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Tag: Teen Drinking

  • Parents Supplying Teens with Alcohol under NSW Laws

    An article on Illawarra Mercury’s website recently discussed the NSW law which allows parents to supply alcohol to their children and supply alcohol to the children’s friends with their parent’s permission.

    Under the current law in the state, parents can provide alcohol to the kids and authorise other adults to give their children alcohol.

    A NSW mother, Fiona Morgan speaks about the importance of weighing the issue, even though she would not give alcohol to her son Adam, her 15 year old son however she did agree with the law in principle.

    She went on to explain in the post on www.Illawarramercury.com.au

    “If it comes through parents and permission is being provided, you know what and how much they’re drinking,” she said.

    “If not, kids will get alcohol elsewhere and it won’t be in a controlled environment, and that’s when it gets dangerous.”

    The NSW Legislative Committee on Social Policy is conducting an inquiry into the appropriateness of laws relating to provision of alcohol to minors, with the hot-button issue being the ability of parents to either directly supply, or allow another adult to supply, their children with alcohol.

    Lance Barrie, research manager at the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Health Initiatives, said the issue of “secondary supply” was one of the biggest problems around minors and alcohol.

    “In NSW, there is no limit on the amount of alcohol that can be supplied,” he said.

    “NSW has better laws than some other states but they could definitely be tightened up.”

    Read more at: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1636606/teen-drinking-should-parents-be-allowed-to-supply-alcohol/?cs=12

    According to the National Health and Medical Research Council it is best that parents delay drinking among their teens for as long as possible for their health and safety, especially because of its effect on their developing brains and nervous system.

    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. Not only are teens at risk of teenage pregnancy, contracting STDs, being involved in drink driving crashes and other violence but they are also damaging their health which could have long term consequences.

    How does this NSW law regarding teenage drinking affect RSA Staff?

    The fact of the matter is that anyone employed in a licenced venue should not be serving alcohol to minors and may be at risk of receiving a fine of up to $11,000 and possible jail time for breaking this law.

    A person must not obtain liquor from licensed premises on behalf of a minor unless the person is the parent or guardian of the minor. Anyone who fails to adhere to this law may receive an $11,000 fine or 12 months imprisonment (or both). They are also at risk of receiving an on-the-spot fine of $1,100.

    Parents, while it’s difficult to prevent teenagers from experimenting with alcohol, you can encourage sensible drinking habits, especially if you are going provide them the alcohol.

     

  • Teen Drinking still High despite Alcopop Tax

    Since the 2009 tax increase on alcopops many expected the number of school kids consuming alcohol to drop but contrary to people’s expectation a study of hospital admissions in the Illawarra’s most popular schoolies destination, The Gold Coast has shown zero reduction in alcohol-related harm.

    According to a team of researchers for the University of Queensland who studied the hospital records from Queensland hospitals, emergency and trauma departments they did not see any positive impact of the alcopop tax increase on the number of teen alcohol admissions.

    The group investigated hospital records to evaluate whether the increase in alcopop tax had any effect at all on the number of 15-29 year olds coming in to hospital with alcohol-related harm and injuries such as alcohol poisoning, injuries from assaults, fights, falls, accidents etc. between2006-2009.

    This excerpt from www.illawarramercury.com.au provides some background information:

    In 2008, the Federal Government increased the excises on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, commonly known as alcopops, by 70%.

    Although Australians have paid $4.5 billion in alcopops taxes since 2008/09, there has been no significant decrease in young people presenting with alcohol-related harm after the tax increase.

    These results should come as no surprise to people who remember what they were like as teenagers, or are the current parents of teenagers. Raising the price of just one type of drink may not reduce alcohol-related harm, especially in tourist destinations such as the Gold Coast. Young people may be merely switching to cheaper, and potentially, more potent, alcoholic drinks.

    Their response when they go to a bottle shop and find their favourite alcopops tipple has doubled in price is unlikely to be that they will go home and retire to bed with a mug of hot chocolate.

    Read more: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1573382/blog-alcopop-tax-fails-to-cut-teen-drinking/?cs=298

    According to the Illwarramercury.com.au many drinkers have simply switched from premixed drinks such as rum and coke to pure spirits since the introduction of the tax. Consumption of pre-mixed drinks fell 31 per cent between 2008 and 2011 but pure spirits consumption increased by 20 per cent over the same period, according to data from The Australian Bureau of Standards.

