Alcohol

Slang
Booze, Piss, Grog, Liquor

How it is taken
Orally (drunk)
Inhaled (alcohol vapours)

Common effects

• happiness, confidence and relaxation,
• lowered inhibitions
• slurred speech,
• blurry vision
• slower reflexes and loss of concentration.

What it is
Alcohol is the most widely used psychoactive (or mood-changing) recreational drug in New Zealand. It is almost always drunk in liquid form and comes in many varieties. Common types of alcohol include beer, wine and spirits. However, there are sub-sets of alcoholic beverages, such as liqueurs, fortified wines (brandy, sherry and port), different types of spirits (rum, vodka and gin, for example) and pre-mixed alcohol drinks, where an alcoholic spirit is premixed with a carbonated drink or juice and bottled into individual servings.

Alcohol is produced by the processes of fermentation and distillation. Fermentation is the action of yeast on liquids containing sugars and starches, creating lower-alcohol beverages like beers and wines. Distillation of fermented products produces higher-alcohol beverages, including spirits. For example, fermentation of barley creates beer. Distillation of beer leads to Scotch whisky.

Pure alcohol has no colour or taste.

Despite the initial feelings of stimulation, alcohol is a depressant. Alcohol slows down the messages that flow between the brain and the body, affecting concentration and coordination, slowing people’s reaction times and affecting responses to situations.

Alcohol is absorbed into the body through the stomach and small intestine. All alcohol that is drunk will eventually enter the bloodstream, although food in the stomach will slow down the absorption rate. If you drink a lot of alcohol at night, a high level could still be in your bloodstream the next day.

Short-term effects
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol has significant negative effects on the body. These effects can be increased depending on a person’s weight, metabolism and whether they have eaten before or during drinking. These effects include:

• lack of coordination
• mood changes, aggression or overly emotive feelings
• confusion, blurred vision and poor muscle control
• nausea, vomiting and incontinence
• alcohol poisoning
• coma and death.

The day after heavy drinking can be unpleasant for most people. This is called the ‘hangover’, caused by dehydration (even though it is a liquid, alcohol dehydrates the body). The ill feelings of headaches, nausea and malaise can be felt for much of the next day.

Long-term effects
Heavy drinking over a long period of time causes damage to many parts of the body, including:

• the nervous system: loss of feeling in hands and feet, ‘pins and needles’
• the brain: brain damage, loss of memory, hallucinations, confusion
• the heart: high blood pressure, enlarged heart, irregular pulse
• the lungs: increased risk of infections, including tuberculosis
• the liver: cirrhosis, severe pain, swelling, liver cancer, hepatitis
• the skin: sweating, bruising, ‘flushes’
• the blood: red blood cells damage
• the stomach and digestive system: increased cancer risk, bleeding, ulcers
• muscles: weakness, damage to muscle tissue
• the pancreas: inflammation
• for men: impotence, shrinking of testicles, sperm damage and lower sperm count
• for women: increased gynaecological problems, foetus damage if pregnant, increased risk of breast cancer.

Dependence, addiction and overdose risk
Alcohol poisoning is a serious situation that can lead to death. Too much alcohol is characterised by nausea, vomiting, coma, slow and shallow breathing, pale skin and incontinence (wetting or soiling themselves).

People can develop a tolerance to alcohol, meaning they need to drink more to feel that same pleasurable effects. Although they might not appear intoxicated or drunk despite drinking alcohol, the alcohol will still damage someone’s health.

Alcohol can be addictive and cause dependence. For example, people who drink a lot of alcohol in social situations might feel they need to drink to enjoy social situations and not enjoy themselves if they are without a drink.

People can be physically dependant on alcohol because their body has become accustomed to functioning with alcohol in its system. If somebody with this condition suddenly stops drinking alcohol there could be serious health risks. These withdrawal effects include loss of appetite, nausea, sweating, body shakes, anxiety, insomnia, irritability and confusion.

A person withdrawing from severe alcohol dependence may risk convulsions, delusions, hallucinations, vomiting and death. It is strongly recommended that people in these circumstances seek help from a doctor or health professional because they will need help to manage their withdrawal.

The New Zealand context
Alcohol is the most popular recreational drug in New Zealand. As such, it's also responsible for many problems.

A research report commissioned for the Alcohol Advisory Council, The Burden of Death, Disease and Disability due to Alcohol in New Zealand, showed that there was a significant negative impact on New Zealand public health that was attributable to alcohol.

The “Burden of death, disease and disability due to alcohol in New Zealand” project found that 3.9 percent of all deaths in New Zealand in 2000 could be attributed to alcohol consumption.

The researchers noted that the pattern of drinking largely determines the health effect. The health benefits – particularly in the prevention of heart disease, stroke and diabetes – applied largely for light daily drinkers, but the costs outweighed benefits for people who drank most of their alcohol in irregular heavy drinking sessions.

Similarly, the health benefits are largely to the elderly, and to older men rather than to women. At more than one drink each day, a woman’s risk of breast cancer rises substantially, and about 5-6 percent of breast cancers relate to alcohol. The researchers noted that a woman could significantly increase her risk of getting breast cancer without ever having consumed enough alcohol to get drunk.

At the same time, however, the years of life lost due to alcohol were four to five times higher for men than women, largely from high alcohol-related deaths in men in the 15-44 year age group.

Fewer lives were lost due to alcohol and more deaths were prevented by alcohol in non-Māori than in Māori, relative to the size of their populations. Overall, Māori had four times the alcohol-related deaths of non-Māori, and more than double the rate of years of life lost due to alcohol. This appears to be due to Māori drinking alcohol less often, but consuming more when they do drink.

