June 2008

 

Alcohol and Assaults

A controversial by-law banning alcohol in a band council of Natuashish, an Innu reserve in northern Labrador, has the community split in their reactions and opinions. However, both police and the band chief are supportive of the ban, citing a dramatic decrease in crime including sexual assault and domestic violence.

"It is still relatively a new law," said RCMP Sgt. Wayne Newell, quoted in the National Post. "Our members are feeling their way through it with our partners in the community." The by-law, introduced in February after being approved at a community meeting, restricts the possession of alcohol on the reserve.

Positive signs are slowly being seen, in both a decrease in crime statistics and an increase in community connectedness. "We're seeing more parents come for family day and for our awards ceremonies," shared Jackie Williams, Principal of a local school. "The children seem a little more calm and collected and we're not having so many issues in the office."

In the West, alcohol-fueled violence is highlighted in the media again after a recent weekend incident in which bar patrons beat a police officer in a downtown Edmonton alley. "This is not the kind of message we want to send to others in terms of safe communities in Edmonton," stated Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.

Like the Innu reserve in Labrador, Alberta is now looking at ways to decrease violence in their cities, including setting minimum drink prices to control the actual cost of alcohol — an evidence-informed policy measure highlighted in the World Health Organization's 2003 book, Alcohol: No ordinary commodity.

Stelmach identified that there is some resistance to such policy changes from bar owners and noted that common ground on this issue will need to be found. Stelmach may want to look to Natuashish band Chief Prote Poker who, referring to his own community, says, "People will get upset if the ban is in place, but in the long run, they will realize that it's good for the community".

The study of alcohol and violence has been on the radar of researchers as well, with the recent release of Alcohol Sales and Risk of Serious Assault, a study appearing in the May issue of PLOS Medicine. Conducted by Dr. Joel Ray and colleagues, this study assessed the risk of being hospitalized due to assault in association with retail alcohol sales across Ontario. The researchers tested the hypothesis that the risk of being hospitalized due to a violent assault increases when there are increased alcohol sales in the immediate vicinity of the victim's place of residence.

Through the completion of a population-based case-crossover analysis, it was found that the risk of being a victim of serious assault increases with alcohol sales, especially among young urban men. Further, the study highlighted that for every extra 1,000 litres of alcohol sold per store per day (a doubling of alcohol sales), the overall risk of being hospitalized for assault increased by 13%. The risk was highest in three subgroups of people:

1. men (18% increased risk);
2. youths aged 13 to 20 years (21% increased risk); and
3. those living in urban areas (19% increased risk).

At peak times of alcohol sales, the risk of assault was 41% higher than at times when alcohol sales were lowest.

The authors identify practical policy implications stemming from their findings including the argument to increase the price of alcohol (implementing minimum drink prices, taxation based on alcohol content) or making alcohol harder to obtain (underage drinking enforcement, controlling outlet density) which may help to reduce the occurrence of alcohol-related assaults. A final recommendation suggested by the authors is to de-normalize and stigmatize alcohol-related violence and associated behaviour, similar to the way that driving under the influence of alcohol has been made socially unacceptable.

Learn more about this study at the Alcohol Policy Network's next teleconference in Summer 2008, as Dr. Joel Ray of the University of Toronto will be presenting his findings. Stay tuned to our website and listserv for upcoming details.

 

Prom Season: A Perfect Time to Binge

After learning that the number of young French people indulging in frequent bouts of heavy drinking has risen steadily in recent years, the government of France is discussing measures to curb this trend. Some measures proposed include a ban on bottle sales of strong alcohol in nightclubs; raising tax levels on strong beer; and banning "le happy hour" or "le open bar": a concept where patrons pay a fixed price to drink all night.

These proposed measures are in line with a forthcoming global strategy on alcohol, spear-headed by the World Health Organization. The WHO reports that harmful alcohol consumption, including youth binge drinking, is responsible for 2.3 million deaths per year.

"Drinking to intoxication and heavy episodic drinking are frequent among adolescents and young adults, and the negative impact of alcohol use is greater in younger age groups of both sexes," the WHO said.

This proposed global alcohol strategy, slated to be developed over the next two years, will be evidence-informed and based on existing best practices and used as a blueprint in jurisdictions to counter the harms associated with alcohol. The strategy will specifically address marketing, pricing, distribution of alcoholic drinks, and public awareness campaigns.

Harmful drinking is linked to injuries such as traffic collisions, suicide, and violence, numerous chronic diseases such as cancers and cirrohisis, along with social consequences including unemployment, absenteeism, and family breakdowns.

In France, half of 17-year-olds admit getting excessively drunk at least once in the past month, while a small minority confessed to binge drinking more than twice a week. In Ontario, underage drunkenness is a serious issue — nearly one of every four underage students reported being drunk at least once in the past month, while nearly one in five reported drinking at hazardous levels.

Because prom season is a time when binge drinking among youth populations is seen as normal, different agencies have developed tools and resources to help decrease harms. MADD Youth have developed ten tips for parents when their kids are planning their prom activities. Such tips include:

• learning all logistics related to your child's activities including when, what, who, how, and where;
• planning for a sober way home; and
• preparing for emergencies including carrying phone numbers of parents, older siblings, and emergency officials.

Further, Toronto Public Health has developed a "safer partying checklist" in attempt to reduce the risks of unsafe partying, available on their website. Recommendations are divided into six different strategies including strategies to:

1. Reduce impairment;
2. Increase personal safety;
3. Prepare for emergencies;
4. Reduce the chance of being sued;
5. Promote safe transportation;
6. Improve venue safety.

Lastly, it is important to consider policy when discussing prom activities. The Alcohol Policy Networks’ resource titled Let's Take Action on Alcohol Problems in Community Halls and Rental Facilities is a helpful guide to developing, implementing, and enforcing policies in order to decrease associated harms. As the majority of prom functions happen outside of school grounds (hotels, rental halls), it is important for organizers to be aware of potential liabilities if alcohol is consumed at these venues.