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  • South Australia Prepares for Severe Alcohol Restrictions

    Sweeping restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol in the outback SA town of Coober Pedy have taken effect from last Monday.

    What has been described as the toughest grog laws in the country have been imposed by Liquor and Gambling Commissioner Paul White in an effort to curb alcohol abuse amongst Aboriginal people, even those from inter-state.

    Mr White was quoted on www.sbs.com.au as saying:

    “I’ve imposed a condition that says if you reside at one of the prescribed lands, which roughly speaking is the APY Lands, or some of the Northern Territory communities close to the South Australian border or Western Australia, then you cannot purchase take away alcohol from the outlets in Coober Pedy,” says Mr White.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

    What do the restrictions entail?

    There will be a complete ban on cask wine and bottled wine and spirits will be limited to one 750ml bottle per person, per day.

    Drinkers will have to produce a photo ID when buying liquor.

    The restrictions will also include a complete ban of take away alcohol for people from dry communities and a refusal of sales to people suspected of travelling to dry communities.

    According to Mr White although these restrictions seem extreme, Mr White said these restrictions weren’t imposed on these communities but that they rather requested these restrictions. Communities requested the support to assist in reducing the inflow of grog. Commissioner White will review the restrictions in 6 months.

    Mayor Steve Baines agreed with Mr White that this is a huge problem which requires attention.

    Mayor Baines was quoted as saying,

    “In the last 11 months there have been 18,200 casks of wine sold. Now we’ve got a population of 1,700 people. That’s 500 casks of wine per week, on top of 18,400 bottles,” says Mr Baines.

    Aboriginal legal advocates and the community think Coober Pedy’s been overwhelmed by people escaping grog bans elsewhere.

    “The illnesses that people get, the alcohol related violence that flows from alcohol getting into dry communities is really very severe and a very serious problem, and we think that an important impulse to stop this is to get a summit of all communities, get them all together at the same table and talking to government authorities about more effective rules to stop the liquor getting into dry communities because that’s what they want,” says Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement member Chris Charles.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

    Detox and rehabilitation facilities are expected to be inundated with calls for rehab services as people’s alcohol source is cut off due to the restrictions. Medical facilities and rehab facilities are apparently braced for this influx.

    The article goes on to explain,

    “We don’t not have a single rehabilitation service specifically for Aboriginal people in this state, and whether that’s all the other health and allied services that we need, we cannot fix the problem simply by these sort of bans; they are part of the solution, they are not the solution,” says Greens MP Tammy Franks.

    Federal funding allocated 7 years ago for rehabilitation facilities remains unspent.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

  • Road Safety Campaign aimed at Young Drivers Launched

    Young drivers are often the ones who fall victim to road crashes linked to alcohol. Now in an effort to tackle this problematic issue among the youth, Insurer AAMI and Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) have joined forces to implement a new road safety campaign aimed at young drivers.

    There is an increasing body of research that shows underage drinking as the leading cause of deaths in teenagers. Causes of teen alcohol related deaths range from drink driving, suicides and homicides related to drinking but drink driving is one of the greatest factors.

    The cleverly named P.A.R.T.Y Program aims to bring high school students into the hospital to see trauma patients first hand in an effort to shock them into doing the right thing. (P.A.R.T.Y stands for Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth). The group hopes that young people will begin to better understand the consequences of drink driving, drug driving as well as distracted driving if they see it first-hand rather than just being told of the dangers.

    According to statistics provided by AAMI, 15 per cent of young people between 15 and 25 years of age who came to NSW hospitals for treatment were there as a result of severe traumatic injuries.

    Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that over the last 5 years, 1638 young people in the same age group died as a result of road trauma without even making it to the hospital for treatment.

    A post on www.themotorreport.com.au explains more about the initiative:

    According to AAMI research, 54 percent young drivers in NSW admit to exceeding the speed limit by 10km/h or more “some of the time”; while 13 percent admit to exceeding the speed limit “at least half the time”.

    More than half admitted to sending or reading text messages while driving and 31 percent had used a phone or tablet to read emails while on the move. An alarming 90 percent said they had updated their Facebook status while driving.

    And it’s not just mobile phones and speeding that are concerning the insurer: 10 percent of young drivers admit to having driven with too many passengers in the car while 11 percent admitted to ‘making out’ while driving.

