RSA Course Online

Tag: Underage Drinking

  • Study Says Children Less Likely to Drink if Given First Drink By Parents

    An Australian study has revealed that having an occasional drink with your parents even before you’re of the legal drinking age, will mean you’re less likely to become a binge drinker later on.

    Researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales, studied the European model of drinking earlier in life but in moderation and followed 2000 Aussie teens and their parents for 4 years as part of their study.

    They found that teens who were given alcohol by their parents were more likely to consume full drinks a year later but drank less on any drinking occasion. They were also far less likely to binge drink.

    Those kids given alcohol by their peers are more likely to binge drink.

    Whether or not parents decide to give their kids alcohol, as alcohol servers who have a responsibility to ensure WE never do. We must ensure that we ask for an ID everytime we suspect a person to be underage.

    Read more about the study at: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/european-model-drinking/8170538

  • Avoid Heavy Fines- don’t serve alcohol to teens

    One person has been charged with providing alcohol to a minor in WA in the first year of the state government’s secondary supply laws.

    An awareness campaign has been urged to educate minors and suppliers about the risks of underage drinking.

    Secondary supply laws carry a maximum penalty of $10,000 for anyone supplying alcohol to minors on unlicensed premises without the consent of a parent or guardian. The laws came into effect on November 20, 2015.

    School leavers who are 18 years old can be fined for supplying alcohol to their underage classmates.

    Source: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-school-leavers-unaware-of-havy-fines-for-supplying-alcohol-to-minors/news-story/f31023b82a0be1e58f42588b1a29dc41

  • Keep Teens Away from Caffeinated Alcohol

    According to research caffeinated alcohol is particularly dangerous for teenagers. In fact the study claims energy drinks and alcohol for teenagers is the equivalent of taking cocaine.

    The research was headed by US scientist Richard Van Rijn, an assistant professor in medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Purdue University.

    Energy alcohol drinks apparently trigger the teenage brain the same way as cocaine and the effects may last even into adulthood.

    There is often 10 times more caffeine in energy drinks than a soda, yet these drinks are marketed at young people, researchers said.

    Read more at http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/nutrition/caffeinated-alcohol-is-cocaine-to-teens-20161026-gsbou7.html

  • Underage Boy Wears Mothers Clothes to Buy Alcohol

    There seems to be no length that youngsters will not go to in order to obtain alcohol, as an incident in The UK proves.

    A young man put on his mother’s clothing to fool a bottle store clerk into serving him. The young man wore his mother’s scarf, coat, big sunglasses and hat and managed to pose as his mother, swiping her work ID card.

    In Australia the minimum drinking age is 18 and selling alcohol to anyone under this age is an offence, as it is in The UK. This is part of responsible service of alcohol.

    Find out more https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/32676193/underage-lad-frocks-up-in-mums-clothes-to-buy-alcohol/#page1

  • ALSA Responds to Underage Service Claim

    Part of Responsible Service of Alcohol means not serving or selling alcohol to minors and asking for IDs to prove that customers are the age they say.

    Yet a professor at Curtin University claims that at least half of young people find it easy to buy alcohol. He was speaking on ABC’s Radio National.

    Professor Mike Daube said some retailers are responsible when it comes to selling alcohol to minors, but many are not. He also called for the government to act.

    ALSA has refuted these claims and says that data suggests otherwise.

    Read more about it here.

  • 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.

     

  • 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.

     

     

  • Retailers Crack Down on Underage Liquor Buying

    Crack Down on Underage School Liquor Buying

    Liquor retailers have been receiving a lot of criticism lately because of their sale of alcohol to underage minors. Now retailers are doing something about it by hiring special staff to police their stores for underage school leavers attempting to obtain alcohol during Schoolies Week.

    Hot spots have been identified and security staff will be stationed at these points in an attempt to root out minors trying to obtain alcohol.

    BWS and Dan Murphys are leading the pack in cracking down on underage alcohol purchasing by hiring an additional 60 guards to be stationed around the country especially in holiday spots where school leavers frequently congregate to celebrate.

    Underage people will not be able to enter liquor stores and those teenagers attempting to gain alcohol from the over 18 counterparts will also be watched. Those school leavers that are over 18 and attempting to purchase alcohol on behalf of the underage friends will also be refused alcohol by the guards.

    This post on Brisbanetimes.com website has more:

    Liquor retailers are hiring security staff to crackdown on underage school leavers getting hold of alcohol during Schoolies Week celebrations.

