10 July 2019

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Waimea Weekly Locally Owned and Operated

Wednesday 10 July 2019

Donations help to keep elders warm

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surviving winter

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Local shows his class

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A new plan tackles teen drinking Matt McCrorie Reporter

matt@waimeaweekly.co.nz

A new initiative from the District Health Board is taking a different approach to tackling teen drinking. “Youth drinking is not a new problem. We live in a culture where alcohol use is normal, and the associated risks often go unnoticed,” says Hilary Genet, health promoter at the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board. While schools have resources to work with teens and get them educated, ‘The plan’ is about educating parents. The Public Health Service, along with the health action trust, have been working on the new resource for over two years. “We worked a lot with local parents and recognising that we have an environment that is awash with alcohol,” said Hilary. “The idea here is to delay the age that their teens are starting to drink.” Carol Mcintosh, from Alcohol Health Promotion, says the

problem is a cultural one. “Because alcohol is legally available most people don’t think of it as a drug, nor do they understand all the associated risks, since alcohol is not treated like other drugs by our society.” An increasing body of evidence points to the need to encourage and support young people to delay drinking alcohol until they are older. Risks associated with early onset drinking include reduced ability to learn and retain new information, injury and mental health issues as teenagers and longer-term problems, including an increased likelihood of addiction, later in life. Risks are significantly increased if under 18’s drink heavily. “It is also important to delay the escalation of drinking once it has begun.” Parents are the most common suppliers of alcohol to under 18-year olds. “A lot of parents told us that they are pressured by their teens to provide alcohol, and

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Local drivers for this weekends Off Road Racing, front, Dan Fisher, Cam Stratford, Greg Winn and Alex Bright.

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10 July 2019 by Waimea Weekly Archives - Issuu