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Pages tagged "Harm from other people's drinking"


Take Action

Posted in Alcohol and pregnancy

Enabling society as a whole to be supportive of messages regarding alcohol and pregnancy is important, but also challenging.  However, we strongly need to take action this area if we are to protect the brain potential of our future generations. 


Spread the word

Spread the word among friends, family, people you work with that alcohol is a major cause of brain damage in unborn babies.

There may be others in your community that also express a strong desire to prevent FASD. Click here for actions you can take as a community to raise awareness of the issue. 


Support pregnant mums to be alcohol-free, don't judge

Support rather than judge mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy. Help them to seek help if they struggle to stop drinking. 

If you are worried call the Alcohol Drug Helpline 0800 787 797. 


Speak out about FASD

Speak out against the injustice of denying children with neurodisability caused by alcohol the help they desperately need to live a good life.

Join FASD-CAN, the Care Action Network supporting individuals and families struggling with FASD and educating the community how best to support their needs. 


Encourage health professionals to have the conversation

Ask your GP next time you are there, whether they routinely ask, assist and advise women about alcohol and the risk of drinking during pregnancy. There are online resources to help them do this.


Take action on the wider drinking culture

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is strongly determined by our wider drinking culture. Take action to restrict availability and promotion of alcohol and increase the price. Action can also be taken to promote the uptake of early and brief intervention.


Support teachers

If you are a teacher or work in the education sector, support your school to implement the strategies in the “Inclusive Education FASD Guide for teachers”. 


Contact Alcohol Healthwatch

Contact the Alcohol Healthwatch FASD Coordinator for further information fannz@ahw.org.nz 


Get further information

ALCOHOL & PREGNANCY - GET PREPARED FASD ACTION PLAN 2016-19   FASD CARE ACTION NETWORK
FETAL ALCOHOL NETWORK NZ FASD AND LEARNING UNDERSTANDING FASD
SUPPORTING STUDETNS WITH FASD    

Get Prepared

Posted in Alcohol and pregnancy

Alcohol causes more harm to the fetus than other drugs

It does not matter what type of alcohol is consumed, it immediately crosses into the baby’s bloodstream via the placenta and adversely impacts normal development. 

Alcohol is recognised as the ‘heavy hitter’ causing more damage to the fetus than other recreational substances such as tobacco, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine or marijuana.


There is no 'safe' level of alcohol use in pregnancy

 

Drinking to intoxication places a developing embryo and fetus at the greatest risk of harm.  However, medical research has not been able to establish a safe amount that all pregnant women can drink and there are studies showing harm at very low level.  Therefore, ther advice of many health authorities across the world is  - Do not drink alcohol if you are pregnant, could be pregnant or when breastfeeding.

For more information, check out HPA's alcohol.org.nz website -

  • Drinking advice for women who could be pregnant, are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant - https://www.alcohol.org.nz/alcohol-its-effects/alcohol-and-pregnancy/what-you-need-to-know
  • Alcohol & pregnancy - https://www.alcohol.org.nz/alcohol-its-effects/alcohol-pregnancy

New Zealand has an FASD Action Plan

In 2016, the Government took steps to develop New Zealand’s first FASD Action Plan ‘Taking Action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder 2016-2019 – An Action Plan’.  (FASD Working Group 2016). 

The Plan is a multiagency approach across health, justice, and social sectors to guide policy and service delivery within communities to prevent FASD and improve outcomes for those affected by it. 

The plan targets early intervention with those thought to be at high-risk of drinking during pregnancy. 

Changes to the drinking environment to reduce alcohol availability were not included in the plan. It is well-known that the wider drinking culture is a strong determinant of the prevalence of drinking during pregnancy. Therefore, we need to take a multi-pronged approach to reduce the harm from FASD.

Although improvements have been occurring regarding FASD diagnosis, children with significant learning and behaviour problems linked to prenatal alcohol exposure remain undiagnosed within our health services and ineligible for extra support.  Families living with FASD remain ineligible for respite care. 


Ministry of Education FASD Guide for teachers

The Ministry of Education have produced an Inclusive Education FASD Guide for teachers http://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/fasd/.  


Case for Change

Posted in Alcohol and pregnancy

There are two important components in preventing the harm from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder:

  1. Preventing FASD by supporting alcohol-free pregnancies
  2. Enabling effective and appropriate care for persons affected by FASD

There is strong evidence that both components are essential in reducing harm from this preventable disability. Click below to learn more or click the button for the Health Promotion Agency infosheet.