In other research, economist Brian Easton (2002) estimated that the social cost of alcohol in New Zealand ranged between $1 billion to $4 billion each year. Lost productivity cost New Zealand $1.17 billion each year; the burden on the public health sector was $655 million, crime and related costs added up to $240 million, social welfare $200 million and other alcohol-related government spending was $330 million.

In 1999 the age when a person can legally purchase alcohol was lowered from 20 to 18 years; other liberalisation to the law occurred too (e.g. sale of beer in supermarkets). 

Statistics

• 81 percent of people surveyed in 2004 had drunk alcohol in the past 12 months
• In 2005, the average New Zealander over 15 years-old consumed 9.38 litres of alcohol, up 3.2 percent from 2004.
• Beer accounted for 68.8 percent of alcohol available for consumption in 2005.
• Spirits and spirit-based drinks (pre-mixed, or alcopops) accounted for 11.7 percent of total alcohol in 2005.
• One in three teenagers aged 12 to 17 reported in 2003 that they make no attempt to limit their drinking.
• 48 percent of New Zealanders surveyed in 2003 thought it was okay to get drunk.
• One quarter of all adults engage in risky drinking on a relatively frequent basis, according to ALAC's survey in 2003.

The law and penalties
The sale of alcohol in New Zealand is governed by the Sale of Liquor Act 1989. The act covers aspects such as the age someone can purchase alcohol, where and when it can be bought, who can sell it and 'host responsibility' – selling alcohol to people in a responsible manner and ensuring that people drink alcohol safely.

It is important to remember that New Zealand does not have a legal 'drinking age'. A person must be at least 18 years-old to purchase alcohol, although someone who is younger than 18 can have alcohol supplied to them by their parent or legal guardian.

People under 18 cannot be at licensed premises except in certain circumstances. Under 18 year-olds can be present if employed to prepare or serve meals or other non alcohol-related activities. They may also be present in designated 'supervised' areas if accompanied by their parent or legal guardian.

Anyone who is aged 18 years or over can legally purchase alcohol from licensed premises. Licensed premises are any venue that has the legal right to sell alcohol. For example, restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, supermarkets, bottle stores and sport clubrooms.

Despite it appearing to be common practice in many licensed venues, it is illegal to allow someone to become intoxicated (drunk) at a licensed premise or to sell liquor to an intoxicated person.

Penalties for contravening the Sale of Liquor Act include:

In addition to the provisions of the Sale of Liquor Act, there are local bylaws such as liquor bans that govern where and when people can drink. For example, drinking alcohol is prohibited in some public parks or inner city areas at certain times. Visit the website of your local council to find out what restrictions apply.

Safe use
Drinking too much alcohol can cause significant problems both for the individual and the public – but how much is too much? It's hard to say because there are many factors that influence the effects of alcohol, such as body weight, body type, gender, personality and the environment in which someone drinks.

The Drug Foundation has reservations about the use of guidelines because in some situations and for different people, the 'safe' limits may actually lead to harm.

The following guidelines from the Alcohol Advisory Council (www.alac.org.nz) suggest the following upper limits.
For men:

• An average of no more than four standard drinks a day, and no more than 21 standard drinks over a week.
• Not more than six standard drinks in any one occasional heavy drinking day
• A few alcohol-free days every week

For women:

• An average of no more than two standard drinks a day, and no more than 14 standard drinks over a week
• Not more than four standard drinks in any one occasional heavy drinking day
• A few alcohol-free days every week

Standard Drinks
A standard drink contains about 10 grams of alcohol. This is about the equivalent of a can of beer (330ml), glass of wine (100ml) or a single shot of spirits (30ml). Please remember that many bars serve double shots unless requested otherwise.

How to get help
There are a number of treatment organisations that can help. If you feel that you or anyone you know needs help, then you can call these services in strict confidence.

If you are faced with an emergency, call 111 immediately.

To talk to someone about your or someone else’s drug use, call the Alcohol Drug Helpline - 0800 787 797

You can also get contact details for your local alcohol and other drug counsellor or treatment provider by calling the helpline or by visiting www.addictionshelp.org.nz .

Special sections
Health benefits from alcohol
There is some evidence that drinking small amounts of alcohol may be beneficial to the health of older people. Research shows that for men over 45 and women over 55, small amounts of alcohol may reduce the risk of developing some types of cardiovascular disease.

No benefit is gained by younger groups.

It is important to remember that alcohol increases the risk of cirrhosis, some cancers and other diseases. Alcohol is also responsible for many deaths and injuries due to misadventure, car crashes, accidents and violence.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby. Alcohol crosses the placenta and is taken in by the developing foetus. Alcohol has been found to cause cell mutations in the foetus. This is especially true at the early stages of development (the first 30 days) but damage can occur at any point before birth.

The range of problems that can result from maternal alcohol consumption is called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD.

Depending on how much has been drunk and when, effects include:

• moderate to severe intellectual disability
• learning and behavioural problems such as hyperactivity, impulsivity and attention deficit disorders
• growth deficits
• heart, lung, and kidney problems
• visual impairment.

The main cause of FASD is binge drinking (drinking five or more standard drinks at a single session).

After birth, alcohol is also transmitted to the baby through breast milk.

Links
www.alac.org.nz The website of the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand. This organisation conducts policy development and research into alcohol issues in New Zealand and provides information, resources and education on this site.

www.shore.ac.nz Massey University's Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation conducts alcohol-related research, some of which is published online.

www.legislation.govt.nz The Statutes section contains the full text of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 and subsequent amendments. People wishing to hold liquor licenses and operate licenses to sell alcohol must be familiar with this act.