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  • Risks Involved with Drink Driving

    One of the aspects of responsible drinking is ensuring that you arrange safe transport home and do not engage in drink driving.

    Although most people think they can handle driving after a few drinks, countless studies (and statistics) have proven that alcohol reduces a person’s ability to drive safely. Even those who show few visible signs of alcohol in their system do not drive as well as usual after drinking. This is because alcohol affects most areas of the brain, and these effects are wide-ranging and impossible to compensate for. The brain being responsible for your movements and reflexes, it becomes difficult to engage in complex tasks once it has been affected by alcohol.

    It is also because alcohol is a depressant which means it has the following effects:

    • Slowing brain function making it difficult to respond to situations, make decisions or react quickly.
    • Reduces a person’s ability to judge how fast they are travelling or the distance from other cars.
    • It gives a person false confidence. People take greater risks because they think their driving is better than it really is.
    • Makes multi-tasking difficult. When it comes to driving, while you concentrate on steering, you could miss seeing traffic lights, cars entering from side streets or pedestrians.
    • Affects the sense of balance which is especially important for motorcycle riders.
    • Causes sleepiness.

    From these effects it becomes obvious that operating any machinery or vehicles once intoxicated is not only irresponsible but selfish because you could do more harm to others than you do to yourself. It is not only car or truck drivers that can injure or kill people and damage property as an incident in Brisbane recently proved. An elderly man was charged with operating his motorised wheelchair while intoxicated. The man was without any remorse although being found to be 4 times over the legal limit. It seems the man’s motorised wheelchair overturned probably due to speeding or reckless driving.

    Read what this post on Brisbanetimes.com.au reported on the incident:

    Ray Vivian Hodges, of Buderim on the Sunshine Coast, recorded the alcohol reading after police found him sprawled on the ground, shirtless and mumbling incoherently, beside his overturned scooter at Mooloolaba in late March.

    With the aid of a walking stick, Mr Hodges has faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court for what was his fourth drink-driving charge since 2008.

    Mr Hodges who admitted consuming 10 large glasses of wine, recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.209.

    He had “taken offence” at some police allegations particularly the categorisation of his scooter as a vehicle, saying “on this occasion, the wheelchair was my legs [and] as my legs, it was the only way I could get home”.

    Mr Hodges was disqualified from driving for 18 months and sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for two years.

    Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/elderly-man-nabbed-drink-driving-on-motorised-wheelchair-20130416-2hx8b.html#ixzz2QhgXkVBE

    The magistrate said that in light of the recent death of a scooter rider, Kim Horrigan, who was hit by a van at Currimundi, people like Mr Hodges need to be stopped before they kill themselves or someone else.

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol News: Huge Cost of Alcohol Harm

    We often consider the emotional and physical costs of alcohol abuse on the community and individuals in particular when discussing alcohol harm but we seldom consider the huge financial cost alcohol related harm has on the Australian society.

    A recent article on www.caboolturenews.com.au discusses a study which estimates alcohol related harm at more than $14 billion in 2012, which was double the amount of revenue collected in tax and excise.

    The study by researchers at Griffith University undertook the study on behalf of the Australian Institute of Criminology. This huge financial cost of alcohol related harm was the key finding of the report.

    The authors of the study have suggested a substantial amount of the government’s revenue generated from alcohol taxes should go towards diversion and prevention strategies to tackle the issue head-on and at the root rather than having to deal with the consequences.

    Read more about the study below with an excerpt from the post on www.Caboolturenews.com.au :

    The Commonwealth raised $7 billion in total tax revenue in 2010 from alcohol products through excise and GST revenue.

    Matthew Manning, a co-author of The Societal Costs Of Alcohol Misuse In Australia, said the paper built on a series of costings carried out over the past decade by David Collins and Helen Lapsley and showed the extent of damage that alcohol caused to the economy.

