Lion NZ’s renowned Alcohol&Me programme is proudly celebrating its 10th birthday this month – a significant milestone for the programme which started as an internal workshop in April 2013 and has since gone on to educate more than 400,000* adult New Zealanders.

Alcohol&Me Manager Jude Walter said the programme, which draws on expert information from New Zealand and around the world and is regularly reviewed by medical experts, gives Kiwis practical information about alcohol so they can make informed decisions about their drinking.

“Education can play a key role in reducing alcohol misuse and we know from our research that many Kiwis overestimate their drinking knowledge.

“Alcohol&Me is about helping people to make smarter drinking choices by providing them with easy access to tools and trusted information about how alcohol affects your body and mind.

“Our research shows that perceived knowledge of alcohol is high – 9 out of 10 people rate their knowledge as good or better. However, while most people have heard of standard drinks, under half can actually provide the correct definition, and 30 per cent incorrectly believe a standard drink is a single bottle of beer or glass of wine. Few people know that the human liver can only process one standard drink or 10 grams of pure alcohol per hour, and that there is no way to speed this process up.

“When broken down by age, 25-34 years olds rank as the most knowledgeable, being the age group most likely to be able to correctly define what a standard drink is, with those 55 years and older lagging behind. However, Kiwi drinkers 45 years plus are responsible hosts being the most likely to offer low and no alcohol options plus food to guests.

“Feedback on Alcohol&Me is extremely positive; 95 per cent of people would recommend the programme to others and 89 per cent of people say they have made positive changes to the way they drink having completed an Alcohol&Me module. The most often reported changes being having alcohol-free nights and eating a meal before drinking.

“Our drinking culture is evolving, and we are starting to embrace moderation. We drink around 25 per cent less now than in the 70s and 80s and harmful drinking – particularly among younger drinkers – has also fallen. However, education continues to be very important. Lion is committed to playing its part in reducing alcohol misuse and is proud to have been providing best-in-class consumer education through Alcohol&Me for the past decade.

“Kiwis can drink smarter by remembering to Size, Pace and Space – get to know the real size of your drinks, pace yourself to allow your body the processing time it needs and space your drinks out with water, low or no alcohol options, food and other activities, so you can last the distance in style.”

Alcohol&Me is available free of charge at www.alcoholandme.org.nz or as a tailored workplace workshop. Alcohol&Me has partnered with more than 20 New Zealand businesses to deliver alcohol education to teams across a wide range of industries including Fulton Hogan, PwC, Colliers International, FCB and The Highlanders.

* Unique visitors to the website and workshop attendees combined.

**Alcohol&Me Behaviour Change Research, July 2022.

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