Alcohol the main cause of violence

For broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 1 Dec 2013.

Figures released this week from the Australian National Council on Drugs reveal that 20 per cent of Australians drink at levels that endanger their health.  Almost half of Australian kids surveyed said alcohol was the biggest cause of violence.  And a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome conference in Brisbane showed that Australia lags behind the rest of the world in its advice to women on drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

The global survey found that 45 per cent of Australian kids list alcohol as the main cause of violence in society.  In comparable developed countries, the answers were much lower. In Sweden, 1 per cent of kids listed alcohol as the main cause of violence, and in France it was 10 per cent.

Council chairman Dr John Herron said the level of alcohol-related damage occurring in our communities was simply appalling.  Government, industry, community leaders and parents must work together to do more to protect people from alcohol-related harm.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.