Transcript Slide 1

Salvo Alcohol Culture Initiative
(SACi) Learning Module
Part 1:
Australia’s alcohol culture:
Where are we?
How did we get here?
Can this change?
Overview of this module:
Part 1 – Introduction to Australian
alcohol culture & harm
 Part 2 – Personal aspects of alcohol &
addiction
 Part 3 - Why (as a Salvationist) should I
care about alcohol harm?
 Part 4 - So what can I do about all this?
 Part 5 – More resources

Part 1 of this module addresses
the questions:
Where are we in terms of our Australian
alcohol culture?
 How did we get here?
 Does this have to remain the same?
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Our Australian alcohol culture - vignettes:
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In Alice Springs, a woman mourns the loss of six
of her family members to alcohol related causes.
Nearby, alcohol outlets soak up the weekly
incomes of whole families.
A young man on his first night out in a major
state capital is bashed and kicked by a drunken
16 year old for no apparent reason. His face hits
the asphalt on a bridge, causing severe harm.
Young boys on a fishing trip are given a slab of
vodka alcopops to drink unsupervised. One is
burned seriously by falling into a campfire while
intoxicated. At the time, no law had been broken,
although this happened without parental
permission or knowledge.
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A woman and children cower as a drunken
partner abuses and assaults them. The woman
will seek shelter from The Salvation Army.
Within the space of a few weeks, Police
Commissioners in Australia’s two largest states
describe our alcohol culture as ‘out of control’,
and ‘transforming’ (changing or mutating) to
exploit a trend towards drinking specifically in
order to become drunk.
The common element?
 An unhealthy obsession with alcohol, deeply
ingrained in our national way of life, causing
great harm.
 It doesn’t have to be this way ...
Introduction
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Booth’s London: ‘Drunk for a penny, blind
drunk for tuppence’
Australia today: ? (See Table 1)
The Army way: treat causes not just symptoms
Defining ‘culture’: ‘The way we do things
around here’
or
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‘A set of shared assumptions about what is
normal, acceptable, desirable or undesirable,
shared stories, values, understandings of social
roles, language and more’.
Culture is not beyond the control of its
participants, but takes time & effort to change.
Table 1: Some current Australian alcohol harm
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Alcohol: the most widely used ‘psychoactive’ (mind
altering) drug in Australia (National Alcohol Strategy).
Just under nine percent of drinkers do so at levels
considered risky or high risk for both short and long-term
harm. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010 Australia’s
Health 2010. Australia’s Health Series No. 12. Cat. No. AUS 122.
Canberra: AIHW.)
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Over 450,000 children (13.2 percent) live in households
where they are at risk of exposure to binge drinking by at
least one adult (Dawe et al. 2007. ANCD Research Paper: Drug
use in the family: impacts and implications for children. Australian
National Council on Drugs).
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Hospital records show increasing trends across Australia
for underage drinkers (14 to 17 year olds) being admitted
for alcohol-related problems. (Toumbourou, 2009).
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Alcohol-related harm costs Australian taxpayers around
$36 billion per year (The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to
Others, AERF, 2010).
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In 2007 the majority of Australians (around 61 %) over
14 years drank at levels in excess of NH&MRS
guidelines. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2008).
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Alcohol marketers are exempted from restrictions on
electronic advertising to children during sporting events.
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Inconsistent state laws allow the provision of virtually
any amount of alcohol to children of virtually any age, in
homes, without parental knowledge or consent in some
states (Only Victoria, NSW, Qld and Tasmania had legislated on
this at June 2012).
Alcohol’s unique place in
Australian life: the development
of our alcohol culture
Why drink?
 At settlement …
 At 1930s…
 Post WW2 …
 Now … (See table 1)
 Perceptions have changed: ‘Moral’ issue…
‘health’ issue… ‘social & cultural’ issue...
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The Salvation Army, social
problems & justice: traditional
responses & precedents
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TSA leading the way …
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Seeing a need and moving on it
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SACi: changing Australia’s alcohol culture
– (Internal to TSA) education
– (External to TSA) policy advocacy
The cost of alcohol harm
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$ cost of alcohol harm: $34 billion
– What else could be done with this money?
