NCJ Number
197842
Date Published
July 2002
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report discusses an Australian study of 18- to 39-year olds who self-reported drinking at at-risk levels for acute alcohol-related harm and the alcohol service practices of businesses legally licensed to serve alcohol.
Abstract
This report describes a telephone survey conducted in New South Wales, Australia, of 1,090 young adults 18- to 39-years-olds, to obtain an estimate of the prevalence of intoxication beyond the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) acute-risk guidelines at licensed premises, and to measure the extent to which certain responsible service practices are occurring at NSW licensed premises, with the goal of moving toward a more responsible serving of alcohol on licensed premises in NSW (New South Wales). Figures include percentage of intoxicated respondents continued to be served by number of intoxication signs reported; and percentage of non-intoxicated respondents by signs of intoxication observed in others. The findings confirm that licensed premises are an important setting for at-risk levels of alcohol consumption. However, only limited evidence of staff intervention to prevent serving these people was found to occur. It is not clear from this study whether owners of licensed premises flout the law, staff have difficulty identifying those who have consumed alcohol to the point of intoxication, bar staff have difficulty refusing service to intoxicated patrons, or a combination of the above. It is recommended that police be involved in ensuring that intoxicated people do not continue to be served alcohol by regularly visiting licensed premises before any sign of trouble occurs. A list of references and source notes are included. An appendix contains an alcohol questionnaire.