RACHEL PINDER
How often have you heard someone bragging about how drunk they were?
They might have joked about the embarrassing, idiotic things they got up to whilst under the influence. And entertained their friends with stories of memory loss, walking into walls and snogging complete strangers.
Well this might seem like an average Saturday night out to some people, but it's the police, liquor licensing authorities, health professionals and hospitality staff who have to pick up the pieces.
The problems with alcohol-related harm are set to go under the spotlight today and Friday, when 200 people are expected to converge on the Napier War Memorial Conference Centre Gallery and Exhibition Hall.
Hosted by the Alcohol Advisory Council (Alac), the two-day conference will provide a forum for alcohol and drug practitioners to share and showcase their successes, discuss challenges and find solutions for the future.
"We're looking at a national way of getting a solution to alcohol-related harm in communities across New Zealand,"Alac spokeswoman Lynne Walsh said.
"People living in Napier, Hastings and across Hawke's Bay are at just as much risk as any other community in the country.
"There's a whole range of things that can happen when people get drunk. Alcohol-related harm can mean anything from injury through accidents, falls, assaults, drink-driving to domestic violence, relationship break-ups, or absenteeism from work.
"We're trying to change the drinking culture in New Zealand. It's about changing the way people drink. It's not just the drinking, it's how we drink and when we get drunk which is important.
"Everyone seems to think getting drunk is OK, but it's our attitude towards getting drunk which is the real problem," Ms Walsh said.
"The aim of the conference is to target people that work at community level, particularly those working around the Sale of Liquor Act, such as liquor licensing inspectors, police and hospitality staff."
After a welcoming address from Napier's deputy mayor Kathie Furlong, the conference will begin with a talk from Alac's chief executive officer Dr Mike MacAvoy.
Speeches will then be given from New South Wales police inspector John Green, followed by Greater Manchester police sergeant Jan Brown, who will both talk about reducing alcohol-related crime.
Then Trinity Group managing director Jason Deane will give a licensee's perspective on reducing and limiting intoxication, followed by a speech on specific alcohol-related cases from Judge Bill Unwin, chairman of the Liquor Licensing Authority.
There will also be a mock Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) hearing, which is set to be an informative and entertaining way of finding out how things operate.
Friday's programme includes a speech from New Zealand Police assistant commissioner Howard Broad, who will talk about the police approach to alcohol-related crime, followed by Foundation for Advertising Research director Glen Wiggs, who will talk about their recent research.
The conference will close with a speech on New Zealand's changing drinking culture from Alac's deputy chief executive officer Sandra Kirby.
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