'have the conversation' says ALAC

The Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) is urging people to speak up and have the conversation if they are concerned about the drinking of someone they care about.

A new campaign which includes television advertising kicks off tonight (7 April) with the release of the first of three new television commercials, focusing on the things people can do to look after themselves and the people they care about around alcohol.

ALAC Chief executive Officer Gerard Vaughan said the aim of the advertising was to create an environment where if people wanted to talk to a close friend or family member they felt they had the confidence, social permission and tools to do so.
Mr Vaughan said the previous series of ads produced by ALAC showed graphic examples of excessive drinking leading to harm, with three realistic characters eventually making poor and dangerous choices.

These ads were very successful with surveys showing that 21 percent of adult drinkers said they had started drinking less. The ads also generated an 11 percent increase in calls through the Alcohol Drug Helpline in the last year.
“But what they also created was enormous discussion on what you should do for someone who is drinking too much. People said to us ‘Why didn’t someone do something or say something?’” he said.

“We commissioned research on what would motivate or stop people from taking action. We found most New Zealanders agree that they have a role in taking action to prevent someone they care about from drinking too much and experiencing harm, but that many of them don’t have the confidence around what they can do and when and how they might do it,” he said. “They were also afraid of damaging their relationship with the drinker.”
Mr Vaughan said the new ads showed the ‘how, why and when’ to have the conversation. All the conversations take place after a drinking session rather than at the time a person is drunk.

“Instead of focusing just on the drinker, we are also trying to reach the potential influencers of those drinkers who have the opportunity and motivation to do positive things that help themselves and the people they care about avoid drinking too much. These people are their friends, partners and especially those hosting drinking occasions.”

The first ad to hit the air is set in a rugby club where two friends are getting ready for practice. One of them, Jon, is having a BBQ the following weekend and is asking his mate Sam to come along. Jon takes the opportunity to talk to Sam about the way Sam changes when he drinks and the impact that has on himself and the people around him.

Jon asks Sam not to bring his “mates” with him to the BBQ. Sam looks a little confused and taken aback. Jon goes on to give Sam examples of the different types of people Sam becomes when he drinks too much (Shouty Sam’, ‘Punchy Sam’ and ‘Hit on everyone’s Missus Sam’). As he does, we see a flashback to Sam being each of these versions of himself at the last BBQ they were at.

We see Jon looking quite confident but caring as he talks to Sam, and Sam looking obviously taken aback and maybe even surprised – you can see he’s a bit uncomfortable and is processing what Jon’s telling him.

Jon tells Sam that he’ll always be his mate, but that he needs to sort out his drinking. As the commercial ends we see the two mates starting to talk it through. The ad ends with the tag line of ‘Ease up on the drink’

“We want to give people a tool and the language, a way in if you like, to raise the issue. It’s time to speak up,” Mr Vaughan said.

“As a result of the television advertising, we want more people to feel confident and competent to have the conversation with the person they care about – about their drinking.

“The way people go about doing it will be different depending on the relationship they have with the people around them and the situation they’re in but the main message really is that however they do it, they can help the people they care about ease up on the drink.

“As New Zealanders we pride ourselves on being good mates and caring about our families – alcohol is an area where we can do small and simple things that can help people make positive changes to the way they drink – which is good for everyone,”
To complement the advertisements, tips and information are provided on the website to remind people of the range of things they can do to manage the use of alcohol, he said.
“The information will be aimed at people hosting social occasions at home and will encourage them to think about practical things, such as providing low-alcohol and interesting non-alcohol drinks, providing substantial food, planning to do more than just drink and setting their expectations about drinking.”

The commercials feature an 0800 number (freephone 0800 787 797) and website www.alac.org.nz. The 0800 number directs callers to the Alcohol Drug Helpline, while the campaign website has information about how to recognise if you have a problem and tips for managing your drinking, how to raise the issue with someone whose drinking you are concerned about, where to go for help, being a responsible host, managing your drinking, and campaign materials.

For further information or comment contact ALAC CEO Gerard Vaughan on 021 549 848 or ALAC Senior Communications Advisor Lynne Walsh on 021 369 081.

Questions and Answers

What impact did the last advertising have?
There have been positive results from the last round of advertising activity including very high awareness and many people telling us they have thought about their drinking or started to take action.

As a result of the advertising that launched in April 2008:

• 49 percent of adult drinkers report they had discussed the advertising and/or the issue with their family or friends
• 35 percent had thought about how they drink
• 19 percent of drinkers had thought about cutting back
• 21 percent had actually started drinking less
• Five percent had looked for information about how to cut back.

There has also been increase in calls to the free phone Alcohol Drug Helpline:

• A total of 17,700 calls for help were recorded by the national Alcohol Drug Helpline in the past year 08/09– an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year.
• There has also been an increase in the number of males calling the Helpline to talk about their own drinking.
• What are you trying to achieve with the new advertising?
• The aim of ALAC’s marketing is to contribute to a reduction in the number of people drinking to intoxication.

We are aiming to create an environment where people feel confident and have the social permission to take action about drinking too much – whether it’s for their own drinking, the drinking of someone they care about or for the wider community.

As a result of the television advertising, we want more people to feel confident and competent to have the conversation with the person they care about – about their drinking.

As a result of our wider marketing activities we want people to do things differently in the way they set and run drinking occasions to help themselves and their friends and family to avoid drinking too much and experiencing harm.

Who are you trying to reach?
We’re trying to reach people who drink to binge levels on a drinking occasion and who are open to and ready to make positive changes to the way they drink.
We are also trying to reach the potential influencers of those drinkers who have the opportunity and motivation to do positive things that help themselves and the people they care about avoid drinking too much. These people are their friends, partners and especially those hosting drinking occasions.

So are you trying to get all New Zealanders’ to tell their friends or partners to drink less?
The aim of the advertising is to create an environment where if people want to talk to a close friend or family member they feel they have the confidence, social permission and tools to do so.

Our research also shows that most New Zealanders agree that they have a role in taking action to prevent someone they care about from drinking too much and experiencing harm, but that many of them don’t have the confidence around what they can do and how they might do it.

What does “Ease up on the drink” mean?
Ease up on the drink means cutting down on how much alcohol you’re drinking. Ease up on the drink can mean different things to different people. For some, easing up might mean drinking less in one session and/or drinking less days. For others, the best way to ease up might be not to drink at all.

How do you know when someone is drinking too much and should cut down?
Making the decision to cut down on your drinking is mainly about recognising how you or others feel about your drinking. Do you drink more than you intended when you drink? Do you feel sick or uncomfortable with what happened the next day? Some things might have started to happen because of your drinking and you want to make a change, or your friends or family might have suggested it’s time to look at the way you drink.

If people have any niggles about their drinking they can take the DrinkCheck test at www.alac.org.nz to find out more about their level of risk.

Why did you pick the situations in the advertising?
The situations in the advertising reflect the scenarios, relationships and settings that New Zealanders told us about through our ongoing research programme. They are the types of drinking situations and consequences that are happening regularly around New Zealand.

Is this really a problem that affects all New Zealanders? Are you saying we all drink too much?
While not all New Zealanders drink in a problematic way, for the many that do their drinking can have serious consequences for them, for the people around them and also for the wider community and society.