Binge drinking: there is no magic cure

However the National Drug Strategy Household Survey does demonstrate that perhaps there is some support for such a culture change. The Survey revealed that support for:

• Increasing the tax on alcohol had gone up 4%,
• Reducing the number of outlets that sell alcohol, up almost 6%,
• Increasing the price of alcohol, up approximately 7%,
• Strict monitoring of late night licensed premises up 7%,
• Restricting late night trading of alcohol up 12%; and
• Reducing trading hours for pubs and clubs, up 16%.

Further the survey found that support for the serving of only low alcohol beverages at sports events remained steady at 60%, increasing the number of alcohol free public events was steady at approximately 61%, limit on alcohol advertising to after 9:30pm steady at 71% and stricter enforcement of laws against serving alcohol to drunk patrons, steady at 83% of respondents.

So whilst it might be tempting to simply increase the minimum age of drinking in a bid to curb dangerous drinking behaviours, we cannot be oblivious to the fact that such practices are not a young person's problem. As we know it permeates our culture.

As the support for various options in the Survey show, we have to consider taking a range of options, for there is no magic cure to combating our binge drinking culture.