    Source: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/57384/aami-and-royal-north-shore-hospital-launch-party-road-safety-campaign

    The post also explains that students will be given time to spend with the staff from various departments in the hospital from the emergency ward, intensive care, burns unit, spinal, neurological and rehabilitation wards because these are the wards that deal with victims of road crashes and other alcohol induced mishaps.

    According to a doctor at the hospital, by exposing young people to the consequences of drink driving, it is hoped their perceptions will change and will hopefully result in more responsible behaviour.

    The post goes on to explain:

    Head of Trauma at RNSH, Dr Tony Joseph, said the students will spend time with staff from the emergency, intensive care, burns, spinal, neurosurgical and rehabilitation wards who deal with the impact of trauma on young lives.

    “By exposing them to the traumatic consequences of risk-related behaviour, we hope to change their perceptions and have a positive impact on the choices they make in the future,” Dr Joseph said.

    Source: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/57384/aami-and-royal-north-shore-hospital-launch-party-road-safety-campaign

    A similar program was carried out at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and of the students who participated, 70 per cent expressed the positive impact that the program had had on them, hopefully the NSW program will be equally successful.

     

     

  • Policewoman Caught Over the Alcohol Limit: Why Alcohol and Driving Should Never Mix

    No matter what your vocation, drink driving is unacceptable and illegal as one Queensland policewoman has discovered. No one is above the law, even those tasked with enforcing it.

    A Queensland police woman recently crashed her car and as is mandatory, was issued a breathalyser which tested positive for alcohol. Not only was she drink driving she was also well over the legal limit when the crash occurred.

    The 38 year old woman was involved in a crash while recording a reading of 0.198, hers was the only vehicle involved in the accident, a testament to her intoxication.

    In addition to appearing before the Petrie Magistrates Court, the officer may also face internal disciplinary action. The following excerpt was taken from an article on Yahoo News about the incident:

    A Queensland policewoman has tested positive for drink driving after crashing her car.

    The sergeant from the State Crime Command has been given a notice to appear for drink driving while off duty in a private vehicle.

    The 38-year-old recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.198 per cent after she was involved in a single-vehicle crash at Murrumba Downs, north of Brisbane on Monday.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/19195082/qld-policewoman-above-the-alcohol-limit/

    It seems across all states drink driving is a huge problem but there is another issue which may actually be surpassing that of drink-driving, that is drug driving.  According to another post on Smh.com.au, more drivers in NSW tested positive for driving under the influence of drugs than alcohol during a police blitz recently.

    Over a weekend blitz in NSW, which involved 3 separate traffic operations, 5 times more random tests were issued for alcohol than drugs but there were still more people caught for drug driving than driving under the influence of alcohol.

    The following excerpt taken from the Smh.com.au post explains,

    The operations, at Cabramatta in Sydney’s south-west as well as Lake Illawarra and Shoalhaven both south of Sydney, detected 14 drivers allegedly under the influence of drugs out of the 735 tested.

    At the same time eight drivers were allegedly over the legal blood alcohol limit from the 3824 tested.

    “This is a concern that more people are taking the risk of being under the influence of an illicit drug before getting behind the wheel,” Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said.

    “However the weekends operations were just a small sample of drivers.”

    Eight drivers were detected allegedly under the influence of drugs out of the 202 tested by police at Lake Illawarra, four at Cabramatta and two in the Shoalhaven.

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/drug-offences-overtake-alcohol-for-weekend-drivers-20130930-2unpd.html#ixzz2gbLxmF6z

    In Lake Illawarra and Cabramatta only 4 people were caught for drink-driving and in Shoalhaven no one tested positive for alcohol despite the fact that 1454 breathalyser tests were issued. Although the improvement in drink driving is good, the number of people seemingly replacing alcohol consumption with drugs is extremely alarming.

    Motorists have been warned that police will continue to be on the lookout for both drink and drug driving perpetrators.

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol News: Parramatta Alcohol Violence gets Out of Hand

    While many parts of the country are experiencing progress in the fight against alcohol fuelled violence, there are some areas where alcohol fuelled violence is still alarmingly high. In fact in some areas the levels of alcohol fuelled violence are on the increase. Parramatta and its CBD in particular are one such area.

    Police have expressed major concerns over alcohol fuelled violence and other anti-social behaviour in Parramatta’s CBD especially over the weekend.

    Last weekend was no different with police from the Parramatta Local Area Command and the Alcohol and Licensing Enforcement Command (ALEC) removed 2 intoxicated men from a bar in Parramatta’s Church Street. The 2 men became argumentative and aggressive when approached by the police.

