Campaign against drunkenness launched

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 533, 26 April 1994, Page 12

Campaign against drunkenness launched

Intoxication and the behaviour that results from it have often been viewed as socially acceptable in New Zealand society. In certain types of licensed premises and sports clubs such behaviour has even been encouraged. Slowly but surely these attitudes have changed, particularly in recent years as New Zealand' s drinking habits have matured. Despite this many New Zealanders are either ignorant of the legal consequences of intoxication or still treat drunken behaviour as being acceptable. There has also always been some bar staff who are unsure of where the legal line is drawn. Offences Intoxication is also seen as a major factor contributing to people committing offences in New Zealand. A survey by the Alcohol and Public Health Research Unit of the University of Auckland (APHRU) shows that 82 per cent of assaults on women and 69 per cent of assaults on men were by someone who had been drinking. In the Wellington region alone, police statistics show that last year nearly half of all people arrested had been drinking. APHRU research shows that the New Zealand public is largely ignorant of the law as it relates to drunkenness in licensed premises. Only six percent of New Zealanders knew that bar managers could be fined for allowing a drunk person on their premises and only 10 per cent knew bar managers could also be fined for allowing

someone to get drunk at their bar. Twentysix per cent of people surveyed knew that managers could be fined for selling alcohol to a drunk person. The survey also revealed that 87 per cent of people supported strict enforcement of the law as it related to drunk people, and 30 per cent of people would visit premises more often if managers made sure there was no drunkenness. As a result of this survey and as part of its Host Responsibility programme promoting drinking in moderation, ALAC is launching a national campaign focusing on intoxication. The aim of the campaign is to make staff and patrons of licensed premises aware that public intoxication is not acceptable, and to help reduce intoxication in licensed premises. The campaign aims to encourage people to "take iteasy". The education programme will be supported by the New Zealand Police and will help people, particularly bar staff, recognise the behavioural signs of intoxication. These include loss of muscle control, slurring of speech and inability to pick up change from a bar. The new campaign coincides with the increased enforcement of the 1989 Sale of Liquor Act by the New Zealand Police, and it is expected to support all agencies who act in an enforcement role. It is hoped that the campaign will encourage patrons to change their attitudes toward excessi ve drinking and ensure they, and their friends, drink in moderation.