|
31. Reality: A glass of wine while you are pregnant is extremely unlikely to affect the foetus. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is rare because it appears to be caused by mothers who combine drugs, smoking, alcohol and poor diet. Fewer than 0.1% of all babies born are diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Myth: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is a real risk for women.
There is no evidence that the intake of alcohol at less than two standard drinks per day causes foetal alcohol developmental effects.
It is unclear how much more you need to drink to raise the risk to your fetus beyond the infinitesimal
Rates for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) are low in New Zealand. In 2006, the New Zealand Drug Foundation estimated about 110 children were born each year with FAS and another 250 with other FAS disorders (New Zealand Drug Foundation. 2006. Drug Foundation Evidence Review of Alcohol and Pregnancy. February 2006).
This equates to less than 0.1% of all babies born in 2007 being diagnosed with FAS and less than 0.4% of babies born suffering from FAS related disorders (using 2007 Statistics New Zealand data: 64,044 live births).
Return to summary
32. Reality: The results of prohibition and shorter opening hours show that alcohol consumption cannot be stopped – and severe restrictions cause even more social problems.
Myth: Shorter opening hours result in less alcohol-related problems.
Alcohol has been at the centre of socialising, amusement, abuse and social discord since its invention at least 12,000 years ago. At the same time, it has been a source of friction in societies because its use exposes the moral and ethical tension between order and moderation, and freedom and pleasure (Hanson, David J. History of Alcohol and Drinking around the World. www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/controversies/1114796842.html)
In October 1917 the New Zealand government imposed a six o’clock closing on all liquor outlets. This legislation remained in place for 50 vears (Christoffel, P.J. 2006. Removing Temptation: New Zealand’s Alcohol Restrictions, 1881-2005. PhD Thesis. Victoria University of Wellington).
The belief behind the earlier closing was that people would consume less alcohol if they had a shorter time available (in effect “removing the temptation” to drink) – however, it quickly became apparent that the “’six o'clock swill’ did little to encourage temperate drinking” (ibid).
According to Lincoln University researcher Dr Greg Ryan, prohibition and shorter opening hours fuelled New Zealand’s alcohol consumption and corresponding alcohol-related problems (“Alcohol’s hapless history”, The Press, 24 January 2008, E: 2).
“The most significant measure was the introduction of the 6pm pub closing, the norm between 1917 and 1967&the result was rapid binge drinking. The pub was no longer a centre of community and conviviality, but a Spartan environment in which to get drunk quickly.”
This is reinforced by Paul Cristoffel in his PhD thesis, Removing Temptation: New Zealand’s Alcohol Restrictions, 1881-2005:
“Daytime drinking on Saturdavs became the norm. In 1945 an observer in an Invercargill bar counted 87 people at 10.30 am and some 250 at 12.15 pm, with many patrons 'well inebriated'. The speed of consumption was increased to allow for the restricted time available after work, leading to the notorious 'six o'clock swill’.&The limited time available for drinking on weekdays led to over-crowded bars, rushed drinking, and the custom quaintly known as ‘vertical drinking’, in which customers invariably stood rather than sat down for a drink.” (Christoffel, P.J. 2006. Removing Temptation: New Zealand’s Alcohol Restrictions, 1881-2005. PhD Thesis. Victoria University of Wellington. p142, 145).
Another expectation of shorter opening hours was a reduction in crime, however, what emerged was an increase in (non-violent) crime with New Zealanders being forced to find loopholes around having a sociable drink with colleagues outside of the ‘six o’clock’ curfew. Police themselves were recorded as having flouted the rules imposed and having drinks with locals in rural areas (ibid. p 141).
“[A] 34 percent fall in drunkenness convictions during 1916 and 1917 [attributed to the effects of shorter closing hours] occurred almost entirely before the introduction of early closing in December 1917. & Despite early closing, drunkenness convictions rose as soon as the war ended, in line with the temporary boost in alcohol consumption. (ibid., p190)
There is also evidence that shorter hours or prohibition actually increases the prevalence of alcohol-related illnesses and deaths, because the drinking does not stop, it goes underground. The intensity of surreptitious drinking means those who were previously already consuming to excess increase their drinking “sometimes to fatal levels” (ibid).
The overall death rate between 1912-1974 has been consistently decreasing with peaks during the World Wars (Statistics New Zealand. 2008. Registered Deaths and Crude Death Rate) showing environmental influences have more of an impact overall on mortality rates than alcohol.
Return to summary
33. Reality: Only one third of alleged offenders were drinking in a bar before they were arrested by police. It is illegal to be drunk in a bar but not in a public place, so people get drunk before and after being in licensed premises, but not in the licensed premise itself.
In 2007 there were 183 prosecutions for drinking in bars and clubs, but 9000 for drinking in public places.
Myth: Alcohol problems on the streets come from people drinking in bars.
Research has shown the majority of New Zealanders drink at home – and heavily (Habgood R, Casswell S, Pledger M, Bhatta K. 2001. Drinking in New Zealand: National Surveys Comparison 1995 & 2000. Alcohol and Public Health Research Unit). This is particularly the case with young people under the purchase age who source their alcohol through friends and family (Ministry of Health. 2007. Alcohol use in New Zealand: Analysis of the 2004 New Zealand Health Behaviours Survey – Alcohol Use. Wellington: Ministry of Health).
Young people often come into town on Friday and Saturday nights as it is an important part of socialisation and self-identification (Alcohol & Public Health Research Unit, 2002. Young People, Alcohol and Safer Public Spaces).
According to the Alcohol and Public Health Research Unit (APRU), there is often a “heavy flow of people carrying bottles down the street as they head to nightclubs” (Ibid.), presumably from people coming into town from home with alcohol not sourced from bars. In fact, according to the APHRU study, “it is common practice for people to keep drinking right up to the door of a club aiming to get as drunk as possible before going in because alcohol costs so much more in the clubs” (Ibid.).
This is reflected in the New Zealand Police’s breach of liquor ban statistics. In the 2007/08 fiscal year 9,080 people were apprehended for having breached the liquor ban (of which 7,385 were prosecuted). Of those apprehended:
· 7726 were male; 359 were under the age of 16, 4124 were aged between 17-20; 2887 were aged between 21-30; 1536 were aged 31-50 while 174 were aged 51 or over (Statistics New Zealand. 2009. National Annual Apprehensions for the latest 10 fiscal years).
According to the New Zealand Police Alco-Link “Last Orders” research, less than a third of those arrested identified their last place of drink as a licensed premise. The majority were found to have been drinking in a public place or “unknown”.
|
Number of Alleged Offenders who Identified their Place of Last Drink by Fiscal Year (1 July-30 June) |
| Place of Last Drink |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
| Licensed Premises |
13,268 |
14,302 |
14,654 |
| Public Places |
11,457 |
13,802 |
14,838 |
| Unknown |
14,420 |
14,485 |
16,423 |
Return to summary
Information was extracted in November 2008. Please note that this data is provisional and drawn from a dynamic operational database. It is subject to change as new data is continually recorded. Provisional data cannot reliably be compared to official statistics. As Alco-link information is gained from persons who have been consuming alcohol prior to coming to Police attention, it is not used as the basis for a prosecution. |
