Alcohol-related harm in Australia is substantial. Every year, more than 5,500 lives are lost due to alcohol-related harm, and 157,000 people are hospitalised, making alcohol one of Australia’s greatest health challenges. Throughout this essay, I will be evaluating the effectiveness of two alcohol-related harm reduction strategies. Alcohol-related harm is clear evidence that alcohol is impacting a person’s physical, mental or social well-being. Alcohol-related harm can be anything from hangovers and headaches to premature and accidental death. The methods that I will be addressing are what I believe are the most effectual ways of minimising alcohol-related harm. These are the taxation and pricing of alcohol and the access and availability of …show more content…
According to the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, there is strong and valid evidence that higher alcohol prices decrease both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms while lower prices increase them. It has been estimated that a price increase of 10 percent reduces overall alcohol consumption by an average of 5 percent. Alcohol taxation provides an effective lever to influence alcohol pricing, it is also a cost-effective way to minimise this issue. There has been a large decline in the importance of alcohol taxation in Australia. This not only reflects a long-run change in the consumption of alcoholic beverages but an increase in the proportion of consumed alcohol items that have relatively less taxation. At current taxation levels, drinkers at paying 45 cents for every beer they consume, 1 dollar for every spirit, and 7 cents for every glass of wine. In 2015, there were an estimated 2.31 billion dollars spent on beer in Australia, with spirits being …show more content…
Reducing the access and availability of alcohol is a sufficient way of decreasing alcohol-related harm, as the obtainability of alcohol will lessen. It is well established that increases in the availability of alcohol contribute to increased alcohol-related harm. Trading hours, the density of bottle shops and the number of pubs and bars all contribute to alcohol-related harms, such as drink driving, assaults and hospital admissions. Over the past 15 years, there has been an unprecedented growth in the number of liquor stores in Australia, with the number of liquor licenses in Victoria increasing by 120 percent. There is a strong link between the number of bottle shops in a neighbourhood, which tends to cluster in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and the reduction of alcohol-related harms. Additionally, declining the trading hours of liquor supplies can also reduce alcohol-related harm, as according to Society for the Study of Addiction, a bottle shop that closed at 1 am decreased the mean monthly harms by 20.5 percent. This evidence supports the fact that cutting down the access and availability of alcohol can successfully reduce alcohol-related harms. This strategy has been effective throughout Australia as bottle shops have been declining their trading hours, which significantly decreases the alcohol-related harms seen in
Binge drinking is an individual and public issue that poses an increasing concern on the physical, social and economic aspects of the health of Australians. For many people alcohol can bring much pleasure, joy and societal amusement, however when people drink in excess, or binge drink, the costs to health and the community can potentially be devastating. The definition of binge drinking is not widely agreed upon, however a commonly accepted description is the consumption of 5 or more standard drinks on any single occasion, and often modified to 4 drinks or more for women (Naimi et al., 2003). Osteopaths, as primary health care practitioners, must have useful knowledge and tools in assisting patients who cope with the consequences of binge drinking.
Alcoholics that are trapped so deep in the spell of alcoholism are leaving a legacy behind for those who continue to make alcohol companies millions of dollars by ruining their lives, making the wrong investment every time they purchase a bottle of alcohol; to them an “alternative route” to mask any issues they might be encountering at a particular time in their lives, and to those alcohol-making companies they are walking fortunes—walking billboards. Advertisement ads for these products continue targeting not only the already alcoholics, but also targeting underage drinkers. These alcohol-making companies can argue differently and have sworn to not be so focused on targeting people under 21. “Alcohol advertisers have pledged to comply with self-regulatory codes designed to limit t...
The report argues that the recommendations by the World Health Organisation and Cobiac would be an effective policy reform to reduce alcohol related harm in Australia. The report is outlines that the most effective way to reduce alcohol related harm would be (in order of effectiveness)
The misuse of alcohol is an issue prevalent all throughout Australia and is something all levels of the Government struggle to overcome. According to the AMA (Australian Medical Association), “In 2003, alcohol was the risk factor responsible for the greatest burden of disease and injury in Australian males under the age of 45, and is the second largest cause of drug-related deaths and hospitalisations in Australia after tobacco”. This showed the dangerous impact alcohol was having on Australians and helped push the Australian Government to tighten laws up about alcohol. In this essay, two Australian initiatives will be evaluated, the increase of taxation and pricing for alcohol, and secondly, the introduction of precautionary alcohol advertisements.
