young people’s personal characteristics and their driving  behaviours.

Driving behaviours of young people in their mid-20s
97% of young people obtain a driver’s licence by 23–24 years of age
60% had been involved in a crash
50% are caught speeding during their driving careers
40% had friends who engaged in drink-driving
20% had recently driven when near or over the legal alcohol limit
 7% had experienced a licence cancellation or suspension

The report found that risky driving was relatively common for adolescent drivers. For example, on one or more of their ten most recent driving trips, close to 50% had exceeded the speed limit, about 60%  had driven when very tired, 60% had used a mobile phone function (such as receiving or sending an SMS), and around 50% had talked on a mobile phone.

Gender differences
Young men tended to have their licence cancelled or suspended more often than young women. Young men also tended to engage more frequently in a range of unsafe driving practices (e.g., high-level speeding, driving when affected by alcohol). However, young women had more often driven when fatigued.

Residence locality
As a group, those from metropolitan areas (68%) had more often been involved in a crash, and had been involved in a higher number of crashes. Additionally, rates of hands-free mobile use when driving were higher among young people from metropolitan areas.

Changed driving behaviours from 19–20 to 23–24 years
There was a slight decrease in high-level speeding and driving without a seatbelt from 19–20 to 23–24 years however, rates of other types of risky driving tended to increase or remain stable. Driving when fatigued remained very prevalent, and driving when affected by alcohol increased substantially.

This suggests that risky driving is as serious an issue in the mid-20s as in the late teens and points to the importance of sustaining road safety efforts into the twenties.

High stability was found among those with low levels of risky driving, but less stability was found among those showing moderate and high levels of risky driving, the majority of whom were less problematic at 23–24 years.

Risky driving and substance use
Early adulthood can be a period of considerable risk taking: the prevalence of substance use reaches a life-time high (Spooner, Hall, & Lynskey, 2001), while other forms of risk-taking common at this age include antisocial behaviour, gambling and risky driving.

Young people who engaged in drink-driving were more likely to engage in other types of risky driving, such as speeding, and driving without a seatbelt, when fatigued, under the influence of an illegal drug or when using a mobile phone. Binge drinking, and marijuana, ecstasy and amphetamine use were all significantly higher among high- and moderate-level risky drivers.

Crash involvement, speeding, fatigue and other aspects of road safety
Similarities were found in the driver histories and behaviours of young people who had been involved in multiple crashes as drivers, had recently engaged in high-level speeding (more than 25 km/h over the limit), or had recently driven when very tired.

These findings suggest that problematic driving does not occur in isolation, and may reflect a risk-taking approach to driving among some young drivers.

Parents’ influence on young people’s car purchase
Parents can play an important role in the driving behaviour and attitudes of young people. One way in which this may occur is through the advice and support they provide when young people are purchasing a car. Parents were more likely to have had an influence on their children’s car purchase if they had a close relationship. Parents are not often considered in road safety efforts targeted at young drivers.

Personal characteristics
Individuals who drove in a law-abiding manner tended to show greater empathy, responsibility and perspective-taking than other drivers, as well as closer connections to parents and more tolerant attitudes.

These findings are a reminder that what an individual is like as a person impacts on his/her behaviour behind the wheel. They point to the value of helping young people gain an understanding of their personal style and how this might affect their approach to driving.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: In the Driver’s Seat II: Beyond the Early Driving Years
For copies, please contact the Australian Institute of Family Studies on (03) 9214 7888,  or visit www.aifs.gov.au

Published in Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2010.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is calling for a more-stringent control of alcohol advertising on cable television.

Although advertising alcoholic beverages to a television audience with many underage drinkers has been avoided since 2003, it is felt that even tighter guidelines and limits need to be put in place.

Based on the national Nielsen Media Research data from 2001 to 2006, it has been found that the increase of adolescent viewership and the screening of alcoholic advertisements rise disproportionally. With the figures showing that with a 1% rise in underage viewers, the incidence of ads featuring alcohol goes up by 7% for beer, 15% for spirits and a staggering 22% for alcopops. Only the airing of wine ads (-8%) decreases with adolescent viewership.

Ad incidences of spirits and alcopops are more strongly associated with female viewership than male viewership; each 1% increase in the percentage of females in the adolescent audience is associated with a 4% to 5% increase in alcoholic ads being screened.

Comment:
These findings suggest that producers of beer, spirits, and especially alcopops monitor the extent of youth viewership during cable television time slots to maximize ad exposure.

Recent surveys show that binge drinking of spirits and consumption of alcopops have increased more among girls than boys — trends reflected in the preferential targeting of ads for these products during shows with greater proportions of girls in the adolescent viewership.

95% of cable advertising time slots have youth viewership levels with an average age of between 12 and 20 years of age.— Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Published in Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2010.

