REDUCING ALCOHOL
RELATED HARMS
Among the University Population
SOC*4010 W 2013:
Lisa Bell, Danielle Sutton, Mariya-Magdalena Gineva, Sean Paulset, Chris
Porter
TAKING FLIGHT: INCORPORATING
HARM REDUCTION INTO OUR
COMMUNITIES
Content based on the “Taking Flight” Harm Reduction Forum (2013)
Led by Wellington-Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS) on March 20th 2013
• Stephanie Baker, Wilfred Laurier University
Professor/Social Worker
Harm Reduction and Concurrent Disorders
•Cathy Edwards, Public Health Nurse/Coordinator
Safe and Sober Community Alliance: A Conversation about
Alcohol in the City of Kingston
•Dean Waterfield, Director
Housing and Homeless for Wesley Urban Ministries
WELLINGTON-GUELPH DRUG
STRATEGY
“Working collaboratively to respond to issues of substance
misuse in Guelph and Wellington County”
(Wellington-Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS, 2013a).
WHAT IS HARM REDUCTION
“Any policy or program designed to
reduce drug-related harm without
requiring the cessation of drug use.
Interventions may be targeted at the
individual, the family community or
society”
(Harm Reduction: A Background Paper on its Meaning and
Applications for Substance Use Issues, CAMH, 2002 as cited
in Edwards, 2013).
HARM REDUCTION CHECKLIST
• Recognize the intrinsic value and dignity of all human beings,
and accept individual and community diversity
• Provide a safe environment and reduce isolation
• Recognize the right and abilities of individuals to make their
own choices
• Accept risk-taking as normal behavior
• Encourage people to start where they are at in order to protect
themselves
• Challenge harmful social policies
(WGDS, 2013b).
HARM REDUCTION CHECKLIST
CON’T
• Provide service based on achievable and measurable goals
and objectives
• Ensure that individuals and communities affected are involved
in the decision making
• Recognize the right to comprehensive, non-judgemental
medical and social services and fulfillment of basic needs of
all individuals and communities
• Support the development and provision of accessible harm
reduction tools and information
(WGDS, 2013b).
REDUCING ALCOHOL-RELATED
HARMS
DRINKING HABITS OF YOUNG ADULTS
(AGES 19-29)
• A significantly higher portion of young adults drink above the
Low Risk Drinking Guidelines1 than any other age group in
Ontario
(Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey, 2009 as cited in
Edwards, 2013).
1 Centre
for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) Low Risk Guidelines:
10 drinks a week for women, with no more than 2 drinks a day most days
15 drinks a week for men, with no more than 3 drinks a day most days
IS ABSTINENCE A REALITY?
• 32.5% of people aged 1929 in Ontario are
considered heavy drinkers2
(Edwards, 2013).
• Decreasing the harms
associated with the
behaviour has benefits over
strictly emphasizing
abstinence.
2According
to CAMH, heavy drinking is to have 5 or more drinks on one occasion at
least once a month in the past 12 months
THE PREVENTION PARADOX
•“A large number of people exposed to a small risk can create more
cases of harm than a small number exposed to a high risk”
(Rose, 1993).
• Despite the belief that alcohol is not a serious issue, there is a
high number of people being affected by alcohol related harms
among the university population.
SECOND HAND EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
CONSUMPTION
•
•
•
•
•
Drinking and driving
Sexual assault
Physical violence (i.e. Bar fights)
Peer pressure
Provincial Liquor Offences
• Ontario’s Liquor License Act
Ex. Intoxicated in a public place
HARMS RELATED TO HIGH ALCOHOL
CONSUMPTION
• Drinking heavily can negatively impact areas of the brain related
to executive functioning such as:
• paying attention
• planning and making decisions
• processing emotions
• controlling impulses leading to irrational behaviour
(Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, 2012, p.7).
HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES FOR
REDUCING ALCOHOL-RELATED HARMS
• Limit the number of places that serve alcohol
• Confined hours of service of the places that sell/serve
alcohol
• Limit alcohol allowed public events
• Ex. Homecoming
• Ex. St. Patrick’s Day
• Stricter controls on the sale of large volume containers
• Ex. Beer kegs & “texas mickeys”
• Strengthen local zoning regulations to prevent congestion
• Limit the number of bars in one area
• Limit closing the streets for outdoor events
• Server intervention programs
SERVER INTERVENTION PROGRAMS
• Servers are better trained to prevent alcohol related problems
• Trained in the ability to recognize when a person is intoxicated
and when to cease service
• Program examples to implement in university communities
include:
• Educational sessions for servers at campus establishments
• Requiring the Smart Serve Ontario3 test to be frequently
renewed
3Smart
Serve Ontario is the required provincial server training program for the hospitality
industry and all licensed legal establishments must ensure their staff have completed
this course.
For more information on harm reduction or where to seek
help visit:
Wellington-Guelph Drug Strategy
519-821-6638
http://wgdrugstrategy.ca
REFERENCES
Baker, S. (2013). Harm reduction & concurrent disorders. WGDS
Harm Reduction Forum, March 20th 2013, p. 1-33
Center for Addiction and Mental Health. (2012). Canada’s
low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines. Retrieved 03/21, 2013,
fromhttp://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_informati
on/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/alcohol/Page
s/low_risk_drinking_guidelines.aspx
Edwards, C. (2013). Alcohol Related Harms. WDGS Harm
Reduction Forum, March 20th, 2013.
Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness
(2012). Reducing alcohol harms among university
students. Nova Scotia: Crown Copyright. Retrieved
March
30th from http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/access/alcoholgaming.asp
Rose, G. (1993). Rose's strategy of preventative medicine. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Wellington-Guelph Drug Strategy Committee (WGDS). (2013a).
Retrieved February 7, 2013,
from http://wgdrugstrategy.ca/
Wellington-Guelph Drug Strategy Committee (WGDS). (2013b). Harm
reduction: The facts and myths.
Ontario: WGDS.