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bjbj|:|: This is Ben. He s an average Australian. He likes having a beer while watching the
footy, he enjoys a few at a BBQ, he and his mates save money by drinking before they go
out. Ben is no exception Australia is a country of drinkers and for most of us, alcohol doesn
t seem a big problem but a study by Turning Point released in March suggests that we don
t have a clue when it comes to identifying safe drinking levels. 95% of the population
don t know how much is too much so we thought we d test this knowledge on the streets. How
many drinks do you think is the limit for low risk drinking? Mmmmm. Oh. Ah s four I
think. Is it? 4-6 standard drinks. Maybe 6. Probably around 5. Maybe like 5 or 6. Ah.
5. As you can see, perceptions are varied. So rather than talking numbers I m going to
show you what people think. This is how much the average 14 to 19 year old girl thinks
is safe to drink in a single session. What about guys the same age? Well, they think
it s safe to drink this much in a single session. So that s the perception, what s the reality?
Well, while they don t drink this much every day, nearly half of that same group admit
to drinking at least this much in a single sitting. Compare that to this which is what
s actually okay per day and this which is what s okay on occasion. We thought we d ask
someone to give us a little bit more information about low risk drinking levels and what excessive
drinking is doing to us now so we came to Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre to talk
to Professor Dan Lubman. Dan, thanks for talking to us. I just want to ask you a few questions
about alcohol. The longterm effects of alcohol are relatively well known but what are the
real short term dangers that we should be worrying about. I think particularly for young
people, it s the short term harms that are the most significant related to alcohol. Alcohol
basically shuts down the front part of the brain the part of the brain that s involved
in thinking in terms of judgment and planning. As the concentration of alcohol rises in our
blood, we make much more risky and impulsive decisions. The harms most typically associated
with drinking too much in a single occasion are getting involved in a fight, doing some
crazy stuff which leads to injuries getting into a car either to drive or with someone
else who s been drinking too much. We know that half of all alcohol related injuries
on the road are related to young people under the age of 25. And the final thing is, and
it s particularly for women, if you drink too much you re much more likely to put yourself
in a compromising position, much more likely to be sexually assaulted when you ve had too
much on board. I think the key message I ll put across is that we live in a culture where
drinking heavily is normalised and people get into trouble, people get into harms. We
see that all the time. I think it s important people recognise that and we think about together
how we keep each other safe. So what do we know. Well, we know from Dan that excessive
drinking poses real, immediate dangers. We know that a lot of people don t know how much
is safe to drink and we know that many of us have gone beyond the limit. So next time
you re out on the town, know your limits, make a plan and take care of your mates. h;)C
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