| 6 April 2009 - Enjoy Easter without Alcohol and other Drugs |
|
|
|
|
With the Easter long weekend and school holidays approaching, the community is reminded of the increased risk of harm, particularly when alcohol is involved.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA), David Templeman, says that with more people on the roads, and times of celebration as families and friends gather - the risk of alcohol-related harm is high. "Alcohol is a drug, and when it's mixed with activities like driving, swimming, and playing sports the potential for people to be injured increases," Mr Templeman said. The recently released alcohol guidelines (National Health and Medical Research Council) give clear information on staying safe when consuming alcohol. Men and women over 18 are encouraged to have no more than two (2) standard drinks per day on average. Women who are pregnant, or breast feeding are advised to refrain from drinking. Young people under 18 are also advised to avoid drinking. Men and women are also advised to have no more than four (4) standard drinks in a single drinking occasion. "We're not saying 'don't have fun' we just want people to be safe and to have a great Easter, and they can do that by monitoring their alcohol consumption and making healthy choices," Mr Templeman added. "As the national peak for the AOD sector, ADCA continues to advocate for comprehensive alcohol taxation reform, including the reintroduction of the RTD (alcopops) tax bill into the Senate. Let's hope common sense prevails and we see this bill passed early in the May 2009 budget session of Parliament. "We continue to support the government for higher taxation on these sweet, pre-mixed drinks which are targeted at young people. No one wants to see a situation where the taxes collected to this point are returned to the larger alcohol retailers and distilling industry as profits." Evidence from the Australian Taxation Office shows during the period the new tax rate applied to Ready-To-Drink spirits (alcopops) total spirits sales decreased by 10 per cent. "We acknowledge that overall taxation reform is needed, but we must start somewhere and targeting the hip pocket and letting the distilling industry know we are serious about reform is the way to go," Mr Templeman said. "This is a vital issue when we know that alcohol abuse causes 1 in 4 hospitalisations of young people aged 15-24, something must be done before more die." |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|