Changing the New Zealand Drinking Culture Its not the drinking its how were drinking

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Changing the New Zealand Drinking
CultureIts not the drinking its how were
drinking
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the concept of culture

• Culture is learned not inherited. It derives
  from ones social environment not from ones genes
  (Hofstede, 1997 in Walker 2000, p 62)
• The means by which we bring order and meaning to
  our lives and provide a sense of purpose,
  identity and belonging, while also acting as a
  framework of values to guide our actions
  (Eckersley, 2006, p 253)
• A way of life . made up of habits, customs and
  norms (Giddens, 1997 in Roche et al., 2005)

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western culture

• Some ideas and principles which might be
  considered cornerstones of western cultures
• Christianity and secularism
• Rationality and emphasis on technological
  innovation and science coupled with a belief in
  progress
• Emphasis on human rights, which are considered
  natural rights and the rule of law
• Personal freedom as an important value
• Expectation of personal responsibility
• A strong sense of personal privacy and civil
  rights.

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western culture continued

• Core component, as with any culture, is values
• Materialism and individualism the two defining
  characteristics of modern Western culture
  (Eckersley, 2006) as they have most significant
  effect on psychosocial factors such as social
  support and personal control
• Increasing fear and unprecedented consumption
• Need to consider influence of individualism,
  materialism and social and economic disadvantage
  to get any cultural change.

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history of alcohol

• Alcohol is the psychoactive drug most widely used
  throughout the world
• Regular use of psychoactive drugs, including
  alcohol, comes close to being a human universal,
  a culturally patterned behaviour found worldwide
  (Gamella, 2002, p. xv)
• In English the verb to drink often applies to
  alcohol rather than any other beverage
• 7000 years ago drunkenness recognised as a major
  social problem (Plant Plant, 2006)
• Early drinking most commonly associated with
  celebrations and still meeting same need today
  transcending everyday life.

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drunkeness major social problem
Hogarths Etching Gin Lane (1751)
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history continued

• 19th century western response informal social
  sanction
• Legislation - maintain social order and regulate
  production/distribution
• No treatment response
• 19th to 20th century increase regulation
• Link to economics, politics and social order.

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effects of alcohol

• Impairment to sensorimotor skills fairly uniform
  but behaviour not
• Behaviour linked to peoples idea of what alcohol
  does (Mandelbaum, 1965, p. 282)
• Drinking behaviour is learned therefore
  culturally determined (MacAndrew and Edgerton,
  1969).

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drinking culture what is it?

• Shared customs and attitudes vary widely from
  essential and sacred to dispensable and
  destructive
• Impacts on alcohol expectancies
• Western culture and internalisation of
  expectations
• Beliefs not monolithic
• Cultures of drinking can change over time.

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types of drinking and drinking culture

• Valued by many for promoting relaxation and
  sociability and most of reasons people drink are
  positive (Plant Plant, 2006)
• Non-problematic drinking normal in both
  statistical and sociological terms
• Most risks associated with abuse
• Sporadic episodes of acute intoxication broader
  range of harms than moderate drinking
• Problems linked with values, norms, attitudes.

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classifying drinking cultures

• Wet , dry and blended
• Wet high per capita consumption and
  permissive
• Dry low per capita consumption and strong
  sanctions
• Blended somewhere in between the two
  extremes.

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wet or dry
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minimising abuse and harm

• Cultures most successful at preventing abuse and
  minimising harm do not control patterns through
  regulatory framework but
• View alcohol as natural part of life no
  ambivalence
• Teach young people by example of moderation
• Encourage drinking among family/friends rather
  than same gender settings
• Discourage heavy, episodic drinking
• Sanction negatively and promptly unacceptable
  drinking practices
• Respect the choice not to drink and do not
  pressure
• Free of belief that alcohol can solve problems,
  signify adulthood, grant power or confirm
  manhood.

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cultural values

• Hospitality, kinship and reciprocity
• Mateship implied by drinking together
• Social credit - confirm ongoing networks of
  reciprocity by sharing alcohol
• Drinking together binds members of a group
• Ritualistic function life cycle events,
  transition from work to play
• Associated with recreation and irresponsibility -
  regarded as opposite to working.

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drinking places
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key features of New Zealand

• Normalisation of alcohol into everyday consumer
  behaviour
• Not considered part of drug culture
• Positive contributions - cultural significance of
  socialisation, entertainment, celebration
  hospitality
• Will not change by telling people they drink too
  much
• Drunkenness normative linked with the shout,
  mateship, and wowserism.

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key features continued

• Drunkenness and explosive drinking definitive
  of social characteristics of early settlement by
  the English (Brady, 2000)
• Significant influence on contemporary drinking
  patterns and culture
• Was largely male, pub culture, 6 oclock closing
  drinking swill
• OK to get drunk and drink to get drunk
• Recently women drinking a lot more and drinking
  like men.

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how do you change a culture?

• Most people cannot be legislated into behaviour
  change, but environment and access does impact on
  ability to drink
• People cannot be scared into changing the way
  they consume a legal product that has desired
  social and health benefits, but knowledge is
  necessary
• Not everyone can or needs to access treatment and
  intervention
• People will, for the most part, consume a product
  to the norm set by their society
• Social norms can be changed with the right mix of
  strategies
• Different people respond to different strategies,
  more often, a mix is required

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the ALAC model to change a drinking culture
NZers drink in a way that shows its never ok to
be drunk
SUPPLY CONTROL Making sure there is effective
legislation and regulation in place, and then
making sure that its enforced and that people
know about it.
PROBLEM LIMITATION Supporting people to make
change, either on their own or through a range of
treatment services.
DEMAND REDUCTION Encouraging and convincing
individuals and communities to make good choices
about drinking.
INFORMATION / COMMUNICATION / POLICY Keeping the
issue and the facts alive and heard!
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the behaviour change journey
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communications considerations

• Cautions around denigrating the perceived
  benefits of drinking
• Showing hard consequences perpetuates not
  us/not me
• Finger pointing inappropriate
• Recognisable social and domestic situations are
  useful
• Reflect personalise vs confront reject
• Equal reach and influence for Maori and Pacific
  People as for the rest of the population.

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we have concluded that

• Changing New Zealands drinking culture requires
  a comprehensive programme of complementary
  strategies
• Its a whole population issueMaori and Pacific
  Peoples share a drinking pattern
• An appropriate balance is required across Supply
  Control, Problem Limitation and Demand Reduction
• Its not just about advertising
• It requires a long-term commitment
• ALAC cannot do it alone.

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want to know more?
Contacts ALAC Andrew Galloway Cathy Bruce Project
Manager Project Manager Drinking
Environments Local Government a.galloway_at_alac.org.
nz c.bruce_at_alac.org.nz www.alac.org.nz