Worried about your drinking – go on-line for help
Monday 17 May 2010, 5:46PM
By ALAC
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A new web based tool developed for the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) to help teenagers and young adults change their drinking is to be launched on-line tomorrow.
“Like a drink? is an exciting initiative based on real life stories rather than just providing information and facts,” said ALAC Chief Executive Officer Gerard Vaughan. “It’s for young people aged between 18 and 29 who are worried about their drinking, and provides a web based interactive tool that can help them make the changes they want to make.”
Like a drink? consists of a web based resource as well as a DVD and print workbook. It showcases the real stories of 10 young New Zealanders as they talk about their experiences with alcohol - funny, gruesome, sad and hopeful.
“The site offers interactive self assessment tools, encouragement to change and links to seeking further help,” he said. “It offers insights into a wide range of subjects, topics and themes. It provides an opportunity for site visitors to work through issues at their own pace, identify with people on the site and realise they too can move forward and make changes. It is engaging, stimulating and accessible and it is anonymous.”
Mr Vaughan said the resource was the latest in a series of early intervention resources developed by ALAC. Early Intervention in alcohol and drug treatment is a key ALAC strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm.
“Young people between the ages of 18-29 who drink are a high priority population for ALAC because they experience more harms because of the way they drink. Evidence showed that late adolescence and early adulthood was the period of life where hazardous consumption was at its highest and that this age group incurred the greatest burden of alcohol-related harm.
“An electronic resource is a better fit for an audience that is young, computer savvy and typically reluctant to access help.” The on-line launch is at 10am Tuesday 18 May. For details on how to participate go to www.alac.org.nz
The resource will be available via the ALAC website.