Helping reduce harm from alcohol

Community and Public Health holds a number of important roles relating to the prevention of alcohol-related harm in our region. These include health promotion, regulation and licensing, and local policy development.

There are a wide range of effects on communities from alcohol-related harm. Alcohol-related harm contributes to health conditions, injuries and social problems – costing the health sector and other sectors significant time, money and resources.

• Get help or more information if you are concerned your own or someone else’s drinking.

Community and Public Health works to:

• Ensure premises selling or wanting to sell alcohol meet licensing requirements by investigating and reporting on applications on behalf of the Medical Officer of Health; and
• Encourage the responsible sale, supply, consumption and promotion of alcohol in premises.
• Collaborate with other agencies to ensure regular monitoring of high risk licensed premises.
• Support the alcohol industry to be compliant with legislation through appropriate procedures and regular training and appraisal.

Strategies to reduce alcohol-related harm in the community

Community and Public Health collaborates with other agencies to promote strategies, processes and actions to reduce alcohol related harm.

The South Island District Health Boards agreed a joint position statement in 2012 that calls for the development of a strategy to reduce the impact of alcohol-related harm, alongside supporting Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs). This statement advocates for evidence-based solutions.

• Read the South Island DHBs Position Statement on Alcohol [100Kb PDF].
• Read the background paper on the South Island DHBs Position Statement on Alcohol [280Kb PDF].

Community and Public Health are currently working closely with partners to develop the strategy to reduce the impact of alcohol-related harm on the Canterbury health system. The draft strategy is being championed by Healthy Christchurch and will be completed in mid-2017.

The strategy will align to collaborative work between the Canterbury DHB, Christchurch City Council and Police to reduce alcohol-related harm across sectors, and will be known as the City Alcohol Action Plan.

• Find out more about progress towards a Christchurch City Alcohol Action Plan.
• Download an information sheet on recent research on alcohol-related harm [PDF].

Community-based alcohol-related work

Community and Public Health works to:

• Ensure that key law and policy makers have appropriate information to consider when making decisions;
• Support community awareness of local alcohol license applications and options to get involved;
• Inform the public about the effects of alcohol use and misuse including targeted programmes for at risk groups;
• Promote host responsibility and alcohol related programmes in workplaces;
• Support sports clubs to develop alcohol policies; and
• Support supply control and reduction initiatives such as the Good One Party Register for youth.

Find out how you can take action on alcohol in your community, such as

• objecting to an alcohol licence;
• complaining about an alcohol advertisement;
• monitoring alcohol promotions in your community; and
• influencing your local alcohol policy.

Documents

Impacts of and Attitudes towards Alcohol

• The drinking patterns of older New Zealanders: National and international Comparisons (Health Promotion Agency 2017).
• Attitudes to drinking in pregnancy (Health Promotion Agency 2017).
• Alcohol Use 2012/13: New Zealand Health Survey (Ministry of Health 2015).
• Our Stories: The impact of alcohol on individuals and families from some of NZ’s less often heard community voices (Health Promotion Agency 2014).
• Alcohol use in advanced age: Findings from LiLACS NZ (University of Auckland 2014).

• The culture of alcohol promotion and consumption at major sports events in NZ (Health Promotion Agency 2014).
• Trends in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms among females in NZ (Health Promotion Agency 2013).
• Alcohol-attributable burden of disease and injury in New Zealand: 2004 and 2007 (Health Promotion Agency 2013).
• Alcohol-related injury: An evidence-based literature review (ALAC 2012) [3.18Mb].
• Position Statement on Alcohol Law Reform (Canterbury DHB 2010).

Impacts of and Attitudes towards Alcohol on Youth

• Alcohol use by West Coast young people: A survey of young people’s and adults’ views (Community and Public Health 2017).
• Supply of Alcohol to Young People Aged Under 18 Years (Health Promotion Agency 2017).
• ALAC Alcohol Monitor: Youth and Adult Alcohol Behaviours 2009-10 (ALAC 2011) [499Kb].
• Youth’07: The Health and Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in NZ – Young People and Alcohol (Auckland University 2011) [2.07Mb].

Alcohol Controls in the Community

• Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012: Community Experience Survey (Health Promotion Agency 2018).
• Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012: Early Experience with Six Local Alcohol Policies (Health Promotion Agency 2018).
• Post-earthquake analysis of crime and alcohol outlets in Christchurch (Health Promotion Agency 2018).
• Guidelines for the development of Alcohol Accords (ALAC 2011).
• National Alcohol Accords Stocktake (ALAC 2010).
• Evaluation of the Christchurch city one-way door intervention: Final report (ALAC 2008).

Downloads

Download or order alcohol resources from the Community Health Information Centre.

• Alcohol and You: Facts and Effects (HPA)
• The Straight-up guide to standard drinks (HPA)
• Is Your Drinking Ok? (HPA)

Links

• Alcohol.org.nz (Health Promotion Agency)
• Alcohol Healthwatch
• Living Sober – online community helping people struggling with their alcohol use
• Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD)
• New Zealand Drug Foundation

Department of Lost Nights

People drink too much because they think it leads to good times. But drinking too much can keep you from being part of the action and lead to you forgetting the good times.

Stay in your head – stay in the night!