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Tag: drink responsibly

  • Poll Reveals Australians Confused about Alcohol Risk

    Source: Pixabay.com

    A recent poll revealed that 9 out of 10 Australians consider themselves “responsible drinkers”, despite a quarter of respondents drinking to get drunk at least once a month.

    The number of drinkers who drink alcohol to get drunk has significantly increased in the last decade, together with alcohol related harm.

    Experts say people are confused about alcohol risk and are unaware of what constitutes risky drinking.

    The poll released by FARE (Foundation fro Alcohol Research and Education) found that only 31 per cent of people could correctly identify the number of standard drinks a person should consume in order to minimise their long term harm.

    Australian guidelines suggest adults drink a maximum of 2 standard drinks a day to avoid lifetime risk of harm and no more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion to reduce the risk of alcohol related injury.

    Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-05-08/alcohol-risk-unclear-binge-drinking-widespread/11088918

  • Brits Drinking at Home are Landing up in Hospital

    According to British newspaper, Mirror.co.uk more than 50 people daily are treated in hospital for alcohol related liver disease in The UK due to drinking at home.

    The alarming figures show that the number of patients in England has risen by 57 per cent over the past 12 years.

    According to the figures 20,751 people suffered the potentially deadly condition in the year to March 31,2017, which is up from 13,201 in the 2004/5 period.

    Data shows that one in three patients were women and more than 200 are under 30 years of age.

    The British Liver Trust has described the problem facing the country as a “liver disease epidemic” as more people are drinking cheap alcohol alone at home.

    See more at https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/stay-home-drinking-crisis-sending-13099755

  • Benefits of Cutting Back on Drinking

    According to a paper released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), an organisation of cancer doctors, minimising the amount you consume can lower your risk of several types of cancer.

    Doctors also warned that people living with cancer remain at risk for other cancers too, so its crucial that they recognise alcohol’s role in cancer.

    Sadly a recent survey of Americans revealed that 70 per cent of them don’t recognise drinking alcohol as a risk factor for cancer.

     

    Find out more https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/37782292/cutting-back-on-alcohol-can-prevent-cancers-experts/

  • Study Finds Most Dangerous Place to Drink is at Home

    According to research out of the University of New England (UNE), the most dangerous place to drink isn’t the pub or bar, it’s at home.

    According to analysis of data from emergency departments spanning a decade, 36 per cent of alcohol related injuries occur at home.

    The street is the second most dangerous to drink, with 13 per cent of alcohol related injuries happening on the street.

    Only 10 per cent of accidents occurred at licensed venues.

    According to experts, this may be due to the fact that people can drink as much as they want at home without any restrictions but at pubs and clubs, alcohol consumption is limited by responsible service of alcohol.

    Read more at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-26/most-dangerous-place-to-drink-alchohol-is-at-home-study-find/7876706

  • WA Parents, beware of Serving alcohol to Minors

    Now more than ever it seems young people in WA are being faced with alcohol related problems stemming from binge drinking. Teenagers are drinking with the intent to get drunk and are starting at an even younger age than ever before. We are living in a society where young people have more freedom than ever before, more money than ever before and more access to alcohol and drugs than ever before which is part of the problem.

    Parents have been identified as one of the key contributors to teenagers drinking behaviour. Children often mimic the behaviour they see in their parents and some parents believe it is better to provide their children and their friends with alcohol rather than have them drinking on the sly.

    But now adults in Western Australia could soon be facing charges for supplying alcohol to minors if a new bill introduced by WA Labour is passed. The bill relates to the supply of alcohol to a minor on unlicensed premises. The law would make it illegal to provide a youth with alcohol without their parent/guardian’s consent. It is different from current law under which it is illegal for young people under 18 years of age to purchase alcohol at licensed premises.

    This post on Bunburymail.com.au explains:

    Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray said this week that the Opposition introduced the Liquor Control Amendment Bill to protect children from consuming alcohol on unlicensed premises, such as private parties.

    The bill, if passed, would make illegal the supply of alcohol to a juvenile on unlicensed premises.

    The law would also force a person to obtain the juvenile’s parent or guardian’s permission to supply liquor to that juvenile on unlicensed premises.

    “Existing laws make it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 years to purchase alcohol at licensed premises,” Mr Murray said.

    “However, no laws currently exist to prevent a person over the age of 18 from supplying alcohol to a juvenile on unlicensed premises, such as at a house party.

    “We need to close the loopholes that give children access to alcohol, often without their parents’ consent.”

    Mr Murray said the Opposition wanted to make people who supplied alcohol to minors accountable for their actions.