    Of the $14.352 billion estimate, $6.046 billion involved costs to Australian productivity, $3.662 billion were costs associated with traffic accidents, $2.9 billion comprised costs to the criminal justice system and $1.686 billion represented costs to the health system.

    Dr Manning made the point the total did not incorporate the negative impacts on others – estimated at more than $6 billion – associated with someone else’s drinking.

    Productivity losses, which accounted for almost half of the total cost, were calculated as the sum of reduced workforce and household labour due to premature death, reduced household labour due to sickness and reduced workforce participation due to absenteeism.

    The criminal justice system costs were made up of police (38% of total), child protection and support services (8%), prisons (21%), plus insurance administration (1%), to courts (3%) and other organisations such as detox, counselling and victims services, associated with addressing violence (29%).

    Source:http://www.caboolturenews.com.au/news/alcohol-harm-cost-us-more-twice-tax-revenue-raised/1817693/

    Servers of alcohol should never underestimate the role they play in keeping this high financial cost to the country down. Employees of the hospitality industry that are involved with the sale of alcohol must ensure that they do not contribute to the alcohol fuelled problems and therefore cost to the economy.

    As an RSA worker, you must constantly ask yourself whether or not you have done all you can reduce the numbers of alcohol fuelled incidents and minimise the huge financial impact on the community and Australian society in general. Have you fulfilled your duties by, not serving minors, not serving intoxicated patrons, recognizing the signs of intoxication and acting accordingly?

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: Is Mixing Alcohol and Energy Drinks a Problem?

    There has been a lot of talk in the media recently about the dangers of mixing alcohol and energy drinks but is there any truth or even proof to these allegations?

    Energy drinks have taken off on the market since 1997 and now we can find them everywhere from supermarkets to petrol stations. It is estimated that the market for energy drinks is around $9 billion American dollars each year (around $8.6 billion Australian dollars).

    One of the risks associated with energy drinks especially for alcohol drinkers is that energy drinks contain an exceptionally large amount of caffeine. For this reason drinkers can stay awake longer and continue drinking even well beyond legal and safe limits, thereafter they begin to jeopardise their health and the present a risk to others if they become violent.

    A standard cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine, a cup of tea 50 milligrams and a can of cola 35-55 milligrams. Energy drinks usually have more. A single serving of an energy drink can have anywhere from 50 to 500 milligrams of caffeine and the addition of Guarana (a South American plant extract that contains additional caffeine) ups the caffeine dose even more.

    Caffeine is a stimulant and massive caffeine overdoses can cause reduced blood flow to the heart and abnormal heart rhythms, whereas alcohol is a relaxant and is meant to do the opposite of what caffeine does, this is dangerous for the body.

    Also most energy drinks also contain sugar which the body uses to fuel work but can also mean extra calories which if not used will be stored and result in weight gain.

    Every drink alcoholic or not, energy drinks or just sodas should be consumed in moderation. Anything consumed in excess is bad for human health and normally results in complications. The same goes for alcohol, it can be an excellent relaxer but consumed in excess it can present a very real danger to health and safety and when combined with energy drinks the consequences can be even worse.

     

  • Mixing Up your Cocktail Menu – How to make a Victorian Martini

    Cocktails are a favourite of many drinkers and bartenders around the world, but where exactly did this idea come from, after all drinks are perfectly delicious on their own, why the need to combine a number of drinks in order to make a new concoction, known as a cocktail?

    Well the modern cocktail is thought to have developed from earlier versions of Toddies, Fizzies and Juleps. There is no definite story around the history of the cocktail but it is thought to date back to the 1800s and there are number of stories (some quite far-fetched) about how people first decided to mix drinks. The modern version spread due to popularity in the United States but it probably first started in London.

    (Read this story that claims cocktails developed in London http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ultratravel/9741140/The-surprising-history-of-the-cocktail.html)

    Wherever its origins we can all be thankfully that it spread because while we can appreciate a good shot of whisky or bourbon neat, there are some settings where nothing can replace a cocktail (like lying on a beach in The Carribean).

