Latest from Drinking debate

Alcopops targeted at teens

Sachets of alcohol designed to be slipped discreetly into purses and pockets are being sold in liquor stores, alarming police and alcohol-watch groups.

New laws curb drunken disorder

New alcohol laws have had a promising start with a quiet night reported on the last Friday before Christmas.

Making it through the night

It's 3am on Thursday in central Auckland and a young woman, pale and unaware of her surroundings, clutches her bag of McDonald's tightly.

Mix and mingle without booze: comedian

Comedian Guy Williams is used to being the sober one at a party. He has never drunk alcohol, except the occasional beer and he's one of the ambassadors for Hello Sunday Morning.

Police tiptoe on new alcohol laws

Police in central Auckland issued a handful of infringement notices early yesterday morning as sweeping new alcohol laws came into effect.

When 'cool dad' goes bad

A funny portrayal of a "cool dad" in a television ad about under-18s drinking has won praise for challenging parents' thinking on how they should behave at young people's parties.

Shocks in teen-drinkers study

A new study has shown that a major contributor to alcohol-related harm among underage drinkers is their older mates supplying them with large amounts of booze.

Students tested for grog

Students at a top Auckland secondary school were breath tested for alcohol as they arrived for their final day at school last week.

Ladies' nights out let Kiwi women drown sorrows

Student bar Shadows, at the University of Auckland campus, is sparsely populated at 10pm on a Wednesday. Three groups of young people sit around tables, sipping glasses of beer poured from the bar's ubiquitous jugs - or from slim-line cans of RTDs.

Rugby fans drink too much - study

A new study on the burden drunken rugby fans place on emergency medical services has prompted a call for an anti-binge drinking ad campaign.

Kerre McIvor: Ryder a fall guy in random violence

On Thursday night, while Jesse Ryder lay in intensive care in Christchurch Hospital after a savage and apparently random beating that has left him fighting for his life, I drove home from work just after midnight.

Drunken man picks wrong car for a nap

Haven for hard partiers

In a bid to cut down unnecessary hospital admissions, five Auckland organisations have set up a temporary 'safe house' for out-of-control revellers.

Kerre McIvor: Save tirade for the drunk driver

The father of a 15-year-old injured in a car accident in the early hours of last Sunday has lashed out at emergency services staff, accusing them of teenage accident fatigue.

Drink driving discharges dismissed

Senior legal figures do not believe there is a problem with the number of drink-drivers before the courts who receive a discharge without conviction.

Judges let off drink drivers

Judges let off around 50 people a year for drink-driving - with reasons ranging from models wanting to work overseas and wannabe police officers and nannies.

Alcohol 'hard to regulate on social media'

Alcohol advertising is so seamlessly blended into social media and smartphone technology that government will struggle to regulate it, a researcher says.

Women with more sex partners turn to drink and drugs

Having multiple sexual partners is a significant predictor of women turning to drink and drugs in later life, a new study suggests.