(see next slide)
Harm to‘the lowest, the least and the
lost’... the young, indigenous communities,
the addicted
 Social justice perspective … winners &
losers
 Other key aspects of alcohol harm …
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What could be done with $34b? (The likely
cost in just one year of alcohol abuse in
Australia)
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Buy a National Broadband Network (NBN): $27b
Lift millions of African children out of poverty:
According to UNICEF, some 300 million children go to
bed hungry every day. Of these, only eight percent are
victims of famine or other emergencies. Around a billion
people live in extreme poverty - millions on less than $1
a day...
Pay the cost of physical and economic damage from
the Australian floods: Early estimates have been as
high as $13 billion, but will no doubt change over time...
What else would you like to see an annual saving of $34b
spent on?
Questions for discussion:
1. Is the above view of culture too optimistic? Are we stuck
forever with ready acceptance of the harm done by alcohol in
Australian communities as a part of our culture?
2. Who benefits from our booming alcohol sales?
3. What changes have you observed amongst the way (amount,
occasion, type of drink) alcohol is consumed over say the
past 5-10 years?
4. What steps are necessary to initiate and sustain long term
change in beliefs concerning alcohol?
5. Especially amongst men, key strands of Australian culture –
‘drinking to excess’, and ‘mateship’ – have become entwined.
To what extent might emphasis on that other key Australian
value of the ‘fair go’ for all, and a fresh look at what it means
to be ‘mates’, be two keys to reducing alcohol harm amongst
men? Is alcohol harm just a men’s issue?
Questions for discussion (cont’d):
6. Most negative trends in alcohol harm in Australia appear
to be accentuated amongst young people, e.g. binge
drinking, road trauma, city violence. To what extent is
alcohol harm a ‘youth’ issue?
7. Typical government responses to alcohol harm involve
mass media driven ‘education’ campaigns. Why is this?
Do you believe such campaigns are likely to make
significant change to Australia’s drinking culture? What
other key changes are necessary to achieve long term
change in alcohol harm?
Salvo Alcohol Culture Initiative
(SACi) Learning Module
Part 2:
Alcohol and the individual
This part of the module addresses
the questions:
What is the nature of alcohol and its
effects on the body?
 Why the fuss about alcohol harm – from
the point of view of individual
Australians?
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Quick Facts
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A depressant: can slow down:
– inhibitions
– breathing and heart rate
– “feeling centre”
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Two different types of alcohol-related problems:
– intoxication
– dependence
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Different types of harm to the individual:
– Short term
– Long term
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Note: Varying effects of alcohol from person to
person
The long and the short of it
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Some immediate effects:
– lack of balance
– slowed reactions
– slurred speech
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Some long term effects:
– heart disease
– diabetes
– malnutrition
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Any healthy benefits??
What about addiction?
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Relevant statistics:
– 5% of Australians drink at high risk levels
– 15% drink at risky levels
– 15% abstain
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Alcohol addiction …
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Addiction: not the only harm that befalls
drinkers
How much is too much?
(NH&MRC guidelines)
A ‘standard drink’ = any beverage which contains 10
grams (which contains 10 grams (equivalent to 12.5
millilitres) of alcohol (ethanol)
 National Health and Medical Research Council:
Guidelines to reducing alcohol consumption risk:
1.
The lifetime risk of harm from drinking alcohol
increases with the amount consumed.
For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two
standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of
harm.
2. On a single occasion of drinking, the risk of alcoholrelated injury increases with the amount consumed.
For healthy men and women, drinking no more than
four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the
risk of alcohol-related injury.
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How much is too much?
(NH&MRC guidelines)(cont’d)
3. For children and young people under 18 years of age, not
drinking alcohol is the safest option.
Parents and carers should be advised that children under
15 years age are at the greatest risk of harm from
drinking and that for this age group, not drinking
alcohol is especially important. For young people 15 -17
years, the safest option is to delay drinking for as long
as possible
4. Maternal alcohol consumption can harm the developing
foetus or breastfeeding baby.
For women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or
breastfeeding not drinking is the safest option.
