What is a standard drink?
A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. A rough estimate of this would be:
· 330ml can beer alcohol
· 100ml glass table wine
· 30ml straight spirits
Although the drinks listed above are different sizes, each contains approximately the same amount of alcohol and counts as a single standard drink.
All alcohol containers now have a Standard Drinks content on the label. If you want to know the approximate number of standard drinks in different sized containers, the following website can help:
http://www.alac.org.nz/WhatsInAStandardDrink.aspx
Is there a safe level of alcohol consumption?
There is no amount of alcohol consumption that is absolutely safe for all people, or any one person, under all circumstances. What’s safe will depend on the individuals physiology, health, age, gender, family history, circumstances and activities they are undertaking. For some people, in some circumstances, safe drinking will mean no alcohol at all.
ALAC (The Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand) has established a set of upper limit guidelines for "safer drinking", based on medical and scientific research from New Zealand and overseas.
You can access more information about alcohol consumption from the alcohol drug helpline 0800 787 797.
Can women drink as much as men?
There are proven medical reasons why it is recommended women drink less than men and therefore have different guidelines.
· Women tend to be smaller than men so alcohol is distributed over a smaller amount of body tissue. This means that it takes fewer drinks to increase blood alcohol levels.
· Women have on average 10% more fat than men (hence the feminine curves). This means there's less body fluid to dilute alcohol, so it travels around women's bodies in more concentrated form and causes more harm.
· Women's livers produce less of the substance the body uses to break down alcohol (an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase). This means women not only get drunk quicker, but the effects last longer.
Also, some studies have suggested that women's reactions to alcohol vary during the menstrual cycle and are affected by the use of contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. However, the evidence is not conclusive.
What are the legal blood alcohol limits?
Current legal limits are:
· Drivers under 20 years - 150mcg per litre of breath or 30mg per 100mls blood.
· Drivers over 20 years - 400mcg per litre of breath or 80mg per 100mls blood.
A lot of people find it extremely difficult to work out if they are staying within these legal limits as each person has a different alcohol tolerance and metabolism. The safest option is to not drive at all if you have been drinking alcohol.
What is the law in New Zealand about supplying alcohol to minors?
New Zealand does not have a minimum legal drinking age. However, what we do have is a minimum legal age for purchasing alcohol.
· It is illegal for anyone under 18 years old to purchase alcohol, and
· It is illegal for anyone other than a parent or guardian to supply alcohol to those under 18.
Should I drink alcohol when I am pregnant?
When you drink, the alcohol crosses from your bloodstream through the placenta into your baby’s blood.
If you drink heavily when you are pregnant you could be putting the development of your baby at risk. In the first three months of pregnancy, even before a woman knows that she is pregnant, heavy drinking can damage the developing organs and nervous system of the foetus.
If you continue to drink heavily when you are pregnant you put your baby at risk of developing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The condition is a life long one, and children can have a range of symptoms including low birth weight, facial abnormalities, and learning and behavioural difficulties. The severity of the condition can depend on how much alcohol was consumed during pregnancy.
It is not yet known whether any amount of alcohol is safe for a developing baby. Therefore, to be safe, advice from the Ministry of Health is that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant should not drink at all.
FASD is recognised as the leading preventable cause of brain damage in the western world – if you do not drink alcohol whilst pregnant, your baby will not be at risk of developing FASD.
What can I do if I have been drinking and I am pregnant?
If you have been drinking during your pregnancy, you may want to reconsider how much, or even whether, you drink during this time.
Don’t panic. Talk to your doctor or midwife about any concerns you may have - they’re there to help.
You can also telephone the alcohol drug helpline on 0800 787 797 for support and information.
What about when I am breastfeeding?
Alcohol passes to your baby in your breast milk at a time when the baby’s brain cells are still forming, and the alcohol can also make your baby irritable and unsettled. Also, when you drink alcohol less milk is produced. For these reasons it is recommended not to drink at all when breastfeeding.
There’s been articles in the media recently about alcohol and cancer in women - what’s the real story?
The reports refer to results from a large study in the UK (the Million Women Study) where the risk of various types of cancer in women according to alcohol consumption was assessed. It found that increasing alcohol consumption by even a small amount (1 standard drink per day) in women increases the risk of certain cancers – the more you drink, the more the risk rises.