Jody was born biologically with male genitals and he was brought up as a boy. Unlike his more gender-typical older brother, Jody’s childhood behavior was considered “sissy”. Jody genetically preferred the company of girls compared to boys during childhood. Jody considered herself a bisexual male until the age of 19. At 19 years of age, she became involved with a man, and her identity would be transgender, meaning that Jody was unhappy with her gender of birth and seeks a change from male to female. It would seem that there was some late-onset dissatisfaction, and late-onset is linked to attraction to women; in comparison to early childhood-onset, which are attracted to men. Jody identified herself as bisexual. The relationship with the man ended; nevertheless, Jody’s desire to become a woman consumed her, and Jody feels that’s he was born in the
Alcohol is a very popular legal psychoactive “drug” that enjoys enormous amount of the Canadians of all ages. Alcoholism is one of the Canadian top issues. In 2017, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and Drug Abuse Commission developed the Canada’s National Alcohol Strategy within 41 recommendations to reduce the harmful effect of alcoholism in Canada. It is a long-term program, and so the real results may not be visible immediately to evaluate how successful this strategy is.
“For every family that is impacted by drugs, there are another 10 to 15 families impacted by alcohol abuse. It's a pretty big deal. We have a tendency to only look at part of the puzzle.” (Kevin Lewis). As a society we tend to categorize the severity of addiction in a way that drugs are the most dangerous and alcohol being just a problem. Because alcohol addiction can be a slow progressive disease many people don’t see it in the same light as drug addiction. An addiction to drugs is seen as being a more deadly and dangerous issue then that of alcohol because a drug addiction can happen more quickly and can kill more quickly. Alcohol is something that is easy to obtain, something that is found at almost every restaurant. People with an alcohol addiction can not hide from alcohol as easy as a drug addict. Approximately 7 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and another 7 million suffer from alcoholism. (Haisong 6) The dangers of alcohol affect everyone from children with alcoholic parents, to teenagers who abuse alcohol, then to citizens who are terrorized by drunk drivers.
Early regulation around the world has paved the way for research and regulation in the United States. Scandinavia and the United Kingdom begun rationing and restrict the alcohol market in the early and mid-20th century, while America did not begin research until the 1960’s. The first large-scale State-level statistical analyses of the law that control alcohol and sales found that those state with stricter regulation had less alcohol related problems and drank less overall. Another important factor is minimum drinking age and the effects of lowering it. When New Zealand lowed the purchasing age from 20 to 18 years-old they saw a rise in emergency-room visits due to alcohol, drunk driving, and fatal car crashes. They also saw a rise in underage
The problem of alcohol abuse has been recognized for thousands of years, but only more recently have we begun to see alcohol addiction as a treatable disorder. According to the Classical Disease Model of `Alcoholism,' habitual use of alcohol can be identified as a disease. Webster's Dictionary defines the concept of `disease' as follows: "Any departure from health presenting marked symptoms; malady; illness; disorder." Therefore, as many occurrences of alcohol excess provoke such symptoms, it is somewhat understandable that `alcoholism' is classified as a disease. The Classical Disease Model appears to offer a hopeful option. Treatment and sobriety can allow people to lead fulfilling lives. Adjacent to the notion of alcoholism as personal failure or moral deterioration, the Classical Disease Model appears to be a more desirable concept as it provides a motive for the alcoholic to seek treatment and gain sympathy, minimizing personal guilt. As alcoholism is seen as a progressive and, to an extent, hereditary illness for which those afflicted are not accountable, victims avoid being ostracized from society (Jellinek, 1960). Labeling the problem as a `disease' allows the medical profession to take responsibility for the treatment of alcoholism, which puts the problem in a more favourable light than if it were in the hands of psychologists or social workers, thus detaching the stigma connected with the problem while it is put on a par with other diseases such as diabetes or cancer. However, critics of the Classical Disease Model believe stigma helps reduce alcohol problems and aids the alcoholic. Any effort to reduce the stigma which is faced by the alcoholic will reduce pressures to moderate consumption and could have the additional ...