    The police officers managed to remove the 2 troublemakers from the bar but a large crowd joined in and became aggressive towards police and tried to intervene in the arrests. Because of this behaviour, officers had to be brought in from the Public Order and Riot Squad to assist in dispersing the crowd.

    Read what happened according to a post by www.ParramattaSun.com.au

    Police will allege during a number of inspections of the bar they located two men in seriously intoxicated states.

    One man refused medical treatment while another was allegedly so intoxicated he had to be taken to Westmead Hospital for treatment.

    A third man was allegedly found in the car park of the premises in a drunken state and also had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

    A number of people were charged or infringed for alcohol-related offences.

    This included three men who were charged with failing to quit licensed premises.

    Another man was issued a court attendance notice for assault police, resist arrest and offensive conduct while three people were issued criminal infringement notices for offensive language and re-entering the premises after they were excluded.

    Source: http://www.parramattasun.com.au/story/1781531/alcohol-fuels-trouble-in-parramatta/?cs=12

    According to Acting Parramatta commander, Superintendent Karen Webb the police need pubs and clubs to work with them in the responsible service of alcohol to reduce alcohol fuelled incidents such as assaults caused by excessive and irresponsible drinking.

    All employees, management and owners of licenced venues need to ensure that they are properly trained on Responsible Service of Alcohol measures and are enforcing RSA rules when they supply alcohol to customers – it is vital to overcoming alcohol fuelled misconduct.

    The police have vowed to continue to conduct patrols of licensed premises to ensure the safety of patrons. The article goes on to explain:

    “Every weekend police are out on patrol to ensure the safety of the community but we can only do so much,” she said.

    “More often than not, those who drink to excess find themselves making poor choices, passing out in the street or leaving themselves vulnerable.

    “It is sad people feel the need to get blind drunk to have a good time and it is about time people took responsibility for their actions.”

    Superintendent Webb assured the community and local businesses that police were committed to reducing alcohol-related crime in Parramatta.

    Source: http://www.parramattasun.com.au/story/1781531/alcohol-fuels-trouble-in-parramatta/?cs=12

     

  • Could Alcoholism be linked to Genetics

    Alcoholism, what causes it and how it can be better treated is a subject that has long fascinated scientists. Now a group of scientists in the UK may have found the cause of alcoholism or at least the reason why some people tend to gravitate so strongly towards alcohol while others don’t.

    The research which was conducted on mice showed that a mutated gene could be causing certain people to drink more than others.

    According to researchers the gene that regulates alcohol consumption Gabrb1 can sometimes become damaged and this causes excessive drinking in mice and possibly in humans too.

    The lead researcher on the project had this to say about the findings:

    Professor Howard Thomas, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said: “We know from previous human studies that the GABA system is involved in controlling alcohol intake. Our studies in mice show that a particular subunit of GABAA receptor has a significant effect and, most importantly, the existence of these mice has allowed our collaborative group to investigate the mechanism involved. This is important when we come to try to modify this process first in mice and then in man.”

    Source: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_26-11-2013-15-15-35

    The Gabrb1 gene, according to researchers changes alcohol preference so strongly that mice carrying either of two mutations in this gene preferred drinking a 10 per cent alcohol solution rather than water.

    Another UK professor explained why the research and its findings are so significant to society and to the treatment of alcoholism:

    Professor Hugh Perry, Chair of the MRC’s Neurosciences and Mental Health Board, said: “Alcohol addiction places a huge burden on the individual, their family and wider society. There’s still a great deal we don’t understand about how and why consumption progresses into addiction, but the results of this long-running project suggest that, in some individuals, there may be a genetic component. If further research confirms that a similar mechanism is present in humans, it could help us to identify those most at risk of developing an addiction and ensure they receive the most effective treatment.”

    Source: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_26-11-2013-15-15-35

    Basically the study found that normal mice generally will choose to drink little or no alcohol when given a choice between alcohol and water. But mice with a mutation in the Gabrb1 gene preferred drinking alcohol over water, choosing to drink 85 per cent of their daily fluid intake as alcohol and even were willing to work to obtain alcohol, for example pushing a lever to get to the alcohol. This behaviour sounds surprisingly similar to that of people with severe alcohol addictions.