    And since cocktails most probably were born out of a need for something new and exciting, it makes sense that we are inventing new and exciting cocktails everyday. Just like fashions, trends in cocktails change with each season, so whether you’re inventing your own or copying some international trend, have fun playing around with different ingredients and mixtures.

    Here is a simple and delicious recipe you can try.

    http://youtu.be/7yJpVFzSteU

     

  • Alcohol Crime Takes Too Much of Police Time

    According to Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione alcohol fuelled crimes are up and are taking a huge amount of the police’s time and resources. The Commissioner says the police are spending around 70 per cent of their human resources on alcohol related crime in NSW, an issue that will feature high on the agenda at the 6th Australian Drug and Alcohol Strategy Conference which will begin on Wednesday.

    The conference will aim to tackle issues in Australia relating to alcohol abuse. The Commissioner who kickstarted the conference told the press that police spent most of their time dealing with offenders, victims and motorists in incidents induced by alcohol.

    It is interesting that Mr Scipione said the number of young people binge drinking was lower but those who were still binge drinking were consuming even larger amounts of alcohol. The Commissioner has urged parents and fathers in particular to educate their kids about the dangers of binge drinking and how to drink moderately and responsibly before they even reach their teen years.

    Read what this post from News.com.au says about the Commissioner’s complaints:

    ALCOHOL-RELATED crime takes up 70 per cent of all police work in NSW, Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says.

    The 6th Australian Drug and Alcohol Strategy Conference kicked off on Wednesday in Sydney with top police brass and academics to deliver presentations and share ideas over the next three days.

    After opening the conference, Mr Scipione told reporters that police on the streets spent the majority of their time dealing with offenders, victims and motorists in incidents that involved alcohol.

    “The reality is about 70 per cent of police time on the streets … is in some way connected to the abuse or misuse of alcohol,” he said.

    “Alcohol is the number one issue on the agenda for police commissioners across this nation.”

    Mr Scipione said the number of people under the age of 25 who were binge drinking was in decline but those who engaged in heavy drinking were consuming larger amounts of alcohol.

    He stressed that parents, especially fathers, should educate their children about alcohol before they became teenagers.

    Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/alcohol-related-crime-takes-up-cops-time/story-e6frfku9-1226601388764#ixzz2O3ck3mjv

    An interesting issue highlighted by the Police Commissioner is the role of parents in educating young people about alcohol before they are old enough to make mistakes involving alcohol. Some of the worst case scenarios that can result from teen drinking is binge drinking, drink driving and unsafe sex which is why abstinence is best for teenagers.

    Particularly in Australia alcohol is tolerated as socially acceptable but it should be remembered that it is still a drug.  It should be noted that alcohol is responsible for most drug-related deaths in the teenage population in Oz and many other countries around the world.

    Additionally alcohol can be associated with a variety of serious health risks which for a teenagers developing body can be detrimental.  It’s difficult to prevent teenagers from experimenting with alcohol, but parents can encourage sensible drinking habits.

     

  • Alcohol Advertising Targeting Children According to Study

    The damage that alcohol can do young people is a topic that is particularly relevant to workers in the RSA industry because they play such an important role in making sure minors don’t get their hands on alcohol.

    Anyone whose work involves selling or serving alcohol to the public, need to consider the negative effects of alcohol on teenagers and the legal consequences of serving minors. Anyone in a position to serve alcohol to underage minors needs to be aware of the consequences of their actions, which can be detrimental to young person because it may instil in them a drinking problem later in life.

    Studies have already proven that the younger a person starts drinking, the more likely they are to binge drink at a later stage in life. Now a new study in the UK has confirmed what many have suspected even here in Oz, that children are more exposed to alcohol advertising than their parents.

    Although the study was arranged by the European Commission and surveyed children in the UK, similarities can be drawn to Oz. Even here alcohol advertising has been criticised as targeting children with its themes and timeslots, especially during big sporting events.