1995). Recent epidemiological findings have shown that young adults who consume alcohol at daily basis are at the higher level depression as compared to adults who don’t drink. However, there is very little research in examining the social and psychological characteristics of non alcoholic young adults. The sample being choose for this study was of 2404 young adults (aged 20-24) living in the Canberra region, According to recent studies, higher level of depression psychological distress and anxiety was examined in both non-drinkers and hazardous/harmful drinkers as compared to moderate drinkers (Lipton 1994: Lyons et al.1995: Peele &Brodsky 2000). Overall, this research study has lead alcohol use disorder and heavy consumption with poor mental health (Caldwell et al.,
Those who drink alcohol most frequently are in danger of extinction. According to a recent research by the British Government, alcohol proved the most dangerous drug among the illegal drugs like heroin, marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy. The addictive nature of alcohol makes the users to spend more time in the drinking joints therefore ignoring their duties leading to problems related to family and jobs. Moreover alcohol causes body harms and other environmental damages. The fact that drinking alcohol is legal makes it the most commonly used drug in the continent making its harmful effects devastating to both the drinkers and the people surrounding them, that is, the family, relatives, friends, and the colleagues. Excessive consumption of alcohol causes vital body organs like the liver, kidney, and the ...
“Australians consume alcohol at harmful levels. There are more than 42 million incidents of binge drinking each year. Each month 20.4% of Australians consume alcohol at high-risk levels. These factors can be enhanced by influences related to the social, physical and economic availability of alcohol.” (Allsop, 2013).
Alcohol is a very serious and dangerous drug, although it is not treated this way anymore. College students have taken drinking to a new level in which, for many, is very scary. Alcohol is much more dangerous than many would think. Kids see a night of drinking as a great way to have fun and party but do not see the consequences. Getting drunk and even blacking out can lead to many problems. When alcohol is consumed in unhealthy amounts, it can lead to not only short-term effects, but long-term ones as well.
Alcohol abuse is the most common problem, nowadays. In fact, majority of people drink alcohol repeatedly to the point where they have difficulty to stop. Statistics show that, as much as, “40% of college students report drinking five or more drinks in one episode” (Walters & Baer, 2006). Alcohol has become more popular over the years as advertisements, simultaneously with commercials of it, filled the media. It also is easily accessible and cheap in comparison to other psychoactive substances. On the other hand, alcohol safety awareness programs are barely noticeable. My research will present how alcohol and its abuse gets into people’s lives and how it influences their physical and mental health, as well as, social existence.
Alcohol and drug abuse is one of biggest problems in United States today. It is not only a personal problem that dramatically affects individuals' lives, but is a major social problem that affects society as whole. "Drug and alcohol abuse", these phrases we hear daily on the radio, television or in discussions of social problem. But what do they mean or what do we think and understand by it? Most of us don't really view drug or alcohol use as a problem, if that includes your grandmother taking two aspirins when she has a headache or your friends having few beers or drinks on Saturday night. What we really mean is that some drugs or alcohol are being used by some people or in some situations constitute problem with which our society must deal. It becomes a real problem when using or I should say abusing drugs cause accidents, antisocial behavior, broken relationships, family instability, crime and violence, poverty, unsafe streets and highways, worker absenteeism and nonproductivity, and the most tragic one death. The situation in which the drug or alcohol uses accurse often makes all the difference. The clearest example is the drinking of alcohol, when individual begins to drink during the job, at school, or in the morning, we have evidence that indicates a potential drinking problem. If a person takes narcotic drug because he just wrecked his knee while his physician prescribed playing football and the drug, most of us would be not concerned. If, on the other hand, he took the same drug on his own just because he likes the way it makes him feel, then we should begin to worry about him developing dependence. Even use of illegal drugs are sometimes acceptable, but it also depends on situation, for example in some countries smoking marijuana is legal just like drinking alcohol in United States. Some subcultures even in United States that accept the use of illegal drugs may distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable situation, some college age groups might accept marijuana smoking at a party on weekends, but not just before going to a calculus class. Most of people would accept a fact that a bartender or a waiter who is working at a night club is having a beer or a drink on his break or that a landscape worker is having a cold beer with his lunch on a hot summer day. I'm not saying that it is "OK" but we wouldn't complain a...