    The study also found that around one third of the young people between 15 and 29 years that were admitted to emergency departments around the state had an alcohol related injury or illness as compared to about a quarter for people from all other age groups combined.

    The article went on to discuss another study that looked into the patterns of males and females under 19 years old at the Gold Coast. That study showed that other efforts to reduce binge drinking amongst this age group on the Gold Coast were ineffective including increased policing, holding official drug-free and alcohol-free events – so the increase in alcopop tax was not the only ineffective control measure introduced.

    The article goes on to explain:

    This again suggests the need for a more comprehensive approach to binge drinking among young people.  Such an approach would include a volumetric tax on all alcoholic drinks, incentives to encourage mid-strength and low-strength beer, restrictions on the availability of drinks with a high alcohol content, more effective regulation of advertising and reducing the number of outlets. In the Gold Coast, for instance, there is practically a bottle shop on every street corner.

    Considering the current attention on risky drinking for young people, these results are important and point to the need to look more broadly at the alcopops legislation and other initiatives to reduce alcohol-related harm.

    Source: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1573382/blog-alcopop-tax-fails-to-cut-teen-drinking/?cs=298

    One thing that this article makes perfectly clear is that alcohol education is the most important thing in equipping teenagers to become responsible drinkers and have a healthy relationship with alcohol – and that education begins at home. If parents don’t lay the good foundation the chances are all other attempts by authorities to combat this disturbing trend are likely to fail.

     

  • Research Links Teen Drinking to Violence

    Research by Australian Catholic University researchers indicates that there is a strong link between alcohol use during early and mid-adolescence and violence just two years later.

    According to an article on Ncah.com.au researchers, Professor Sheryl Hemphill and Dr.Kirsty Balog from the university’s school of psychology embarked on research into the longitudinal link between alcohol consumption and severe interpersonal violence among young people in Oz.

    Researchers evaluated data from 849 Victorian adolescents and discovered that alcohol use directly linked to violence in these youth’s lives. The study involved following the youths over a five year period from year seven until year 11 at secondary school as part of the International Youth Development Study – it revealed that drinking in year seven and nine led to violence two years later.

    www.ncah.com.au explains more:

    The research also discovered a bidirectional relationship between heavy episodic drinking and violence, prompting researchers to consider further investigation of the role that social and family contexts have in influencing the relationship between alcohol use and violence.

    In their report, the researchers state their findings suggest the risk processes begin in late childhood or very early adolescence, and they recommend targeting the common risk factors for alcohol and violence at this time.

    Dr Balog, who is based in Melbourne, said while previous published research had found mixed results, their research showed alcohol consumption and violent behaviours impacted on the developmental periods of early to late adolescence.

    “It’s such a problem in Australia really. Every news bulletin usually has alcohol and violence involved,” she said.

    “Our team mission is to improve the lives of young people and to understand more about those problems that we see in society and how we can improve them.”

    Source: http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/research-finds-alcohol-in-youth-predicts-violence-two-years-later/1800/

    The main researcher, Dr Balog whose background is in psychological and psycho physiological research went on to explain that the study follows on from a survey which revealed that one in five Aussies aged 14 years and older drink at risky levels, placing themselves in danger of alcohol related diseases or injury throughout their lives. The survey Dr Balog was referring to was conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and was part of their National Drug Strategy Household Survey in 2011. The same survey also revealed that about two in five Aussies aged 14 years and older had a pattern of alcohol consumption that placed them at risk of alcohol related injury from a single drinking occasion at least once in the preceding year.

    The article goes on to explain:

    A Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Senior Proven Researcher Team at the School of Psychology, Dr Balog completed her psychology undergraduate studies at Swinburne University and her PhD at the University of Western Australia.

    Dr Balog has worked on projects focusing on substance use and mental health and her upcoming research projects will investigate problem online and antisocial behaviours among youth, such as online gambling and sexting.

    Source: http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/research-finds-alcohol-in-youth-predicts-violence-two-years-later/1800/

    This research provides yet another reason why teenagers under the age of 18 should not be allowed to drink. Although it may be a practice rife in Australian teen culture, drinking can be detrimental to the development of teens not only physically and emotionally but mentally as well.