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New campaign will confront Northern Ireland's binge drinkers
Almost three quarters of men and over half of women aged 18-30 who drink alcohol are putting their health at risk by binge
drinking, the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland warned today.
Speaking at the launch of a new information campaign designed to open the eyes of young people to the reality of binge
drinking, Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the Health Promotion Agency, said:
"Research recently commissioned by the Agency revealed that the majority of 18-30 year olds here are concentrating their
drinking into binge sessions at the weekend. Mistakenly they do not believe this pattern of drinking is harmful. With
this campaign we are not asking young people to curb their social life but encouraging them to review the way they drink and the consequences to their health and personal wellbeing."
The campaign strapline is ‘Everybody can enjoy a drink - nobody enjoys a drunk’ and the first television
advertisement in the series is screened through the eyes of a young person embarking on a night out with friends. As the viewer journeys through the night's happenings the difference between sociable, enjoyable drinking and a binge session is exposed.
Dr Gaffney described the harmful effects of binge drinking:
"This type of drinking generates acute intoxication which may be enjoyable initially but it quickly increases
the likelihood of social problems. For example, arguments turn into fights and street disturbances become violent.
Accidents resulting from binge drinking generate an additional workload for A&E departments in hospitals. In the
longer term, binge drinking can cause brain damage, long term memory loss, kidney disease and stroke. In the shorter
term, there can be fatal consequences from the excessive quantities of alcohol consumed."
In Northern Ireland around 150 people a year die from diseases directly linked to alcohol misuse and a further 650
die because of diseases or injuries related to alcohol. The social cost of alcohol misuse in Northern Ireland is
estimated to be £700 million and binge drinking is recognised as a major contributor to these human and financial
costs.
Jo Daykin, Northern Ireland Drugs and Alcohol Strategy Coordinator commented:
"The fact that many people use alcohol on a regular basis as part of their social and recreational lifestyle
does not lessen the health risks associated with binge drinking. Research shows that binge drinking has become
increasingly 'normalised' here and this campaign will challenge these light-hearted perceptions.
"It is a sobering reality that if Northern Ireland's binge drinking culture continues it could result in a generation's health being lost to alcohol misuse."
END
Notes to editor:
In Northern Ireland a binge drinking session is identified as the consumption of at least 10 units for men and seven units for women, approximately half the recommended weekly limit in a single drinking session. Behavioural characteristics also indicate binge drinking, for example, 'drinking to get drunk' at key times of the week.
The campaign has been guided by two research reports: Adult drinking patterns in Northern Ireland; and Attitudes and behaviour of young adult drinkers in Northern Ireland. These reports are available from the Health Promotion Agency.
This initiative is funded by the Northern Ireland Drugs and Alcohol Strategy.
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