Alac pouring $2.2m into battling binges

An advertising campaign targeting binge drinking was launched yesterday by the Alcohol Advisory Council.

The Government-sponsored body says binge drinking - drinking excessively in single sessions - leads to accidents, violence and other associated health and crime problems.

The print and television advertisements will cost $2.2 million.

"It's not the fact that we drink that's the problem; the problem is how we drink - the excessive per occasion consumption," Alac chief executive Mike MacAvoy said yesterday.

"This pattern of drinking results in more harms and social costs than those incurred by the dependent drinker.

"The first step to change is to get people to link that pattern with harms, and at the moment many don't recognise that connection."

Effects ranged from accident or fight-related injuries, alcohol-related relationship problems, problems at work and family neglect.

The advertisements target adults younger than 35, and parents of children younger than 15.

Dr MacAvoy said the advertisements would be supported by achieving better compliance with the Sale of Liquor Act, stings to identify breaches of the act, price increases through tax, and community education programmes.

Alac-commissioned research showed Maori were more likely to binge drink and were four times more likely than non-Maori to die of alcohol-associated health problems.

Overall Maori and non-Maori consumed similar amounts, but Maori consumed the alcohol in fewer sessions, which was more harmful.

Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor said last week that alcohol-related harm used up 8 per cent of the health budget and 20 per cent of the police budget.

Alac research shows that:

* One in four teenage drinkers admits to having drunk more than five standard drinks in the past fortnight.

* 125,000 of teenage binge drinkers are under the age of 17.

* 1.2 million drinkers accept binge drinking.

* Alcohol is responsible for 70 per cent of accident and emergency hospital admissions.

* 3.9 per cent of deaths in New Zealand in 2000 were attributable to liquor.

- NZPA