Questions for discussion
1. How has alcohol affected your life or the life of family
members, friends and communities of which you have
been a part?
2. A common attitude is that: ‘I’m not an alcoholic,
therefore I don’t have a problem’. Is this an adequate
view of alcohol harm?
3. While any possible health benefits from drinking
alcohol are at best extremely minimal, the majority of
Australians do drink alcohol. What are some of the
benefits our friends experience from having a social
drink?
4. What are some ways we can support those we know
who suffer some of the ill-effects of alcohol mis-use?
Questions for discussion
(cont’d)
5. As Salvationists, how can we avoid allowing our
legitimate concerns about alcohol harm to alienate
those who enjoy drinking socially? Is there a place
in our Salvation Army worshipping communities for
those who drink socially?
6. How can Salvationists who have chosen to abstain
from alcohol avoid 'watering down' our stance,
while also avoiding any (even unintended)
exclusion of the majority of Australians who choose
to drink socially from being welcomed within our
churches/centres?
Salvo Alcohol Culture Initiative
(SACi)
Learning Module
Part 3:
Alcohol harm: Why
should I care?
This part of the module addresses
the questions:
‘TSA’s stance on alcohol: what is it, and
why’?
 ‘Australia’s alcohol harm: why should I
care’?
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Salvationism: the ‘good news’
effects the whole person
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Hebrew and Christian scriptures: no room for
obvious abuse of alcohol, such that a user loses self
control (Prov. 21:17; 23:20-21, 29-32; Rom. 13:11-14,
Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Pet. 4:1-4; Rom. 14:19-20).
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Most in the general community would share this
view, yet over 60 percent of alcohol consumed is
actually consumed in a dangerous manner (Aust. Inst.
Health & Welfare 2008).
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TSA stance goes further – abstinence for full
members (‘soldiers’).
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Christian faith includes the Incarnation of Jesus
… ‘God in the flesh’
This stresses the importance of the physical,
social & emotional c.f. Gnostic views: the
spiritual world is over & against the material
world
Spiritual and physical wholeness are to be
considered together
Some important principles flow from this …
Principle 1 –
We work towards wholeness of the whole person
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William Booth – In Darkest England and the
Way Out: Salvation for the whole person.
We see the harm done & we want to model
wholeness – physical, social, emotional, spiritual.
TSA’s abstinence stance on alcohol: not from
zealotry or wowserism – but as an example of a
joyous alcohol free life.
Principle 2 –
We speak and act on behalf of the poor and
marginalized – those without power or a voice
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TSA’s traditional focus is on the insignificant – the
‘lowest, least and lost’. Who fits this category today
in Australia?
Alcohol harm as a social justice issue.
There are clear winners & losers, & entrenched
economic interests in the marketing of alcohol.
Alcohol related harms are not acceptable or
inevitable. There are definite things which can be
done.
Salvationists make a radical commitment to the care,
welfare & wholeness of others
Principle 3 –
We are actively concerned for our neighbour
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Motivation for TSA’s acts of compassion … love –
e.g. story of the Good Samaritan
We take responsibility for the impact of our actions
upon others – even if this means going without
something ourselves
The Biblical concept of care for the ‘weaker brother’
– which in the case of alcohol harm will include a
definite proportion of our friends & those to whom
we minister - over-rides other considerations.
Questions for discussion:
1.
How meaningful is it to speak of ‘redemption’ as
applying to the whole of life? What might this mean for
a) the Salvationist contemplating their role as Christ’s ‘hands and
feet’ to achieve salvation for all,
b) for a victim of alcohol fuelled violence
c) for a perpetrator of alcohol harm, such as a drink driver who kills,
or a chronic perpetrator of violence against a partner or family
while intoxicated?
2.
3.
Traditionally, The Salvation Army has targeted its justice
seeking actions towards the most disadvantaged members
of society – the ‘least, the less, the lost’. With regards to
the various forms of alcohol harm in Australian
communities, who would you pinpoint as fitting this
category?
How does your answer to Q2. (above) impact on the kind
of mission activity you believe God is calling you to
regarding alcohol harm?
