The Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia - 19 February 2008 - Alcohol & other Drugs Peaks Support ‘Rethink Drink’ Campaign

19 February 2008 - Alcohol & other Drugs Peaks Support ‘Rethink Drink’ Campaign

Alcohol & other Drugs Peaks Support ‘Rethink Drink’ Campaign

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) and the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (WANADA) today congratulated the State Government on its response to a report into the impact of alcohol on Western Australians.

ADCA Chief Executive Officer, David Templeman, said this initiative further highlighted the importance of the Federal Government’s announcement for a Senate Inquiry to examine Australia’s growing alcohol toll, including issues around warnings, labeling, marketing and advertising of alcohol products – these are significant steps in addressing a national health priority.

“The Rethink Drink campaign comes at a time when West Australians are drinking more than ever,” WANADA Executive Director Jill Rundle said. “The campaign asks people to consider the amount of alcohol they consume, and shows the consequences of binge drinking – not just for drinkers, but for the whole community.”

The ‘Rethink Drink’ campaign is a response to findings in the Impact of Alcohol on the Population of Western Australia report.

“The findings reinforce what WANADA’s member agencies have long been reporting – that people in the regions, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are greatly affected by alcohol abuse.” said Ms Rundle. “Any campaign that asks people to consider their drinking habits should target these regions as a priority and be culturally appropriate for Indigenous people.”

Both ADCA and WANADA see the media campaign as being one step in addressing the problems related to alcohol abuse in Western Australia, and strongly suggest that other strategies - including treatment options like police/ court diversion programs, and education/ awareness priorities especially for children/ youth groups – be further developed to help reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents.

“ADCA believes there is a need to educate and inform all Australians of the associated risks with drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and hopefully the Federal Inquiry and Rethink Drink campaign will assist this in Western Australia,” Mr Templeman said.

In addition, ADCA believes that alcohol advertising and promotion which is currently self-regulated by industry bodies rather than by government, is ineffective and does not accord with public views on when and how restrictions should be applied. Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity and should not be treated as one. Alcohol is a drug – Too!

Each year 3000 Australians die and another 10 000 need ongoing medical treatment through alcoholrelated harm. The annual cost in alcohol related absenteeism is 7.5 million working days and the economic impact of its misuse is $15.3 billion.

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