Tackling Drinking to get Drunk

Drinkwise and the Australian Government's Department of Health and Ageing have joined to launch Australia's first generational change to campagin to tackle risky drinking. This campaign is aimed at making 'drinking to get drunk' socially unacceptable for the next generation of potential drinkers. The campaign will focus on effecting gernerational attitude and behaviour changing by empowering parents to positively influence their child's future and their drinking attitudes and behaviours and to ensure they form their attitudes towards drinking from a young age.

Studies have found that parents play a key modelling influence on adolescent drinking patterns, those adolescents whose parents are heavy drinkers are more likely to start drinking earlier; these attitudes are formed a long time before they have had their first drink. Parents should keep in mind that its not only them children observe but the adults around them also. Grandparents, older siblings and other close family or friends are influencing the children also. The education needs to begin in the home where 40% of the drinking is occuring. Child and family psychologist Dr John Irvine is impressed with the campaign and has provided advice to all parents via the website www.drinkwise.com.au

Dr John Irvine says that "if you want to teach your child to be responsible with alcohol when they are older, be a responsible drinker yourself. As parents, we actually have more influence on our children than anyone or anything else be it televison, movies, our children's peer or other societal factors."

The campaign hopes that the next generation may believe drinking to get drunk as socially unaccpetable. The campaign was launched in June 2008.

The hope is that with this campaign people's attitudes and their behaviours towards alcohol will change, parents will be empowered to positively influence their children's future drinking behaviour.
Trends show that Australians drinking habits are becoming more risky to health and wellbeing with increased frequent heavy single drinking sessions. Whilst most Australians do think they drink responsibly, although many drink at levels damaging to short and long term health.

Research shows that 54% of males and 44% of females over the age of 14 have drunk at extrememly high and risky levels at least once in the past 12 months. The campaign also aims to reverse the trend of teenagers drinking at an earlier age, as over othe past five decades the average age of introduction to alcohol has dropped from 19 to 15.5 years of age. Studys show that the earlier the onset of drinking the more it is likely to be damaging later in life.

Drinkwise Chairman, Trish Worth said that "Australian attitidues to risky drinking, including a culture which accepts heavy drinking as a 'rite of passage' for young people, needs to change. A long-term commitment is required not only from indicivuals but from society as a whole, including the alcohol industy, health professionals, the media and community organisations such as sporting clubs and schools".
Drinkwise CEO, Dr Mike MacAvoy said "The strategy behind the campaign was based on compelling evidence which supports a strong positive correlation between the way parents drink and how their children grow up to drink."

Studies have found that parents play a key modelling influence on adolescent drinking patterns, those adolescents whose parents are heavy drinkers are more likely to start drinking earlier; these attitudes are formed a long time before they have had their first drink. Parents should keep in mind that its not only them children observe but the adults around them also. Grandparents, older siblings and other close family or friends are influencing the children also. The education needs to begin in the home where 40% of the drinking is occuring. Child and family psychologist Dr John Irvine is impressed with the campaign and has provided advice to all parents:

Drink responsibly. Your child will learn that this is the right way to drink.

Consider why you drink in front of your child. Is it out of habit or to combat stress?

Convey appropriate attitudes and behaviour, don't glorify or laugh about drunken behaviour as this gives the wrong message.

Use news events, TV episodes and advertising as triggers to discuss what is appropriate and inappropriate drinking behaviours, keep in mind you can use personal events also.

Consider whether alcohol really needs to be part of every family or social gathering.

Be prepared at any time to explain to your child the sorts of questions that he or she will ask in regards to alcohol.

Ensure that you make time to talk to your child about alcohol.
More tips can be seen via the website www.drinkwise.com.au Dr John Irvine says that "if you want to teach your child to be responsible with alcohol when they are older, be a responsible drinker yourself. As parents, we actually have more influence on our children than anyone or anything else be it televison, movies, our children's peer or other societal factors."

Starting in June TV advertisements air for six months and the website is going live, together these will form part of the fully intergrating program of initiatives being conducted by Drinkwise to tackle Australia's drinking culture and encouraging responsible consumption of alcohol in our society.