ALCOHOL-FREE PREGNANCY KEY MESSAGES


Take Action

Posted in 4. Drink driving

On the spot - take action immediately

Stopping someone from getting behind the wheel after they’ve been drinking could save their life and the lives of innocent others.

If it is an emergency - call 111 and provide the details to emergency services.

If it is safe to do so, take their keys off them and offer to find them a safe ride home.

If the risk of drink driving is associated with a licensed premise - advise the licensee or duty manager of the risk and remind them of their duties to support safe transport options. 

If the person has been drinking on a licensed premise and appears intoxicated then report the incident to the local licensing team and/or Police.  See the Licensing section for more information.


Be a positive role model

Always drive sober and encourage members of your family/whanau to do likewise.

If you are hosting a family/whanau gathering or event, be a responsible host – e.g. make it alcohol-free, or have a range of alcohol-free options available, arrange a place for people to stay or a safe ride home if they’ve been drinking.  See Places and Events for more information on planning events.


Spread the word

Take opportunities as they arise to discuss drink-driving, its risks and consequences with your family/whanau.

Develop some safety protocols/kawa with your family/whānau.  These can focus on how to avoid the risks of drinking and driving, and having a plan to get home safely should that be necessary.

Start a group or if you are already part of a group or network you can plan initiatives to reduce drinking and driving in your community. ​For more information on doing this see Mobilising Others.


Assist people to get the help they need

If you have any concerns about someone you know who is drinking and driving assist them or their family to get professional help.

Help can be reached at your GP/local medical centre, school counsellor or local Community Alcohol and Drug Service.

The Alcohol and Drug Helpline is a useful starting point for anyone who has concerns about their own or others drinking. They will be able to support you towards the best course of action and local services including youth services - 0800 787 797.


Advocate to increase the number of random breath tests

To ensure our drink driving limits are effective, we need to enforce them. However, random breath test numbers have been declining substantially and we need to increase them to the point of one test per year per licensed driver. That would mean around 3 million tests per year. A lot more than what we are currently doing.

Speak to your local MP about this issue.


Change the wider environment to change our drinking culture

By reducing the amount of alcohol consumed, we can help reduce drink driving.

The most effective measures to reduce the amount we drink are listed below. Read each section to find out how you can take action on these environmental factors that support low-risk drinking.

You can mobilise others to:

  • Reduce the availability of alcohol
  • Increase the price of alcohol
  • Restrict alcohol advertising and sponsorship
  • Promote the uptake of early and brief intervention

Get Prepared

Posted in 4. Drink driving

Alcohol and driving

Alcohol impairs reaction times, judgement, attention, vision and other essential skills for safe driving.

Impairment can occur at very low levels of consumption. The risk of crashing increases with every drink.

Fatigue multiplies the risk of an accident. 

No alcohol is the safest option if you are going to be driving a vehicle, boat or operating other machinery.


Blood Alcohol Limits

It is an offence to drive a vehicle over the legal alcohol limits in New Zealand.  The legal limits are;

  • Zero for those aged under 20 years.
  • 250mcg/litre of breath or 50mg/100 ml of blood (0.05)

For more information on limits and penalties for driving over the limit see http://www.transport.govt.nz/land/bloodalcoholqanda/


Mandatory Alcohol Interlock Programme

Section 65a of the Land Transport Amendment Act 1998 requires mandatory alcohol interlock sentences for repeat drink drive offenders and high-risk drink-drive offenders with Blood Alcohol Concentration of 160mg/100ml (BAC 0.16). It also requires repeat drink-drive offenders to attend an assessment centre and achieve satisfactory result before removing the interlock device. 

Alcohol interlocks are useful in assisting those who continue to drink and drive. These can be used in conjunction with treatment options and can be used by Judges in sentencing those convicted of drink-driving.

Links

  • Alcohol interlocks -https://www.govt.nz/browse/transport/driving-penalties/alcohol-interlocks/
  • Alcohol interlock programme - http://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/driving-offences-and-penalties/alcohol-sentencing/alcohol-interlock-programme/

Case for Change

Posted in 4. Drink driving

New Zealand has a Vision Zero approach to road deaths - where no-one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes. This cannot be achieved without strong action on alcohol. 

Drink driving doesn't just harm the driver - passengers and other road users (including pedestrians) are also killed or injured in alcohol-related road crashes.

Between 2017 and 2019, for every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders who died in road crashes, 27 of their passengers and 32 other road users died with them.