If you are interested to know more about this study, click here
http://www.millionwomenstudy.org/publications/82/moderate-alcohol-intake-and-cancer-incidence-in-women
I think I have a problem with alcohol/other drug use. Does that mean I have to stop using altogether?
Not necessarily. There is no “one size fits all” answer; what is best for you will depend on many factors such as the severity of the problem, what / how much / how often you are using, and your individual circumstances.
If you are concerned about your use of alcohol or other drugs, we recommend you contact the alcohol drug helpline (0800 787 797) or some other organisation or person you trust for more information about your particular situation.
If I accept help, does it mean my employer or CYFS or anyone else will find out?
If you do seek help you can expect to be treated with confidentiality and respect. There is a wide range of assistance available, providing high quality services that respond to the unique needs of the person seeking treatment, their whanau/families, and the wider community. All service providers are expected to adhere to the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1996/0078/latest/DLM209085.html
I’m concerned about someone else’s drinking/drug use. What can I do?
When someone close to you has problems with their alcohol and/or drug use, it can be very stressful.
The first thing you may want to do is to check out whether there really is something to worry about.
There are ways in which you can help the other person, remembering that it is important to keep yourself safe
You can telephone the alcohol drug helpline on 0800 787 797 for more information, and for support for yourself.
What are the current trends in alcohol and other drug use in New Zealand?
For more specific information on factors and effects of specific drugs see Drug Information.
The two drugs which cause the most harm in New Zealand are alcohol and tobacco.
Alcohol
Alcohol is the most commonly used recreational drug in New Zealand. Research published in 2008 shows eight out of every ten adults (83.7%) reported having had a drink containing alcohol in the previous year; these statistics were higher in men (87.9%) than in women (80.8%).
One in five adult drinkers (21.1%) had a potentially hazardous drinking pattern (ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence). This is 17.7% of the total adult population, equating to 551,300 adults, who had a high risk of future damage to their physical and/or mental health due to drinking alcohol. In the total population, men (27.6%) were more than twice as likely as women (12.2%) to be in this group.
Research reported in Youth’07 - The Health and Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in New Zealand shows that 72% of students had used alcohol and the majority of students (61%) currently drink alcohol. Among students who currently drink alcohol, almost one-third (30%) drink weekly or more often. The amount of alcohol drunk by many students is substantial, with about one-third (34%) of students reporting that they had engaged in binge drinking (5 or more drinks within 4 hours) in the last 4 weeks. 16% of students who currently drink alcohol had been told by friends or family that they needed to cut down their drinking.
Tobacco
According to figures published in the New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey 2006/2007, one in three adults (35.4%) had never tried smoking, not even a few puffs. Over half of young people aged 15−17 years had never tried smoking (55.4%), with no difference by gender in this age group.
Long-term trends are available only for the population aged 15 years and over. For this population, smoking prevalence fell from 30% in 1986 to 19.9% in 2006/2007 (this equates to 619,900 New Zealand adults). This was the lowest level in over three decades.
Smoking prevalence was more than one in eight people for the Asian population (11.2%), one in five people for the European/Other population (18.6%), more than one in four for Pacific people (26.9%) and over one in three for Māori (42.2%).
Smoking prevalence peaked in early adulthood (18−34 years) and then declined with age. One in seven 15−17-year-olds were current smokers (15.3%), even though it is illegal in New Zealand to purchase tobacco products at this age.
Most current smokers smoked at least once a day (91.2%), one in 16 current smokers (6.4%) smoked at least once a week, and 2.5% smoked at least once a month. There were no differences by gender in the frequency of smoking. Among Māori, there was a significant decrease in current daily smoking from 47.2% in 2002/03 to 37.6% in 2006/07.
Cannabis
“Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in New Zealand. The Illicit Drug Monitoring System, Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring data and New Zealand Household Drug Use Survey data have highlighted that the age of first use of cannabis has become increasingly younger. In addition, a recent World Health Organisation study found that New Zealand had one of the highest levels of reported cannabis use for those over the age of 15 years.” (New Zealand Police - Illicit Drug Strategy to 2010)
Nearly all cannabis available in New Zealand is produced domestically, both in outdoor plantations and in indoor hydroponic production, with growing cultivation of high potency strains and clones.