Questions for discussion:
(cont’d)
4. ‘In western society, we tend to focus more on our rights
rather than our responsibilities.’ – Discuss this statement,
with respect to our freedoms and rights as Salvationists
relative to our responsibilities towards those around us.
5. In what way can choosing not to drink be part of a
‘radical commitment for the sake of Salvationist
mission’?
6. Some within Salvation Army corps/centres will choose to
drink alcohol.
i) Are such folk excused from engaging in mission
against alcohol harm?
ii) Are such folk at any advantage or disadvantage if they
choose to work against alcohol harm?
Salvo Alcohol Culture
Initiative (SACi)
Learning Module
Part 4:
‘What can I do?’
Introduction
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Take the next step – consider what we can
actually do to tackle alcohol harm & promote
long term cultural change?
Note the concept of ‘community development’ –
one size doesn’t fit all. The key is empowerment
of local communities to drive change.
The first step – finding people of like mind
But … talking is not enough, definite action is
needed to effect long term cultural change
The responses of Corps A-D (following) are
based on real events. Which seems most like
your Corps/Centre?
Corps/Centre A
Undertook action in support of young
families
 Conducted a peer-led parenting
development program dealing with issues
of:
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role-modeling
communication
parenting styles
youth drinking culture
Corps/Centre B
Developed a strong focus on assisting own
youth group and youth leaders
 Developed of a two-part youth program
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– Part 1 – factual input at a regular youth group
night. This knowledge building session
developed into open discussion around
prepared questions
– Part 2 –church youth meeting with recovering
alcoholics (under careful agreed guidelines).
Opened the corps up to people in recovery.
Corps/Centre C
Developed a strong focus on social justice
aspects of alcohol harm
 Pinpointed three standout social justice
related issues:
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– 1. Marketing of alcohol towards children
– 2. Disproportionate suffering of Aboriginal
communities
– 3. Alcohol advertising breaches of voluntary
guidelines
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Members queried local MPs on policy
responses to these issues
Corps/Centre D
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Developed a strong focus on local schools
(students and staff)
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Developed an after school youth venue
providing an alternative to alcohol-focused
gatherings
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Apparent key to success – ongoing
development of one-on-one relationships
with students, staff and parents
Conclusion
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There is a close fit between alcohol harm
mission outcomes such as those above (in
Corps/Centres A – D) and the stated goals
of The Salvation Army within Australia, such
as transforming lives, caring for people,
serving suffering humanity, making
disciples, reforming society, and even
saving souls.
One size does not fit all. Each corps/centre
needs to assess local needs, resources &
calling.
The resources provided in this module can
be applied in many other ways and contexts.
SACi & Advocacy by the Salvation
Army
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The Salvation Army is partnering with credible,
like minded organisations in the struggle to move
against alcohol harm & towards long term
cultural change in the way Australians view
alcohol
Involves Australia wide Salvation Army
advocacy in support of gradual but significant
change in the Australian drinking culture
Includes the use of formal statements,
submissions, lobbying and contribution to public
debate
Pray for this work - & support it when you can
Questions for discussion
1. As a person in Corps leadership, key issues such as available
resource (time in a crowded corps program, people resources etc.)
will doubtless arise when considering the range of responses to
alcohol harm canvassed here. Leaving these matters aside for now,
what is your ‘gut feel’ regarding the area(s) of alcohol harm
mission which appear to be of the highest priority a) within your
corps and b) within your local community? Do any of Corps A – D
seem like your corps/ have similar needs & opportunities?
2. How are your specific corps and community affected by alcohol
consumption? If we are not sure, how can we identify which key
alcohol harms problems are evident within our community?
3. Our Australian Salvationist mission intentions include ‘Reforming
society’ and ‘Serving suffering humanity’. How does addressing
problems associated with alcohol harm aid in implementing these
particular mission intentions?
Questions for discussion
(cont’d)
4. Which aspects of alcohol harm raised through this module
have concerned you personally the most? Who around
you feels similarly? Have you discussed this with those
people?
5. All things considered, what can you as an individual
Salvationist, and as a member of a Salvation Army centre
actually do to tackle alcohol related harm?
6. Recommended: Develop an action plan addressing the
alcohol-related issues in your community.