Prevention of alcohol related harm in the workplace – an exploratory study investigating the obstacles and facilitators of best practice

Working life is a vital component of everyday life of men and women around the world; it provides us with money to pay for items such as food, clothes, rent, mortgages, and school fees and so on. It is also an important part in our socialisation process with other human beings, our thoughts and ideas are shaped during interaction with other people. But the workplace has throughout history has also had some negative impacts through poor working conditions. Coexistent with working life, alcohol has influenced social life throughout history and the positive and negatives related to alcohol use have been well documented. In medieval times it was believed that alcohol increased productivity, something that modern research has contradicted. Alcohol was often used as a means to cope with harsh physical working conditions. In the modern world more and more emphasis has focused on the psychosocial work conditions and issues such as stress and work-overload have become common items in the media. Drinking alcohol has become a remedy to many of these issues, and it is used to assist in relaxation from a stressful day at work. Research has focused on how to rehabilitate people and to monitor the direct or indirect negative effects connected to working life.Prevention on the other hand has been more or less overlooked for a long time. It is not until the last 15-20 years that more emphasis has been put on investigating the prevention of alcohol related harm in the workplace. The present study investigated the prevention of alcohol related harm in the workplace using a three step model divided into the following stages: a) a comprehensive critical literature review; b) interviews with leading prevention experts from English speaking nations; and c) interviews with managers and employees in white-collar private enterprises and government agencies. The factors that consistently showed up in each phase of the study as important for successful prevention were a solid evidence base, knowledge of the impact of alcohol on production and safety, a clear link between costs and benefits, comprehensiveness, transparency, culturally appropriate, involved employees and regular evaluation. What is desperately needed is a more consistent methodological approach in order to build a stronger evidence base in this field of research, to assist in the development of best practice in prevention of alcohol related harm in the workplace

Attitudes and knowledge of alcohol related harm minimization initiatives in a rural Australian city: A baseline survey

Aims: This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes towards alcohol related harm minimization initiatives in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, as part of a community project aimed at reducing harms associated with excessive drinking. Methods: Baseline data were collected from a stratified, community sample, using a purpose designed instrument. The community's readiness was determined by interviewing key stakeholders and community leaders, using the ‘Readiness for Change’ interview instrument. Findings: There were substantial levels of binge drinking accompanied by low awareness of alcohol as a local problem and lack of knowledge about interventions that are currently operating in the community. Support for measures designed to reduce problems associated with excessive use of alcohol was polarized. Community readiness to tackle alcohol related issues was low indicating a need for awareness raising. Conclusions: These findings are critical to informing the development of interventions to ensure they are tailored to this community's needs and abilities. Since knowledge and awareness of alcohol related issues are low in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the first step in changing community attitudes is to create greater awareness of these issues and their consequences, and provide information on potential interventions to address the current problems

"Don't wake up angry no more"

On 1st of March 2008, at the request of the Norseman Aboriginal Community and following extensive consultation and negotiations with stakeholders and community members facilitated by the Drug and Alcohol Office (Department of Health, WA) and Population Health (Goldfields), the following voluntary restrictions were imposed on the sale of take away alcohol: "Between 12 midday and 6pm, Monday to Sunday, red and white Lambrusco wine was limited to one 5 litre cask per person per day, port wine was limited to one 2 litre cask per person per day and non fortified wine was limited to one 4 litre cask per person per day. No sales of the above mentioned products were permitted at any other time." This report collates quantitative and qualitative data gathered from a number of sources to evaluate the effect of the restrictions including: alcohol-related emergency department and hospital admission data; alcohol related offences; alcohol sales data; and the views of community members and other key stakeholders about the restrictions. Key quantitative findings include:1.    An overall 10.3% reduction in total police tasks attended in the 12 months after the restrictions from 165 tasks to 148.2. A 17.5% reduction in assaults from 40 cases to 33 and a 15.3% decrease in domestic violence incidences, from 46 cases to 39.3.    A 19.5% increase in charges to random breath tests (RBTs) from 33 to 41 cases, attributed by the police to a change to more targeted testing of hotel patrons.4.    A 60.5% decrease in the number of alcohol related hospital admissions from 38 to 15 admissions in the 12 months after the restrictions.vii5.    A decrease in per capita consumption of alcohol of 9.84% from 21.39L to 19.29 L, with the majority of the decrease observed in cask red wine, fortified wine and RTDs. A National Drug Research Institute report funded by the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation (AER) Foundatio

Exploring the motivations for body piercing: A pilot study

Research often portrays those who engage in body piercing in a negative stereotypical light inferring them as “fringe dwellers,” from broken homes and subject to abuse (Armstrong, Roberts, Owen, & Koch, 2004a). It has also been suggested that there is a link between piercing and early sexualisation (Bragg, 2012; Goldie, Dowie, Goldie, Cotton, & Morrison, 2015). However, rather than a marker of pathology, body piercing has been linked to a more positive expression of self and identity (Preti et al., 2006). It is claimed that body modifications including piercings show a unique relationship between the person and their piercings (Stirn, Oddo, Peregrinova, Philipp, & Hinz, 2011)