New Zealand has a high prevalence of cannabis experimentation. In 2006 it was reported that 44.1% of the New Zealand population aged 15-45 years old had ever used cannabis. The proportion of people who had used cannabis in the previous 12 months was 17.9%, however, only 4 percent were heavy users (defined as more than 10 times in the last month), of whom only 4 percent were daily users.
These figures show there has been a decrease when compared with earlier figures. In 2003, 53.8% of the New Zealand population aged 15-45 years old had ever used cannabis and in 2001 it was reported that 20.3% of people had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.
The Youth’07 survey reports the proportion of high school students who use cannabis has decreased; in 2001, 39% of students had used cannabis, compared to 27% of students in 2007. Approximately 5% of students used cannabis weekly or more often. Among students currently using cannabis, about 1 in 4 used it before or during school. Almost one-third of students using cannabis had tried to cut down or give up using it.
Methamphetamine (P)
The 2007 Illicit Drug Monitoring System (IDMS) linked the growth of methamphetamine production to an increase in violent offending and dishonesty offences; it is also strongly linked to organised crime.
Methamphetamine and crystal methamphetamine were both reported to cost $100 for a ‘point’ (ie 0.1 of a gram/100mg). For users who have developed a tolerance to the drug, a point may not be enough to give them the effect they seek, hence the cost of their drug use can climb very quickly. Frequent methamphetamine users interviewed for the IDMS in 2007 spent higher dollar amounts on methamphetamine, were more likely to pay for their drug use with criminal activity and more likely to access health services related to their drug use. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring data indicates that a methamphetamine user earns on average $5,623 from crime each month.
In the 2007 IDMS, nearly all the frequent methamphetamine users had experienced harm in at least one area of their lives from their drug use in the past six months. The older (25 yrs or older) frequent methamphetamine users were more likely than the younger (under 25 yrs) frequent methamphetamine users to report harm to their ‘life opportunities’ (70% vs. 47%), ‘financial position’ (80% vs. 63%), ‘relationships and social life’ (75% vs. 60%) and ‘home life’ (71% vs. 57%) from their drug use.
'Herbal Highs'/Party Pills
Although these pills are called ‘herbal highs’ the active ingredients 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.
SHORE research published in 2006 found that levels of party pill use during the previous twelve months were highest among the 18-24 year old age range, with 33.9% of 18-19 year olds and 38.0% of 20-24 year olds having used party pills in the preceding year.
On 1 April 2008, after the above research was carried out, BZP (developed in the 1940s as a worming agent for cattle) and five other substances used in the manufacture of party pills was reclassified as C1 under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 - the same classification as cannabis. This made it illegal to possess, supply, manufacture or import these drugs. As possession of pills manufactured using these ingredients did not become illegal until 1 October 2008, and there was proof of stockpiling by users prior to the ban on sale of these pills, there is no research yet available as to the impact of the law change. However, within weeks there was anecdotal evidence that new party pills without these ingredients were being marketed – as yet we have no verifiable study as to the ingredients of these pills.
Ecstasy
Ecstasy is a street term for a range of drugs that are similar in structure to MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and are similar in structure and effect to amphetamines and hallucinogens. In fact, although ecstasy tablets are notoriously impure, often containing chemicals other than MDMA, it has become the most commonly used hallucinogenic drug in New Zealand.
Research published by SHORE shows that, in the 2006 survey, the proportion of the New Zealand population aged 13-45 years old which had used ecstasy at some time was 7.5% (compared to 5.2% in 2003), with 3.7% having used the drug in the previous 12 months (compared to 2.7% in 2003).
Opiates
Opiates include heroin, home-bake (made from codeine-based tablets), morphine and poppies/opium.
Research undertaken and published by IDMS suggests that the proportion of the New Zealand population aged 13-45 years old who had ever used opiates remained the same in 2006 (0.6%) compared to 2003 (0.5%). The proportion of respondents aged 13-45 who had used opiates in the previous 12 months also remained the same in 2006 (0.13%) compared to 2003 (0.15%).
Inhalants
Inhalants (glue, gas, fuels, aerosols, solvents) are a depressant. This means that they slow down brain functions and the activity of the central nervous system, affecting physical, mental, and emotional responses.
Whilst not widely used in New Zealand, children and teenagers are the most common groups who use inhalants for recreational purposes.
