Alcohol

Nature of the health issue • Alcohol is a depressant drug, which slows down the

message travelling between the brain and the body. In Australia, alcohol is a common use across cultural groups and is accepted across adulthood. Alcohol is consumed as part of social gatherings, festivals, celebrations and commemorations by many Australians, including Australia's young people. Alcohol consumption has short and long-term effects on individuals, family and communities. Alcohol also place young people at risk of dangers such as binge drinking, violence, unsafe sexual activity and motor vehicle accidents.

Statistics

• More than half of all 15-17 years old have consumed alcohol and almost all of 18-24 years old have consumed alcohol. Around 40 per cent of young people aged 12-17 have had a full serve of alcohol and around 60 per cent of year 10-12 students have drunk alcohol at least once.

Risk factors that increase your chances of contracting Alcohol

• Peer Pressure: – Peer pressure is the biggest factors that increase

one’s chance of drinking alcohol because all of your friends are drinking and you don’t want to feel different to them.

• Environment:– The environment you are in will likely to push you

into drink alcohol. For example, if you are at a party and everyone is drinking, then you will automatically start drinking or you think that you look odd out.

• Availability: – The lower the prices of alcohol, the more people will drink. – The more licenced liquor establishment in an area, the more

likely individuals are likely to drink.– Underage people are likely to drink alcohol when it’s available

to them.– This includes being able to buy alcohol on their own at a bar or

store, having others be able to buy it for them.• Advertising:

– Alcohol advertising helps create an environment that suggests that alcohol consumption and over-consumption are normal activities.

– Media and advertisements are perhaps the most significant predictor of adolescents’ knowledge about beer, current drinking behavior, and intentions to drink.

Behaviours that could increase their chance of contracting Alcohol

• Behaviours that an individual adopts that could increase their chance of contracting alcohol are that they might not admit that they have a problem with alcohol because people want to prove themselves right and not letting others to know that they actually have a problem.

• Another behaviour is by not removing yourself from that social group that drinks a lot of alcohol, which is a hard thing to do because you have been with them for a long time and has gained some relationships.

Social factors that could relate to the development of Alcohol

• Education: Alcohol affects education because it damages areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory, verbal skills and visual-spatial cognition. Alcohol problems are tied to lower grades, poor attendance and increases in dropout rates.• Employment:Alcohol has a big effect on employers because some of it big causes are premature death/fatal accidents, injuries/accident rates and loss of production. Other problems are sleeping during work hours, poor decision-making, loss of efficiency and higher turnover.

• Age:As you get older, the longer alcohol stays in your liver, which increases the risk of damage to your liver. It increased your risks of accidents as your physical and mental functions become impaired, as you get older which puts you at a higher risk of falling, slipping and crashing.• Access to health services:Once you realise that you may have a problem, you want to get help, but you are embarrassed to see a doctor or get a health service, so it affects your health issue. • Physical Environment:If you are an alcoholic, then you might influence your family member and they might follow you especially children because they think that maybe you are doing it, so they think that drink alcohol would be fine with them. Therefore they will also start drinking at a young age.

10 resources where young people can access health information on Alcohol

• Your doctor- They have the most information on alcohol and they can explain it to you in detail and

• DrugInfo Tel. 1300 858 584 – It gives information on drug uses and alcohol.

• Family Drug Help – for information and support for people concerned about a relative or friend using drugs Tel. 1300 660 068

• Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) NSW: (02) 9361 8000 (Sydney), 1800 422 599 (NSW country)- It gives information and services on alcohol and other drugs

• Drinkwise Australia at www.drinkwise.org.au– It gives you information on how to drink alcohol wisely and just some general information on alcohol.

• Ted Noffs Foundation help line: NSW/ACT: 1800 151 045- Counselling and support for young people and their families.

• Alcohol and Drug Services, Canberra Hospital- Level 1, 1 Moore Street, Canberra City- It’s a service which provide information and helps people who need help and information.

• Reachout: http://au.reachout.com- It gives information on drugs as well as information on alcohol.

• Beyondblue support service- 1300 22 4636- it has information on alcohol and drugs and the result of alcohol use.

• Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol- 1800 011 511 or website: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mhdao/pages/default.aspx - It has many information there on alcohol and other drugs.

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