    “They will place the onus on parents and guardians to be responsible, to ensure their children and those children in their care, drink responsibly or not at all.”

    Source: http://www.bunburymail.com.au/story/1577483/adults-could-face-charges-for-supplying-alcohol-to-minors/?cs=12

    Experts suggest that parents of teenagers abide by a few rules when it comes to alcohol:

    • Talk with teenagers about the family’s history of alcohol or drug use. There’s a genetic component to alcoholism and teens should know if they’re at greater risk of problems.
    • Give your children one-on-one time with the doctor so that they can learn about the physical effect alcohol may be having on their bodies from a professional rather than just from a “nagging” parent.
    • Set a firm policy: No alcohol, drugs, or tobacco until the legal drinking age of 18.
    • Never host a teenage party with drugs or alcohol. The liability is potentially enormous if one of those kids goes out and kills himself or others and who would want that on their conscience, not to mention the effect that would have on your teen.
    • Show your kids how to use alcohol responsibly by example – you can have a beer or two but don’t get drunk.

     

  • Learn the Legal Drinking Limits

    What is the standard drink?
     

    For regular as well as occasional drinkers it is a good idea to know exactly what the law says about alcohol, including what constitutes a standard drink according to government standards. Drinks limits in Oz are based on these standards, which is why it is important to know what the legal limits are.
     

    The act of counting glasses or containers is not an accurate way of keeping track of your consumption. It is far better and more reliable to know how many standard drinks you consume because alcohol content varies from drink to drink, so pin pointing exactly how much you consume can be problematic unless you know how to measure a standard drink.
     

    The Australian definition of a standard drink is a measurement used to describe the amount of alcohol contained in a drink (in Oz it is 10grams of alcohol).  A standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of the size of the container or type of drink (for example a bottle of cider and can of beer). The number of standard drinks in alcohol beverages is always displayed on the label of the bottle or can according to Australian law,
     

    Part of alcohol servers’ responsibility includes providing patrons with this information if it is requested and the label is not present. Servers should know the alcohol contained in glass, jug or container with no labels that they serve.
     

    The Formula for calculating Standard Drinks is useful for drinkers and servers and is calculated as follows:
     

    Multiply the volume of the container in litres by the alcohol volume and multiply that by 0.789. The specific gravity of ethyl alcohol is 0.789.
     

    Volume of container in litres X  % alcohol by volume (ml/100ml)  X 0.789*
     

    =number of standard drinks
     

    For example 1 bottle (375ml) of full strength beer of 5% alcohol by volume is calculated as follows:
     

    0.375  X  5 X  0.789*
     

    =  1.5
     

    But you may be saying, calculating is easy but keeping track is hard especially when you’re drinking, it can be hard to remember how many drinks you’re consuming. A possible solution for this may be to put the bottle’s cap in your pocket each time you open the drink, this will allow you to keep track of each bottle. Calculate the standard drink in the bottle and then multiply it by the number of caps in your pocket.
     

    It is useful to count drinks, using standard drinks, to ensure that the low risk levels set out in the Australian Alcohol Guidelines are not exceeded. The low risk levels are the number of standard drinks that can be drunk before the threat to a person’s health and social well-being moves up into the ‘risky’ or ‘high risk’ category.
     

    Ideally each person should stick to their limit, because alcohol affects each of us differently, everyone will have their own limits. The measurement of alcohol in a person’s blood is known as Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). This can be used as a guide to determine the effects alcohol may have on a person’s behaviour.
     

    Truthfully more than 2 standard drinks per night isnot recommended but men and women’s tolerance to alcohol differs. The reason why alcohol consumption is important and needs to be monitored is because of the effects that alcohol has on the brain, causing people to behave in ways that they wouldn’t ordinarily and perhaps place their lives in danger or the endanger the lives of others. Surprising to most drinkers, alcohol starts to affect the brain within five minutes of consumption. A person’s Blood alcohol level peaks about 30-45 minutes after one standard drink is consumed and rapid consumption of multiple drinks results in higher BAC because the average body can only break down one standard drink every hour.
     

    Factors such as weight, gender, age, body chemistry, food intake, drinking experience, mental health and physical health all affect how alcohol affects a person and how fast.
     

    Drinking in moderation is really the only way to drink responsibly and can relax a person, while being beneficial to their health as well. But excessive consumption can lead to many negative consequences such as brawls, assaults, car crashes etc. People need to be aware of their limits and servers of alcohol need to know when to refuse alcohol to a patron in order to avoid many of the woes of excessive drinking on society.