Alcohol misuse
Why invest in reducing alcohol misuse?
Reducing alcohol harm is a new VicHealth priority for 2006-2009.For many years we have been engaged in debates around alcohol misuse and supported programs that promote responsible drinking. However, with binge drinking among young people rising we need to strengthen our efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm. While the social use of alcohol is widely accepted, alcohol-related harm in Victoria results in premature disability and death associated with road trauma, workplace accidents, drowning, sexual assault, domestic and interpersonal violence, and self harm.
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Good Sports program
VicHealth invests in the the Good Sports program, which is an initiative of the Australian Drug Foundation. The program is designed to change the booze culture that exists in many sporting clubs, and promotes the responsible serving of alcohol.
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Useful links
Links to other websites to help you find out more about the work being done to reduce alchol misuse.
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Submissions
VicHealth is actively involved in responding to proposed government policy and legislation if it feels the proposals have the potential to impact on health. In this section you will find our submission to the National Alcohol Strategy (2005-2009) and our submission to the Inquiry into Strategies to Reduce Harmful Alcohol Consumption (December 2004).
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Community Alcohol Action Network
CAAN tackles the social and cultural forces that drive unsafe and heavy drinking. VicHealth provides funding to this network, and recently funded research into alcohol advertising, which will contribute to our understanding of young people’s perceptions of the messages in alcohol advertising.
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Publication: To Your Health? This issue of the VicHealth Letter explores what is safe, sensible and social when it comes to drinking alcohol.
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Research
VicHealth invests in research that extends our knowledge about alcohol and its impact on health. Associate Professor Anne Kavanagh (University of Melbourne) is investigating how environmental characteristics (density of alcohol outlets, sales and price of alcohol) contribute to the socio-economic variations in acute and chronic alcohol misuse.