The risk of crashing increases with the amount of alcohol in the blood at the time of driving. Road traffic crashes involving alcohol are more likely to result in death or severe injuries.

Alcohol greatly increases the risk of road deaths

Alcohol use causes impairment when driving. 

Between 2017 and 2019, alcohol and drugs were a factor in 40% of fatal crashes (13% alcohol only, 9% alcohol and drugs, 18% drugs only). This proportion was higher among young adults aged 20 to 24 years (60% of all fatal crashes involved alcohol/drugs) and 25 to 29 year olds (65%).

Road traffic crashes involving alcohol are more likely to be fatal or result in severe injuries.

The risk of crashing increases with the amount of alcohol in the blood at the time of driving.  For New Zealanders aged 20 years or over, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05mg alcohol per 100ml of blood. For drivers under 20 years, there is a zero tolerance to alcohol in the blood.

Drivers aged 20-29 with a BAC of 0.05mg/100ml are about 17 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than their sober counterpart. Adults aged over 30 years are about 6 times as likely.


New Zealand statistics

In 2019, 160 people died and 391 were seriously injured in crashes where alcohol/drugs were a contributing factor.

An Official Information Act request on alcohol-related crashes found the following:

Between 2017 and 2019, for every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders who died in road crashes, 
27 of their passengers and 32 other road users died with them

What is the financial cost of drink driving?

For the three years to 2012, it was estimated that the social cost of alcohol-related crashes (for drivers over 20 years) in New Zealand was $446 million. This figure is in 2013 dollars.


Number of random breath tests 

New Zealand's Road to Zero strategy adopts the Vision Zero approach to road deaths. Strong drink driving laws and adequate enforcement of them are central to achieving this goal.

Of huge concern, the number of random breath tests in New Zealand has reduced from around 3 million tests in 2013/14 (about 1 test per driver per year – which is best practice) to below 2 million tests in 2018/19.109 If best practice levels of enforcement were adhered to, there would be over 3 million tests carried out every year (in 2015 there were 3,384,395 New Zealanders who had a driver licence).

Year  2011/12  2012/13  2013/14  2014/15  2015/216  2016/17  2017/18 2018/19
Number of Random Breath Tests  2,721,876 2,952,138 3,013,272 2,555,957 1,473,187 2,126,280 1,683,314 1,270,648

There are technological differences in reporting that may explain much of the lower number of tests carried out in the 2015/16 period. The data above are obtained from NZ Police Annual reports.

Changes in the way in which road policing is structured in a number of Police districts has resulted in the disestablishment of dedicated impairment testing teams. This may have also contributed to a reduction in test volumes. There has also been implementation of a more targeted, intelligence-based approach to testing.


Number of convicted offences for exceeding the drink driving or other substance limit

With regards to convictions for drink driving (or exceeding limit for other substances), the number of convictions has declined in recent years. The lower numbers of random breath tests being carried out is likely to play a role in this. Data below were obtained from NZ.Stat.

In 2012/2013, it was found that there were high levels of reoffending, with around half of those convicted having at least one previous drink-drive conviction over their lifetime of driving.

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Convictions 29,473 28,094 25,347 23,329 19,403 16,549 16,308 16,405 16,770 16,414

 


Take Action

Posted in 3. Binge drinking / intoxication

On the spot - Address any immediate health and safety issues

If you are concerned about your safety, or that of others, call emergency services on 111.

When any urgent matters are under control and if you feel it is safe to do so, look to minimise any further consumption and risks. Get assistance with this if possible.

If you see an intoxicated person in a licensed premises (e.g pub, night club) alert the duty manager, and/or the Police on 111. If you know that an intoxicated person has been drinking at a particular licensed premises, then follow the above.


Spread the word - Promote informed choice

As opportunities arise guide people in your life to relevant information on alcohol and to the low-risk drinking guidelines.

Develop some safety protocols/kawa with your family/Whānau. These can focus on how to avoid drinking excessively, and what to do if they are in trouble.

If you have a group or network that you belong to, work together to raise awareness in your community about alcohol and share relevant information and links to low-risk drinking guidelines or other tools. 

See the section on Mobilising Others  for more information and support


Assist people to get the help they need 

If you have any concerns about the alcohol use of people in your life, assist them or their family to get professional help.

  • Help can be reached at your GP/local medical centre, school counsellor or local Alcohol and Drug Service.
  • The Alcohol and Drug Helpline is a useful starting point for anyone who has concerns about their own or others drinking. They will be able to support you towards the best course of action and local services including youth services - 0800 787 797.