    Another interesting finding by the report was that social media advertising of alcohol is on the rise which may have a greater impact on young people as they are the ones who predominantly use social media.

    According to the New Zealand based Alcohol Action group alcohol advertising encourages young people to start drinking and for those that are already alcohol consumers, marketing encourages them to drink more. The group are afraid that these advertising and marketing messages are saying to youth that alcohol is the way to happiness and success.

    Read about the study below, the post was taken from Tvnz.co.nz:

    Youths are more exposed to alcohol advertisements than their parents, according to a new study.

    A new study for the European Commission found that children in the UK are more exposed to alcohol marketing than adults are, with 10 to 15-year-olds seeing 10% more alcohol advertising on television than their parents do, and 50% more ads for pre-mixed drinks.

    The report also warned of the expansion of alcohol marketing on social media like Twitter and Facebook, which many young people use.

    Alcohol Action New Zealand says alcohol marketing increases the likelihood that teenagers will start drinking and encourages those who already drink to consume more.

    It said in a statement that alcohol advertising helps to maintain the country’s “damaging drinking culture through influencing the population, especially the next generation, to believe that drinking alcohol is the path to happiness and success”.

    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/kids-see-more-alcohol-marketing-than-adults-study-5360443

    The consequences of underage drinking go beyond the physical impact that alcohol has on the developing body of a teen, but it also affects the choices they make, which often can impact their entire lives.

    The Responsible Service of Alcohol regulations dictate that any person who looks young must be asked for their ID by alcohol servers, especially people who appear under the age of 25. Serving alcohol to minors can result in a fine for the server, the venue and even the young person, so be sure that you aren’t contributing to the problem by asking young people for an ID and ensuring that they are over the legal drinking age.

     

  • Palm Islanders Launch 580 Separate Appeals in Court against AMPs

    The state government is currently in the midst of reviewing its alcohol management plan (AMP) that will address “sly-grogging” matters as the  AMPsare challenged in the High Court. But Palm islanders are trying beat charges of “sly-grogging” according to an article on TheAustralian.com.au and feel that the alcohol management plans are discriminatory towards them. They have subsequently lodged 580 separate appeals in court in an attempt to avoid fines and jail time.

    The High Court will soon deliver its decision about a case brought to court and argued by Joan Monica Maloney that Alcohol management plans are discriminatory. Should the court rule in Maloney’s favour and find that AMPs are discriminatory in terms of the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act, the police may be liable to pay thousands in compensation for all the alcohol they’ve seized as part of the AMPs.

    The police however have called upon the government to maintain the AMPs which it believes are keeping violence and sexual assault somewhat at bay, especially against women and children. The police say if the court rules in Maloney’s favour, the number of women and children abused as result of alcohol will “skyrocket”.

    According to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service solicitor quoted in the article, the prohibitions contained in the AMPs would just drive the problems to continue underground. While those that lodged the appeals are not arguing that all AMPs were wrong but that the plans legislated were not discussed with the community.

    Read what he and others had to say about the issue from the post on TheAustralian.com.au:

    “There is a huge amount of organised sly-grogging happening on Palm Island. Just about any type of liquor can easily be bought from the sly-groggers,” he told The Courier-Mail.

    “As an example, one can only buy one six-pack of XXXX Gold beer at a time from the only hotel on Palm Island at a cost of $30 … $120 a carton.

    “Sly-groggers will deliver a carton to your door, chilled, for $110 a carton. Compare this with $37.99 a carton and $12.49 a six-pack in Townsville. Sly-groggers therefore have a (huge) profit margin.”

    Only low-strength beer can be legally bought and consumed on Palm Island.

    The office of the Attorney-General, Jarrod Bleijie, confirmed there had been 580 appeals lodged in Townsville District Court relating to charges of sly-grogging..

    “Irrespective of the current High Court challenge it still remains an offence to possess alcohol in a restricted area.