    According to one researcher involved in the study, Dr Quentin Anstee, Consultant Hepatologist at Newcastle University and joint lead author, it is quite amazing to consider that a small change in the code for just one gene can have such a profound effect on such complex behavioural patterns such as alcohol consumption.

    The researchers explained that this study is valuable in that it provides somewhat of a guide to develop better treatments for alcoholism in the future.

     

  • Alcohol, can we get the buzz without the side effects?

    It’s a question we often ask ourselves, how can we drink and enjoy ourselves without the horrible after effects associated with a hangover?

    Well soon this may become a reality. “So called “healthy” alcohol may be just a few years away according to a British Professor.

    The professor says that we should have a drink that provides all the positive effects of alcohol but none of the negatives in the next 2 years or so, if someone is willing to fund his research.

    Professor David Nutt, a drugs expert believes that healthy alcohol is the future of alcohol but to continue his research he needs a financial backer.

    An article on News.com.au provided some background on the Professor,

    Professor David Nutt, who once said taking ecstasy was no more dangerous than riding a horse, wants to create a drink that gives people the sensation of intoxication without hangovers, long-term health problems, or addiction.

    The professor, who in 2009 was fired as the UK Government’s chief drugs adviser, claims to have identified compounds which provide the pleasurable feelings of alcohol but don’t lead to aggression and addiction.

    He sees them being added to a range of flavoured cocktails sold in bars alongside normal alcohol.

    He also claims to have an “antidote” to the chemicals to instantly sober you up.

    “You have the pleasure of being inebriated, take another drug, then sober up and drive home,” Professor Nutt claims.

    Source: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/healthy-alcohol-the-wonderdrink-that-is-hangover-proof/story-fneuzlbd-1226758133989

    Professor Nutt has discussed this “antidote” before. He first flagged the concept in 2006 after scientists created drugs to mimic the effect of being drunk.

    In 2009 the professor revealed that he had begun working on “healthy alcohol”, claiming it would help combat Britain’s binge drinking epidemic.

    The Professor promises that his research had developed alcohol which did not cause a hangover or any adverse effect on the liver and even claims to have trialled the method on himself.

    Prof Nutt says that when testing the antidote on himself, he was in a state of intoxication and five minutes after was sober and giving a lecture.

    The professor is now appealing for funding and investment into his research which in his words would help solve a very serious problem.

    Prof Nutt says that his “healthy alcohol” mimicks real alcohol by targeting the brains “gaba” neurotransmitter, so you get the benefits without the down side.

    The Professor went on to explain:

    “The other great advantage of this scientific approach to intoxication is that if we target compounds that affect the Gaba system, then it is possible to produce other drugs that could be sold alongside the alcohol substitute as an antidote,” he wrote in the Guardian.

    “The challenge is to prepare the new drink in a fashion that makes it as tasty and appealing. This is likely to be in the form of a cocktail, so I foresee plenty of different flavours. “

    Source: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/healthy-alcohol-the-wonderdrink-that-is-hangover-proof/story-fneuzlbd-1226758133989

    The professor expects that his healthy alcohol will be ready to hit the market within the next 2 years, until then we will have to settle for drinking in moderation and being responsible drinkers.

     

  • Push To Tackle Alcohol-Related Violence in Sydney

    According to an article on Abc.net.au Sydney’s late night emergency services personnel have urged authorities to close all pubs and clubs in the state at 3am.

    According to the NSW Police Association president, all current methods of tackling alcohol fuelled violence have failed if the number of emergency call outs and people being arrested are anything to go by. According to the police, it is obvious that Sydney needs stricter rules governing late codes.

    This is what they are suggesting according to the article on Abc.net.au:

    The President of the New South Wales Police Association says it’s time to admit policies to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence have failed.

    Mr Weber says Sydney needs harsher restrictions.

    “We need to reduce trading hours back to 3am, put restrictions in regard to the sale of shots and heavy liquor and also make sure there is lock-outs at 1am,” he said.

    Nurses and health workers have joined the campaign calling for Sydney to follow the example of cities like Newcastle.

    Mr Weber says there’s a 1am lockout and restrictions on the sale of shots in Newcastle and similar rules should be imposed across Sydney.

    “We’ve seen a model up in Newcastle where there’s been a 37 percent reduction in regards to alcohol-related violence.

    “That is across the board. At licensed premises, out on the street and even domestic violence. A 37 percent reduction.

    “If we were talking about a road toll or cancer, it’d be implemented straight away,” he said.