Citation(s):
Chung PJ et al. Association between adolescent viewership and alcohol advertising on cable television. Am J Public Health 2010

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

The Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN) website has been set up to encourage changes in the drinking culture of Australians.

It has many features including a regular e-newsletter “GrogWatch” that covers the latest research and trends in alcohol consumption and its effects when not consumed in moderation. The website also features informative articles under the heading “Alcohol: the Facts”

CAAN’s aims are to:
• Raise the awareness of alcohol as an issues of public health and safety
• Tackle social and environmental cues that encourage an unsafe drinking culture, and
• Mobilise the community to take action against aggressive marketing, promotion, products and supply.

CAAN works to reduce cultural pressures that encourage Australians to drink unsafely.
These pressures include:
• the alcohol industries’ marketing strategies
• popular culture’s celebration of binge drinking, and
• social expectations that lead to complacency regarding alcohol problems.

CAAN’s strategy includes alerting the media, the public, and policy makers to:
• aggressive marketing and promotion of alcohol
• failure of the codes that regulate alcohol advertising
• encouragement of unsafe drinking via popular media
• violation of licensing regulations (e.g. free drinks, drinking competitions)
• development of dangerous products (e.g. ‘super strength’ pre-mixed drinks), and
• the need for greater controls over availability. 
 

The Facts: Alcohol and its effects

• Ethyl alcohol is the intoxicating ingredient in all alcoholic drinks and occurs in different amounts in different types of drinks. For example, spirits contain approximately 40% alcohol, while full-strength beer contains only 4-6%
• The liver breaks down 91% of alcohol, while a small amount leaves the body in sweat, breath and urine
• Alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach and affects virtually all cells and systems in the body
• The rate of alcohol absorption in the body varies depending on several factors, including body size, gender, body fat and amount of food in the stomach
• Alcohol is a depressant drug – not because it makes you sad, but because it slows the activity of the central nervous system
• Excessive alcohol consumption can be fatal if it slows the central nervous system down to the point where breathing stops, and
• Alcohol has some health benefits for middle-aged and older people but can impair the development of children and adolescents.

Short-term/acute effects of alcohol include the following*:
 relaxation
 elevated mood
 decreased inhibition and judgment
 decreased reaction time, alertness and co-ordination
 impaired vision and perception
 emotional lability
 aggression
 slurred speech
 sleep disturbances
 memory impairment
  
Long-term / chronic effects of alcohol include the following:
 brain damage
 cancer
 hepatitis
 liver cirrhosis
 pancreatitis
 heart disease
 mental illness – alcohol dependence, depression, anxiety, social problems etc.

* The short-term and long-term effects of alcohol vary depending on the quantity of alcohol consumed and the frequency of consumption.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

SOURCE: Community Alcohol Action Network website.

Generation Next and Healthed invites you to attend this highly informative and educational event. No other educational event brings together so many leading experts under one roof.

This UNIQUE multi-disciplinary seminar  features leading experts who will present authoritative and practical information specifically relevant to the mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing of young people.

The aim of the seminar is to enable attendees to develop not only an understanding of the individual issues but also how they frequently interrelate across the boundaries of teaching, health, welfare, law and the community.  Hence the need for teaching, health and welfare professionals to understand how they can work together for better outcomes at all levels.

Date:    Friday 25th June 2010
Venue: Federation Auditorium, Reservoir St, Surry Hills, Sydney
Time:   9am-5pm

Issues covered include:
Bullying, Cyberbullying and Violence in Schools
It’s impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing
An update on new guidelines
Depression and Anxiety
Understanding the signs, symptoms and treatment
Alcohol, Binge Drinking, “Meow”
An update on current issues and practical solutions
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Why early detection is essential and how to spot the warning signs
Sexualisation, Consumerism and the Media
What are its effects on our Young People?
Resilience
Skills and strategies to bounce back from mental stress & trauma
Practical meditation session

Speakers include:
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
Adolescent Psychologist

Paul Dillon
Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia

Maggie Hamilton
Author and Researcher – Sexualisation

Dr Andrew Fuller
The Resilience Foundation

Susan McLean
Cybersafety Expert, previously of Victorian State Police

Prof Stephen Touyz
Eating Disorder Specialist

Melinda Hutchings
Author, Ambassador for The Butterfly Foundation

Who should attend:
• Teachers, educators in primary, secondary, TAFE and tertiary
• Psychologists, Nurses and other Health Professionals
• Social Workers, Youth workers, teacher aides
• Student teachers
• Parents

Education points:
• PD: 6 hours
• CNE points applied for
• APS professional development points applied for

Registration:
Enquiries via Healthed Conference Management:
Phone: 1300 797 794 Fax 1300 797 792
Email: enquiries@generationnext.com.au
Web: www.generationnext.com.au
Discount Registration Available Online

Program:
Each talk is approx. 45 mins in duration with a brief question time.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.