     Dan Murphy’s and BWS, both owned by supermarket giant Woolworths, will have security staff on the door at designated Schoolies “hot spots” over the week-long festivities.

     About 60 guards will be employed across the nation, in particular at popular Schoolies locations such as Surfers Paradise, the Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay.
     The guards will prevent underage people from entering stores as well as keeping an eye on teenagers attempting to use over-18s to purchase alcohol for them.

     Staff and guards have been directed to refuse service to any member of a group they believe may be purchasing alcohol for minors, even if that person has identification proving they’re over 18.

     Security staff will also be used to deny access to stores to intoxicated people.

     “BWS and Dan Murphy’s are committed to the responsible service of alcohol and in the lead-up to Schoolies we are reinforcing the importance of this to our customers and staff,” BWS and Dan Murphy’s national liquor licensing manager Shane Tremble said in a statement.

     “The secondary supply of alcohol to minors is a significant issue for our stores, the authorities and the community. We know that very few underage drinkers attempt to buy alcohol themselves, preferring to ask others to buy it for them so it is important we tackle this issue head-on.

    Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/liquor-stores-hire-schoolies-security-20121113-299g9.html#ixzz2C62Bhpb7

    Although there may some patrons that are refused alcohol during this time, the companies have reiterated that their main objective is keeping alcohol out of the hands of under aged youth who  have a tendency to abuse it.

    These retailers have a larger plan in motion which will see customers having to produce their ID if they look under the age of 25. Although just being implemented by retailers, this is part of Responsible service of alcohol legislation anyway.

    Liquor retailers will also have signage posted around their stores to warn customers that it is a crime to buy alcohol for underage people.  Schoolies week will see about 30,000 students flocking to the Gold Coast to celebrate and hopefully measures like these will reduce the alcohol induced harm that occurs each year at the celebrations.

     

  • MPs in NSW To Address Issue of Drunk Teens at School Functions

     

    Source : jenny downing

    An inquiry in NSW has revealed that parents are defending irresponsible behaviour of teenagers who show up at school functions too drunk to even walk. The parents of students that are barred entry because of their level of intoxication still complain to the school that their kids are denied entry.

    The Social policy committee of Parliament is investigating whether legislation relating to the liquor Act 2007 needs to be amended because of the problem of teenage drinking, which seems to be spurred on by parents.

    It has come to light that some kids showed up so drunk that when tested for alcohol they showed high levels of intoxication causing them to be turned away at the door. Some of these teenagers are not even sober enough to walk, let alone drive.

    Perhaps even more concerning is that many of the teenagers admitted to being supplied alcohol by their parents. Parents are demonstrating irresponsible parenting by allowing their children to become so intoxicated that they can pose a risk to themselves and others.

    Providing alcohol to teenagers in moderation is one thing for parents to choose to do, but allowing them to leave the house so drunk is quite another. To make matters worse parents often react angrily to their children being turned away from formals.

    Parents need to consider the danger intoxication presents to their children. Drink driving, violent crimes, brawls, thefts and unsafe sexual encounters are just some of the consequences that await drunken teens.

  • Prosecutions for Underage Drinking

    A case that may interest alcohol servers in Oz recently occurred in Kansas City. A middle aged woman was sentenced to 2 years of probation and 40 hours of community service after she served alcohol to a minor who was later involved in a fatal car crash. The woman was charged with involuntary manslaughter. This case highlights the importance of bartenders and waitrons to request IDs before serving alcohol to any patrons that may be underage. Another party guest, a man named Kenneth Blake is serving time in prison for the crash that killed the 16 year old girl, Laura Reynolds. Hopefully this incident will serve as a warning to others who serve alcohol, including adults who serve alcohol to underage minors at parties.

    This post that appeared on The Sacramento Bee website highlights the incident:

    Jackson County prosecutors initially charged 47-year-old Sandra Triebel with involuntary manslaughter. They hoped to hold her responsible for the drunken-driving death caused by a 19-year-old guest at her 2009 Halloween party.

    But a judge dismissed that charge under Missouri law, and The Kansas City Star reports ( ) Triebel pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor alcohol-related charges.

    Besides serving probation, Triebel must also perform 40 hours of community service and attend a victim impact panel.

    Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/14/4819496/mo-woman-pleads-to-serving-alcohol.html#storylink=cpy