    Read more at:

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-12/a-push-for-tougher-rules-to-tackle-alcohol-related-violence/4684216

    Although the NSW government has no current plans to implement heavier restrictions across Sydney’s venues, the Hospitality Minister George Souris says the so-called “Newcastle model” works because it covers a smaller area.

    Especially on the weekends police, ambulance and hospital staff find themselves scrambling to keep up with call outs and emergencies related to alcohol fuelled violence and misconduct, taking time away from other patients with natural diseases and illnesses.

    It is obvious that in NSW Responsible Service of alcohol is not being practiced as strictly as it should be. Anyone serving or selling alcohol has a responsibility to the community to enforce RSA rules when going about their job, to avoid the emergencies that we are seeing each and every weekend across the state.

    If the emergency services staff get their way and venues are forced to close at 3am, staff of licenced venues will suffer a financial knock because their hours of work may be affected which would resulted in fewer tips and less shifts. In order to avoid this staff of licenced venues should ensure that they enforce the RSA rules which they have been trained to do, including not serving alcohol to minors and never serving an unduly intoxicated patron.

    This can be difficult because while most intoxicated patrons show physical signs of being drunk, they may get someone else to purchase the alcohol on their behalf. Never the less look out for the signs – their eyes may become red and blood shot, their speech slurred or may even display signs of forgetfulness. Talking slowly or moving slowly is also a sign.  They also commonly show a lack of coordination, instability resulting in stumbling, swaying, falling down, dropping glasses etc.

    The person may stink of alcohol and sweat more than usual. Observe the early signs and avoid many of the consequences of over intoxication for the customer, yourself, your establishment and society in general.

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol News: Drunken Women Assaults Police Officer

    An example of the effects of alcohol on some people has been demonstrated by an incident which happened on The Fraser Coast recently.

    A young woman, after taking a cocktail of alcohol and prescription medication became involved in a drunken brawl in a car parking lot in Pialba. The women then proceeded to assault one of the police officers intervening in the fight and had to be arrested.

    According to police who attempted to break up the fight the young woman continued to scream and cause a disturbance after police had broken up the fight. Police then decided to arrest the young woman who resisted, even kicking one officer in the leg. She refused to provide police with her personal details, showing defiance even after being arrested.

    Read what happened according to this post from www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au

    A YOUNG woman who kicked a police officer after a drunken brawl in the McDonald’s Restaurant car park in Pialba has avoided a conviction after pleading guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court.

    Tara Kate Godfrey, 24, had committed the offence after she had mixed prescription medication and alcohol on February 17, the court heard.

    Police prosecutor Senior Constable Jeanette Grigoris said officers were called to attend a fight between a group of people in the carpark.

    They were speaking with a man after breaking up the fight and at that point, Godfrey created another disturbance, screaming abuse at some of the other girls in the car park.

    “I’m going to smash you, you f***ing sluts, f***ing c***s!” Godfrey shouted.

    Her abuse lead to her being arrested and charged with being a public nuisance, Snr Const Grigoris said.

    Godfrey tried to resist arrest, and kicked one of the police officers in the leg.

    She later failed to provide her identifying particulars to the police, the court heard.

    Source: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/young-woman-finds-medication-alcohol-and-police-do/1872783/

    According to the lawyer representing Ms Godfrey, she was a troubled youth battling with depression and anxiety who had simply over medicated herself by mixing alcohol and medication.

    The lawyer explained that she acted out of the ordinary because of her self-medication. This highlights even further the dangers of mixing alcohol with prescription or illicit drugs which can result in people acting in ways they wouldn’t ordinarily especially displaying increased levels of aggression. In her sober state Godfrey was apologetic for her actions and had to pay a $800 fine but managed to escape a criminal conviction.

    The post went on to explain:

    Duty lawyer John Milburn provided material from Fraser Coast Medical Centre, detailing Godfrey’s struggles with depression and anxiety.

    Mr Milburn said Godfrey had been “over medicated” at the time and when this mixed with alcohol the resulting behaviour was out of character.

    Godfrey apologised to the court and police for the way she acted.

    Magistrate Graeme Tatnell accepted this, and warned Godfrey about the dangers of mixing alcohol with medication.

    He said this would be her last chance to avoid having a conviction recorded for this sort of offence.

    Godfrey was fined $800.

