For the love of the drink..
Being the month of love, this month’s blog will focus on creating awareness of the adverse effects of alcohol abuse and how potential and current license holders can care for his/her patrons, and in the broader sense, the community as a whole. The Provincial Liquor Boards have high regard for any efforts in combatting alcohol abuse and stipulations to this effect are captured in the relevant Acts and Regulations of each Province.
South Africa has been labelled a hard drinking Country and shockingly also as the “drunkest” Country in Africa. According to a World Health Organization (“WHO”) report released in 2011, South Africa has among the highest per capita consumption rates in the world, and this rate has grown substantially since.
Readers will not need reminding of the associated health hazards. Not to mention the financial and social implications thereof. Social cost relates to absenteeism, poor productivity and interpersonal conflict. A high social cost grows from the behaviour that is caused by drunkenness: crime, interpersonal violence, sexual offences against children (and others), reckless driving leading to the high statistics of deaths on South African roads, unsafe sex, fetal alcohol syndrome and child neglect, and school absenteeism.
Surveys show that alcohol use among our youth is common and on the increase for both males and females. The reasons for the use and misuse of alcohol include peer pressure, poor home environment, ignorance to the harmful effects of alcohol abuse, the relative cheapness of alcohol products and the ease of access.
How do we prevent and combat the growing statistics? By creating awareness. Among friends, customers, youth and anyone who will listen. “Awareness is Careness”
Prospective and current holders should commit themselves to combating alcohol abuse by:
- Never making alcohol available to minors, not for tasting nor purchasing. Identity documents should be requested when in doubt of whether a patron is of legal drinking age.
- Legal Information – responsible hosts need to familiarize themselves with their legal obligations in order to protect their licenses and keep to the provisions of the Law.
- Assess Your Guest – anticipate the problem and attempt to slow down the pace of the customer’s drinking if need be. Offer a water round or something to eat.
- Alcohol Information – responsible hosts need to educate themselves on how alcohol affects people, signs of intoxication to look for, and creating tactics that the server can use to serve more responsibly.
- Intervention – if a customer refuses offers of water or food, refuse further service to the customer in a polite but firm manner, and offer to help them arrange a lift home via public transportation or family/friends. That way the customer gets home safely and does not linger.
- Educate the community – create an awareness within the local community about the harmful health, social and economic effects of alcohol abuse.
- Lead by example – responsible hosts should always behave in a manner which speaks of a healthy heart and mind and not make themselves guilty of alcohol abuse.
At the end of the day responsible alcohol consumption leads to better outcomes for everyone.
Cheers!
