faq

What is a standard drink?

A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. All alcohol containers now have a Standard Drinks content on the label.

I’ve heard there are guidelines for safe alcohol consumption.  What are they?

Yes, there are guidelines for safe alcohol consumption.

ALAC (The Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand) has established a set of upper limit guidelines for responsible drinking :
A maximum of six standard drinks a day for men and four standard drinks for women with at least two or more alcohol free days a week.
The guidelines for women are less than for men because women have smaller livers and a greater proportion of body fat to overall body weight.
There is no amount of alcohol consumption that is absolutely safe for all people, or any person, under all circumstances. For some people, in some circumstance, safe drinking will mean no alcoholic drinks at all.

You cannot save up these daily drinks for one occasion. Even if you’ve had nothing to drink all week, it is a good idea to stay within the upper guidelines when you drink.

You can access more information about alcohol consumption, from the alcohol drug helpline 0800 787 797.

Can I drink alcohol when I am pregnant?

It is not safe to drink alcohol when you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant.

What about when I am breastfeeding?

It is best not to drink at all when breastfeeding. Alcohol passes to your baby in your breast milk and their brain cells are still forming. When you drink, less milk is produced and the alcohol can also make your baby irritable and unsettled. 

What can I do if I have been drinking and I am pregnant?

If you have been drinking during your pregnancy, then stop drinking now. It is worth going without alcohol for a few months to have a healthy baby. You can  telephone the alcohol drug helpline on  0800 787 797 for support and information.

I’m concerned about someone else’s  drinking/ drug use.  What can I do?

Call the alcohol drug helpline for support and information specific to your needs.  Everyone’s experience is different.

What are the legal blood alcohol limits?

Current Legal Limits:

• Drivers under 20 years - 150mcg breath or 30mg blood; 
• Drivers over 20 years - 400mcg breath or 80mg blood.

As everyone’s tolerance is different, it is safer to not drink and drive.

Herbal Highs are  sold everywhere.  What are they?  Are they safe to use?

BZP (Benzylpiperazine) and TFMPP (Trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine) are the two most common ingredients in what is known as ‘herbal highs’ or ‘party pills’. Some examples are: Frenzy, Exodus – The Journey, Nemesis, Nemi, Euphoria, Zoom, Blast, Shotgun, Rapture and Charge. Although these pills are called ‘herbal highs’ the active ingredients (BZP and TFMPP) are not herbal – they’re synthetically produced. Some are even called dietary supplements, implying that they replace something that’s missing in your diet – however, no normal balanced diet contains these chemicals.

BZP has stimulant-type properties and affects the dopamine and noradrenaline neurotransmitter systems, resulting in similar effects to those caused by amphetamine (NOT methamphetamine). Taking 100mg of BZP is like taking an oral dose of 7.5mg of dexamphetamine – the effects of a 100mg dose last 6 to 8 hours.

For more information see the Party Pills pamphlet in Drug Information

What are the current trends in alcohol and other drug use in New Zealand?

Alcohol
Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in New Zealand and research shows that risky drinking is the most harmful pattern of drinking. A recent study defined binge drinking as the consumption of five or more standard drinks on any one occasion for 12-17 year olds and seven or more standard drinks for adults over 18.
Tobacco
Tobacco use prevalence is generally highest amongst the 25-34 age group according to figures published in 2003 by the Ministry of Health’s Occasional Report No. 20. In 2002 smoking prevalence was slightly greater than one in five people for the European/Other population, a decrease of 3% from the early 1990’s level. Nearly half of Maori people (49.2%) were smokers at 2002, and more than one in three Pacific people (35.2%). 

Cannabis
The National Drug Policy review notes that cannabis is undoubtedly the most widely used illicit drug and the third most popular drug in New Zealand, after alcohol and tobacco.

According to figures from Drug Use in NZ (APHRU, 2002) there are no significant changes in the patterns of use of cannabis. Half of those surveyed in 2002 had tried cannabis compared to 52% in 2001. Of those who had tried cannabis 30% had done so before the age of 15.

Legal Highs or 'Herbal' Highs
Legal highs or ‘herbal’ highs have become the trend and the preferred choice of many young people. In New Zealand during 2003 over 1.5 million party pill capsules were manufactured. Estimates place sales of ‘party pills’ in NZ as high as 6 million capsules in the last 6 years. 

Ecstacy
The National Drug Survey found that 3.4% of people had used MDMA (ecstasy) in the twelve months prior to the 2001 survey, compared to 1.5% of people surveyed in 1998. In 2001 ecstasy had become the most commonly used hallucinogenic drug. In 2001 5.4% had ever tried ecstasy compared to 3% in 1998. Current users accounted for 2.3% in 2001 an increase from 1% in 1998.

MDMA
In 2003, the NZ Customs Service seized 249,000 tablets (or powder equivalent) of MDMA. There has been a 2600% increase in the level of seizures since 2000.  It also indicates that international trafficking of MDMA into New Zealand has also increased since 1998.

Amphetamines
The findings from the 2003 drug treatment workers survey, confirm that amphetamine use is now impacting on alcohol and drug treatment services to the extent that about one in five patients now cite amphetamine, alone or in combination with other drugs, as their main substance use problem. This confirms that increases in amphetamine use in the general population, identified in other research over the last five years, are now translating into a sizable increase in treatment demand for this drug type.

Methamphetamine (P)
Both the Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SHORE) and The National Addiction Centre (NAC) in Christchurch have been conducting research.  The following information is taken from The Socio-Economic Impact of Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) in New Zealand Final Report (SHORE, 2004).

ATS
ATS drug users were disproportionately male and aged 18-29, heaviest use being among 20-24 year olds. However, several characteristics of the ATS using population set them apart from other illicit drug using populations. ATS drug users had high levels of full time employment, came from a range of occupational backgrounds including professionals, earned mid-level incomes and had relatively high levels of educational achievement. Large numbers of ATS drug users, including frequent users, were European. Disproportionately more ATS users lived in urban settings, in the upper half of the North Island and in Auckland.
The new user populations most commonly reported by all three informant groups were ‘teenage users’ and ‘business people’. User informants also noted more ‘young women’, ‘lower socio-economic’ and ‘Maori/Polynesian’ users.  Treatment key informants noticed more ‘young women’ users.

The SHORE report found that approximately one third of those who had used an ATS drug in the last year reported experiencing harm in at least one area of their lives from the use of ATS drugs. About half of the frequent methamphetamine users interviewed reported harm in the areas of ‘friendship and social life’ (55%), ‘health’ (55%), and ‘energy and vitality’ (53%) from their methamphetamine use.

The most serious problems reported by frequent methamphetamine users were psychological rather than physical. About 40% of frequent methamphetamine users reported pre-existing psychological problems.  Levels of psychological problems increased after using methamphetamine with about two-thirds of frequent methamphetamine users reporting ‘anxiety’, ‘mood swings’, ‘short temper’, ‘paranoia’, and ‘depression’. Twenty-one percent of frequent methamphetamine users reported ‘suicidal thoughts’ and 13% ‘suicide attempts’ after using the drug.

Opiates
Opiates include heroin, home-bake, morphine and poppies.  Around 4% of those surveyed reported they had tried at least one of these drugs. Around l% had used opiates in the last year while 0.6% were current users.