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There's been a call for New Zealand to follow Australia and adopt official guidelines on the risks of drinking.
Australia's media is awash with reports that the country's National Health and Medical Research Council is set to release new guidelines on what constitutes a binge drinker next month.
The Australian newspaper reported that the guidelines were expected to say four middies - the equivalent of two pints - or three glasses of wine in one session constituted a "binge session".
New Zealand's Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams told nzherald.co.nz unofficial guidelines here were high in comparison partially because they were aimed at drivers.
She said the focus on alcohol consumption needed to move from road safety to less acute risks such as long-term health.
Australian National Council on Drugs executive officer Gino Vumbaca told the Australian that people would agree with the guidelines being proposed.
"When you have a big trucker up against a small woman, it's difficult to come up with meaningful guidelines that take them both into account. That's why I think the guidelines should only be thought of as a guide rather than being taken literally."
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has not confirmed the guidelines.
"They are currently the subject of international peer review, with experts from around the world analysing them," she told the Australian.
Ms Roxon told the Sydney Morning Herald that alcohol abuse was a serious social issue that cost the community AUST $15 billion a year.
"The only people who seem to think this is not a problem are the alcohol industry and the Liberal Party," she said.
Rebecca Williams said New Zealand's guidelines, put out by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, had brought consumption down.
"One of the things that helped clarify things was the legal blood alcohol driving limit which showed putting a stake in the sand brought overall levels of consumption down," Ms Williams said.
She said that message now needed to be translated to social situations outside of driving.
"It's time New Zealand took a step up and be really clear about what the evidence is now showing," Ms Williams said.
She said the use of the word "binge" was not accurate and the guidelines were really about creating discussion around the risks of even moderate drinking.
"We have a concept around binge drinking which is someone who is completely sloshed and rolling around in the gutter, we really don't want to face up to the reality that alcohol is not a safe product, not a benign product, that it carries a level of risk at any level," Ms Williams said.
She said people could understand the acute risks of alcohol, like road crashes or falls, but the long-term risks such as cancers and mental health problems were often not thought about.
"You don't need to drink very much to put yourself at risk, over time, of getting yourself into those other outcomes," Ms Williams said.
Ms Williams said another problem was that the alcohol lobby was strong and often able to get around the policy table as bills were being drafted.
"I take my hat off to the Australians. They've put their head above the ramparts and got a bit of a hammering for it but I hope they can actually stay there," she said.
Alcohol Advisory Council guidelines suggest 'safe drinking levels', although factors like age, weight and health influence how much is too much.
Limits are based on a standard drink measurement. A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol.
In one sitting men should drink no more than six and women should drink no more than four standard drinks.
The guidelines suggest food should be consumed with alcohol.
A recent Ministry of Health report suggested obsessive consumption of alcohol was harmful and the higher the concentration of alcohol, the greater the negative effects in terms of health and social impacts.
Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health suggested no more than two standard drinks on any one day or up to nine standard drinks a week for women and 14 for men.
- NZHERALD STAFF
