A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Paul Dillon Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) With the discussion around alcohol-related violence reaching a fever-pitch over the Christmas/New Year period it was not surprising to once again see the issue of raising the legal drinking age brought up once again. Over the years that I have been working in the alcohol [...]
"Booze pages” on Facebook that have as many as 10m “likes” have been blamed for promoting excessive drinking through giveaways and posts that suggest things like drinking early in the morning. Alcohol companies have certainly spotted the potential of social media to market their wares to a younger audience. The growth of social media, especially [...]
The link between alcohol and cancer itself is not news. Way back in 1988, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that alcohol consumption was a group one carcinogen – a direct cause of cancer in humans. What has evolved over the past 26 years is evidence showing alcohol caused more cancers [...]
While the craze appears to be most popular among young Australians, it is also sweeping the globe as people nominate their international friends. One man in the US is shown removing the plastic seal on a one-litre bottle of vodka and drinking its entire contents in less than 15 seconds. via Extreme skolling: warning of [...]
Consider this: almost twice as many Australians die from suicide each year than die in traffic accidents. Countless more struggle daily with their self-medication and prescribed treatment for mental illness. via Ian Thorpe, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Matthew Reilly and a very tough day.
Alcohol-related violence: Can it be prevented? Paul Dillon – Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) With yet another teenager in a critical condition in hospital in NSW after being 'king-hit' (that so shouldn't be how we describe this violent act) in Kings Cross, the community is yet again debating what should be [...]
More than half of women who binge drink continue to do so during pregnancy, an Australian study has found, with fewer than one in five following guidelines to abstain from alcohol. A study of 1577 women who drank alcohol before becoming pregnant found many did not alter their consumption after conception. Researchers from the University [...]
Peter Miller's five-year study found lockouts and early closing times in Newcastle encouraged drinkers to go to venues earlier, instead of pre-loading at home and arriving in the city drunk. via O'Farrell blasted for 'stupid' comments.
In the aftermath of the latest senseless street violence, we instinctively seek someone or something to blame. Yet pointing the finger at the aggressor in each case won't bring any change. To prevent the ''coward punch'', we need a culture of moral identification and education. Rising violence in various media platforms has helped create a [...]
Children as young as 12 who live in areas saturated with liquor outlets are more likely to drink than their peers, researchers say. A study of more than 10,000 high school students has found many are illegally being sold alcohol from takeaway liquor shops. Children between 12 and 14 who live close to many take-away [...]