    “Alcohol management plans were introduced as a special measure to reduce violence and increase social cohesion within communities, and that will continue to be the focus of Newman Government programs and services,” Mr Bleijie’s spokesman said.

    Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/binge-on-prohibition-appeals-as-high-court-set-to-deliver-alcohol-management-plan-discrimination-rulling/story-e6frg6n6-1226581452927

    Ian Leavers, the police union president has argued that the people of Palm Island have never enjoyed such safety and anyone who believes that the AMPs are discriminatory are not aware of the just much alcohol has devastated these communities in the past.

     

  • Australians apparently tired of Extreme Alcohol Messages

    According to a post I discovered on TheShout.com, the Australian people are becoming increasingly annoyed at hearing messages about the woes of alcohol which anti-alcohol activists are pushing on people. According to a political commentator people are sick of hearing how excessive alcohol consumption is bad for them.

    This is a problem because when people become tired of hearing the message, they will begin to ignore the message and this will exacerbate the problems associated with binge drinking such as alcohol fuelled brawls.

    Read what the post had to say:

    Australians are sick of being preached to by anti-alcohol activists, argues political commentator Christian Kerr.

     Kerr this week penned a column for The Australian arguing that preventative health is too heavily influenced by ideology rather than hard evidence. He told TheShout that Australians are starting to see through activists’ agendas and he forecasted that the ‘nanny-state’ will become an election issue.

     “Australians don’t like wowsers,” Kerr said. “We are basically a common-sense lot, and don’t like people telling us how to live our lives.

     “If Australians feel as though they are being preached to, they either switch off or rebel.

     “Public health advocates should remember this, or risk a backlash and people ignoring messages.”

     AHA (NSW) CEO Paul Nicolaou added: “These groups won’t be happy until we are all vegetarians living in solar powered huts drinking nothing but water and eating nothing but tofu.”

     “Bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy – the perfect example of interest groups trying to justify their existence.”

    Source: http://www.theshout.com.au/2013/01/23/article/Australians-switching-off-to-wowsers/THGHTJXBUR.html

    Unfortunately the alcohol fuelled problems are not stopping which presents an even bigger problem. If people are no longer willing to listen to the experts and continue to abuse alcohol at their current rate, authorities will be forced to take even further action. Strategies such as sobering centres could become more common and spread across the country. Also police will be forced to take a stronger stance against people drinking in public and the alcohol fuelled violence that has followed it.

    Although the post insists that Aussies are a sensible lot, we cannot generalise. A culture of excessive drinking has been entrenched in our society and it is because of this handful of alcohol abusers that we are inundated with messages of alcohol’s ability to cause harm.

    Of course servers of alcohol, like bartenders, waitrons and liquor store sales people play a crucial role in the fight against this anti-social behaviour. This can be done by limiting the amount of alcohol sold to any one customer and never providing alcohol to unduly intoxicated patrons. Another important consideration is ensuring they do not serve alcohol to anyone under the legal drinking age.

    They should also make every attempt to help people get home safely by encouraging them to call a taxi or take public transport to prevent drink driving and loitering which has been shown to contribute to alcohol fuelled violence in many areas. Even security staff of licenced venues has a role to play in combatting these problematic issues, and must undergo Responsible Service of Alcohol training so that the messages that dominate our media about the dangers of alcohol consumption can soon come to an end.

     

  • RSA Staff: Avoid Prosecution by Asking for IDs

    Pub and Bar staff, in fact any staff of licenced venues need to be aware of the danger of not asking patrons for proof of their age, especially patrons who look under 23.

    While it is often easy to overlook serving a minor when the venue is busy, extra attention must be given to people who look like that may be around their early twenties to make sure no underage patrons slip through the cracks.

    It is important to remember that the Responsible Service of Alcohol legislation dictates that bar staff, security staff etc. – anyone that serves alcohol must ensure that they do not serve minors or face fines of up to $8000.

    Even just allowing underage patrons into licenced premises could cost bar staff $10,000 in fines and the management could receive an even bigger fine.

