Alcohol Postcards Campaign

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Alcohol Postcards Campaign

• Dr Fiona Hutton
• Institute of Criminology
• Victoria University
• fiona.hutton_at_vuw.ac.nz

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Harm Reduction/Harm Minimisation

• Developed from the field of illicit drugs in the
  1980s
• Harm reduction refers to policies and
  programmes that
• are aimed at reducing the harms from drugs but
  not
• drug use per se
• (Ritter and Cameron 2006 611)
• Harm reduction/harm minimisation as a philosophy
  recognises abstinence messages are largely
  ineffective in addressing harms related to the
  use of drugs or alcohol.

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Harm Minimisation

• Measuring the effectiveness of harm minimisation
  policies
• and interventions
• Where does what you are measuring fit?
• How is effectiveness measured?
• What counts as effective or successful?

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Alcohol Postcards Campaign
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Alcohol Postcards Campaign
The wording inside this card is I called you a
bitch, Spilt wine on your new dress, Vomited in
the lounge, Came on to your best friend, Peed in
the bed, Put my hand through the window, Ruined
your party, Crashed your car, Gave you herpes
or.... For whatever it was that made you mad?
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Alcohol Postcards Evaluation 2008

• Research was advertised thorough a flyer.
• 333 questionnaires filled in.
• 1 focus group (2 people!).
• 2 qualitative interviews.

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Drinking Patterns

• The frequency of drinking occasions are often
  quite low. 187 respondents reported drinking only
  once or twice a week
• There are also a significant number of
  respondents that never drink (37)
• The number of respondents who stated that they
  drank every day is very small (5).
• Number of drinks consumed per session
• Number of drinks Number of respondents
• None 27
• 1-2 24
• 3-4 43
• 5-6 39
• 7-8 58
• 9-10 43
• 11-12 26
• 13-15 21

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Drinking Patterns

• Using Casswell and Bhattas (2001) definition of
  binge
• drinking
• 218 students can be identified as binge drinkers,
  43 are borderline binge drinkers, 51 do not come
  under the classification of binge drinkers.
• Although using another definition of binge
  drinking
• (Measham 2004)
• 176 count as binge drinkers, 43 borderline binge
  drinkers, 96 do not come under the classification
  of binge drinkers.
• In response to a question asking Do you think
  you drink too much? only 29 respondents thought
  yes, 159 thought no, 108 thought they
  sometimes drank too much.
• Therefore students follow a typical pattern of
  binge drinking. It is the
• quantity of alcohol consumed on each drinking
  occasion that is cause
• for concern.

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Binge Drinking

• consuming six or more drinks on one
  occasion for men, and consuming four or more
  drinks on one occasion for women.
• (Casswell and Bhatta 2001, Dacey 1998)
• Consuming double the recommended daily
  sensible consumption, eight units for men, six
  units for women, or consumption of more than
  half the weekly recommended sensible
  consumption level, ten and a half units for men
  seven units for women.
• (Measham 2004 316)
• Binge or risky drinking where a young
  person reports they have consumed the equivalent
  of five or more glasses of alcohol during a
  single drinking occasion.
• (www.alac.org.nz)
• Binge or risky drinking - where an adult
  reports they have consumed the equivalent of
  seven or more glasses of alcohol during a singe
  drinking occasion. (www.alac.org.nz)

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Alcohol Postcards Evaluation 2008

• A night to remember was the most popular card
  (107), Students with glasses. was the least
  popular card (23)
• 136 out of 333 respondents thought the cards
  would make a difference to peoples drinking
  behaviour.
• 173 out of 333 respondents thought the cards
  would not make a difference to peoples drinking
  behaviour.
• 22 out of 333 respondents thought the cards may
  make a difference to peoples drinking behaviour

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Alcohol Postcards Evaluation 2008

• Effective why not?
• Teenagers dont listen to anything
• A binge drinking culture is attached to student
  life
• Although.
• Respondents thought it would be better to have
  them than not
• That the cards reinforced the issues related to
  binge drinking
• That the cards made people think about the
  consequences of binge drinking

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Alcohol Postcards Evaluation 2008

• Effective-why?
• Situations were relevant to students
• Situations were realistic
• Humour was used to get across a serious message
• They made you not want to experience the
  scenarios

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Alcohol Postcards Evaluation

• Strategies like Leaving bank cards at home could
  be derailed by others offering to buy drinks.
• Drinking before going out meant their defences
  were down in accepting these offers.
• Respondents (focus group and interviews) stated
  that the postcards would not stop people drinking
  because,
• - there was a drinking culture attached to
  student life,
• - peer pressure,
• - drinking irresponsibly was something
  everybody
• did even though they knew it was a bad
  thing
• because it was fun,
• - young people grow out of binge drinking
  behaviour.

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Worth the effort..?

• More effective in highlighting the consequences
  and harms associated with binge drinking and drug
  use.
• More effective in addressing the harms associated
  with drinking and drug use.
• More effective as a philosophy than abstinence.
• However..
• More evaluation needs to be done
• Targeted campaigns aimed at specific populations
  are the most successful (This is what research
  tells us so far).

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Worth the effort?

• I think so ? ?