Change the wider environment to change our drinking culture

Take action on environmental factors which support low-risk drinking. For example, foster and mobilise others to:

  • Reduce the availability of alcohol
  • Increase the price of alcohol
  • Restrict alcohol advertising and sponsorship 
  • Promote the uptake of early and brief intervention

Get Prepared

Posted in 3. Binge drinking / intoxication

Alcohol is a toxin the body wants to get rid of

When alcohol is consumed, the human body is alerted and will start to eliminate it.  The liver does much of this process.

It takes around one hour for a healthy liver to process a single standard drink. This is only an average, a person's other health issues will impact this.

Drinking more than one standard drink in an hour will mean that the liver cannot keep up, and the alcohol will build up and start to be absorbed into the blood stream.

This leads to a range of impairments;

  • Initially, the drinker will experience light-headedness and feelings of euphoria – generally these are pleasant.  They are the early signs of impairment.
  • Balance and movement will be affected – increasing the risk of falls and other injuries.
  • Slowed reaction times – slowing essential skills needed for driving, cooking, looking after children etc.
  • Impaired judgement – increasing the risk of aggression, and making poor choices such as driving, or getting into a car with someone intoxicated, or continuing to drink, or having sex you later regret.
  • Changed mood and emotional state – this can lead to missing or misinterpreting social cues increasing the risk of aggression and violence, depression.
  • “Hangover” – the after effects of heavy drinking can carry over into the next day. This might affect the ability to attend work, school or university, look after children or other responsibilities.

Continued consumption can lead to black-outs and alcohol poisoning. 

As well as injuries and violence, heavy consumption of alcohol can have significant and long-term effects on the body including brain damage, liver damage and failure.


The law on intoxication

New Zealand does not have any laws against being intoxicated or drunk. Rather, the Police can apprehend persons if they are creating disorder.

There are a number of offences related to intoxication. Most of these relate to licensed premises. You can read them here.

For example, a licensed premises MUST NOT:

  • Sell or supply alcohol to an intoxicated person
  • Allow a person to become intoxicated on their premises
  • Allow a person who is intoxicated to remain in the licensed premises

In addition, it is illegal for anyone under 18 to be drinking in a public place (without their parent/guardian).


Factors which facilitate heavy drinking in New Zealand

There are a number of factors in our environment which facilitate heavy drinking:

  • licensed premises open late at night and early morning,
  • a high number of licensed premises in an area
  • high exposure to alcohol marketing and promotion,
  • cheap alcohol products
  • certain types of products such as Ready-to-drinks (RTDs)
  • availability of higher strength beverages.

Screening for hazardous drinking

The earlier we intervene on hazardous drinking, the less harm will result.

Ideally, everyone who is seen by a health practitioner should be screened for alcohol use, and if found to drink hazardously, provided with brief intervention and referral to treatment.


Case for Change

Posted in 3. Binge drinking / intoxication

Intoxication increases the risk of a range of alcohol-related harms

Intoxication often leads to acute effects including violence, unintentional injuries and self-harm, but also longer terms harms such as long-term health conditions and social problems.

Skills and inhibitions decrease with more amount of alcohol is consumed on a single occasion. This often leads to a greater risk of injury during, or immediately, after the drinking occasion.

In 2019/20, among those who drank in the past year in New Zealand:

  • 14.6% consumed 6 or more drinks on one occasion at least weekly
  • 27.5% consumed 6 or more drinks on one occasion at least monthly
  • 25.7% were classified as hazardous drinkers.

Drinking four standard drinks on a single occasion more than doubles the relative risk of an injury in the six hours afterwards, and the relative risk rises even more rapidly when more than four standard drinks are consumed on a single occasion.


Take Action

Posted in 2. Alcohol use disorders (abuse, dependence)

Assist people to get the help they need

If you have any concerns about the alcohol use of people in your life, assist them or their family to get professional help.

Help can be reached at your GP/local medical centre, school counsellor or local Alcohol and Drug Service.

Alcohol and Drug Helpline is a useful starting point for anyone who has concerns about their own or others drinking. They will be able to support you towards the best course of action and local services including youth services - 0800 787 797.


Change the wider environment to change our drinking culture

Take action on environmental factors which support low-risk drinking. For example, foster and mobilise others to:

  • Reduce the availability of alcohol
  • Increase the price of alcohol
  • Restrict alcohol advertising and sponsorship - especially as persons with alcohol dependence are sensitive to alcohol advertising
  • Promote the uptake of early and brief intervention

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Auckland 1149, New Zealand

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