    It is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to be found in possession of, or drinking alcohol in a public place or to be found entering and remaining in a venue that supplies alcohol. People under the age of 18 are only permitted in a licensed venue under certain circumstances, such as a underage function approved by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, with a responsible adult who is over 18 years, they reside on the premises, are engaged in a training program in hospitality or training for the purposes of employment or work experience or unaccompanied, in a licensed restaurant during ordinary trading hours (7am to 11pm).

    If a person under the age of 18 is found to be breaking any of the laws outlined above, they may also be fined $500.

     

  • Dangers of Over Indulgence

    For most people alcohol represents the opportunity to relax and unwind while others use alcohol to dull their pain and often tend to overindulge. The number of people with alcohol addiction problems seems to be on the rise and problems associated with alcohol abuse also seem to be increasing.

     

    Alcohol intoxication puts people at risk of disease and injury. Alcohol can damage your organs – brain, liver, heart, kidneys, and lungs and make you more likely to act violently and aggressively.  You may break the law, or harm yourself and others. Risky sexual behaviour could lead to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) some life threatening. Alcohol intoxication and poisoning can put you into a coma and cause other dangerous situations.

     

    In cases of extreme intoxication, alcohol poisoning can result. The intoxicated person needs to seek medical care if they experience: sudden difficulty breathing or chest pain, a seizure, extreme sadness and depression to harm yourself or others, hallucinations, inability to stop vomiting.

     

    Once you seek medical care what are the procedures they are likely to follow?

     

    The purpose of responsible service of alcohol is to prevent drinking from reaching this stage of intoxication. However there are instances where people will drink to an extent that their body cannot handle and in this case they need to seek medical care.

     

    Some of the treatments doctors will recommend are medicines, such as sedatives to calm or relax an intoxicated person or anti-nausea medication to calm the stomach and reduce vomiting often associated with intoxication.  Doctors may also recommend glucose to increase blood sugar levels or Vitamin B1 if levels in the body are lowered due to the alcohol intake.

     

    Some intoxicated people may require breathing support. This may be in the form of oxygen or a ventilator. If blood oxygen levels are lower than normal, doctors may prescribe oxygen through a mask.  

     

    A ventilator may be used in extreme cases to convey oxygen and “breath for the person” This is an intrusive method and these people have endangered themselves to a serious extent and should consider rehab or therapy once they are physically better. . An endotracheal (ET) tube is put into your airway through your mouth or nose. Sometimes a tube is put into an incision in the front of your neck. The ET tube is attached to the ventilator.

     

    How to help an Intoxicated Person

     

    Some cases of intoxication may not be as serious and may be treatable at home. In this case a person can be cared for by a family member or friend at home. This should start by removing the person from the source of the alcohol, the bar or party.

     

    Secondly a safe environment should be provided that doesn’t make it easy for the person to injure themselves or other. For example prevent falls, keep away from dangerous machines and objects, prevent the person  from driving vehicles.

     

    Determine from the person if ethanol has been ingested and whether it has been combined with any medication such as illegal drugs or non-ethanol alcohols or even prescription drugs.

     

    Determine if the person can be awakened with a tug on the shoulder.  Also ensure that the person’s condition is not due to an underlying medical cause or injury. Ask the person about other conditions and look for any evidence of a head injury or other trauma.

     

    Remember that there is no medication that can speed up the sobering process. Caffeine and cold showers have a minimal and very temporary effect. Other home remedies that people often concoct may also have a temporary effect but a minimal one.

     

     It is also important to remember that while it is normal to vomit when intoxicated as the body tries to expel what it interprets as “poison” , continuous vomiting for extended periods of time can be dangerous and  indicative of an underlying problem, so medical attention should be sought. To learn more about the alcohol and its effects on drinkers complete our convenient Online RSA course. Visit www.rsaonline.com to learn more or to register.

     

    Posted by Peter Cutforth