    Read more: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/young-woman-finds-medication-alcohol-and-police-do/1872783/

     

  • Alcohol Servers, Be Prepared for Christmas Rush

    Be Prepared for Christmas Rush

     

    Christmas is around the corner and according to marketing research liquor buying will increase by about 10 per cent this year. This growth can be attributed to Australians growing thirst for premium drinking options. In fact after online sales, liquor sales are expected to top the growth charts this year, according to marketing research company,IBISWorld.

     

    Although liquor sales are always good at this time of the year, the growing popularity of premium liquor brands signals an above average increase this year according to researchers. Aussies preferences in premium wines, cocktails, craft beers and cider are strongly influencing revenue growth in the industry.

     

    Over the next year it has been forecasted that Australians will spend about $33 billion on alcohol and most of that will be in the form of premium drinks rather than traditional beer. And over the next 5 years $39.9 billion in alcohol spending is expected regardless of the increase in alcohol costs.

     

    So for alcohol industry stakeholders the focus should be on cocktail and other premium alcoholic drinks which should in turn correspond with an increase in alcohol revenue.

     

    The researchers also found that over the next year around $15.9 billion of the expected $33.1 billion revenue is to be spent in bar and pubs, good news for licenced venue owners. Liquor retailers can look forward to a $17.2 billion rise in alcohol income, for this reason the entire industry can expect growth and good festive season profits.

     

  • Hidden Camera Reveals Underage Drinking

    I recently found an interesting story that parallels the situation we are currently faced with in O, regarding underage drinking. A hidden camera investigation was carried out in a Canadian restaurant which revealed that underage drinking is a problem in that country as well. Australia is not the only country battling to come to a solution to the woes that result from teenage drinking and more specifically the serving of alcohol to minors.

     

    The hidden cameras revealed that a number of establishments are selling alcohol to minors and perhaps a similar approach can be implemented in problem areas in Oz to root out the guilty parties.

     

    This post on Cbc.ca explains in more detail

     

    In the investigation, a group composed of three 18-year-olds and one 17-year-old was sent to four establishments. The CBC asked the three males and one female to order alcohol, but not to drink it if they were served. Provincial laws prohibit anyone under 19 years old from being served or sold liquor.

     

    All four teens went together to Ebisu restaurant on Robson Street in Vancouver where they ordered a pitcher of beer and were served within minutes of sitting down.

     

    The same night, the Keg Steakhouse & Bar on Still Creek Avenue in Burnaby served red wine to two of the 18-year-olds, who went in as a couple. Another Keg waitress served beer to the two other teens who were sitting in the bar area.All four left their drinks untouched and later left.

     

    Outside the restaurant afterwards, the teens offered their own theories about why they were served.

     

    “It was just really casual,” said Jack Hu, 17. “I guess [the server] just thought we were older.”

     

    Aidan Ponton, 18, said he suspected the waitress sympathized with them.

     

    “I guess she just saw us, just some younger kids and she knew what it was like, she’d been in that position before and she didn’t hesitate,” Ponton said.

     

    These four teens checked out four restaurants in a CBC investigation. (CBC)

     

    Ben Roberts, 18, saw a monetary motive.”They are making money off of it, a lot of money and I don’t think that’s their main priority to obey the law.”

     

    “[If] your employer’s not forcing you to ID then you’re not going to,” said 18-year-old Katherine Gillard.

     

    When later confronted with the results of the CBC News investigation, the management at Ebisu said they were shocked and embarrassed and promised to be more vigilant in checking identification.

     

    A Keg spokesperson admitted its servers did not follow procedures and the restaurant chain will now redouble its training.

     

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/11/15/bc-hidden-camera-underage-drinking.html

     

    In Canada similar to Oz, there are hefty fines for selling alcohol to minors which doesn’t seem to be enough of a deterrent to sellers. In Canada the penalty for a first offence ranges from $7,500 to $10,000 (Canadian) or a 10-to-15- day licence suspension. Licensees can either accept the penalty or request an enforcement hearing.

     

    The incident in Canada has resulted in the restaurant assuring that it will increase the training of its staff. However in Australian responsible service of alcohol training is mandatory for every person serving or selling alcohol.

     

    One of the biggest benefits of RSA training is that it teaches you to serve alcohol in a manner that maintains the good reputation of the establishment. Ensuring that you do not suffer the consequences that come from serving alcohol to unduly intoxicated patrons or minors means that you will enjoy a pleasant working environment and be confident that each time you go to work you will be safe rather than being exposed to alcohol fuelled violence.