Busting the Myths behind Student Drinking

Media Release
Friday, 13 March 2015

Busting the Myths behind Student Drinking

Community Action on Youth Alcohol and Drugs (CAYAD) are letting students know that most young people do not drink as much as they might expect, with a new alcohol campaign ‘What About You?’. “The truth is a lot of students drink responsibly, and they aren’t getting drunk as often as we’re led to believe. This is important as most people want to be with the crowd, not against it” says CAYAD Public Health Advisor, Anna Tonks.

This is why CAYAD is trying a new direction with the What About You? campaign at WelTec. This campaign shares the facts about the drinking habits of young kiwis, in an effort to provide a realistic ‘norm’ for drinking.

Multiple studies have found that people in general prefer to behave the same as their peers, however, when it comes to alcohol, many overestimate what those around them are drinking. This information has been used to develop a style of marketing that aims to readdress these myths, and has been found to be effective in reducing heavy drinking in several Universities in the United States by as much as 50 percent.

When it comes to New Zealand, this is no exception, with most young kiwis aged 18 to 25 drinking on average three drinks the last time they had alcohol. It is facts like this, that CAYAD’s, ‘ What About You?’ campaign aims to draw attention to, as it is asking students to reflect on their own drinking in comparison to the responsible majority.

The reality is that our perceptions have been skewed by the dominance of negative media, portraying many young people drinking to excess, when most young kiwis exercise responsibility when drinking, in particular around drink-driving.

This has been demonstrated with the dramatic reduction in drink-driving among 15 to 19 year olds over the past few years. There has been a 53 percent decrease in drink-driving offences between 2011 and 2014 in the Wellington District, since the Blood Alcohol Limit was reduced to zero. This is just one example of how young kiwis are getting the message about the harms of drinking.

With campaign concepts inspired by CAYAD’s creative team of young people, CAYAD launched the What About You? campaign, on Wellington and Petone WelTec campuses on March 9.

Look out for the various messages and facts to be found on posters, banners and bus-stops around campus. With the support of Hutt City Council, the campaign will also feature on various items of merchandise and radio adverts on The Edge, Mai FM and the Rock. These simple messages are asking students to take a moment to reflect on their own drinking, and ask each other “what about you?"

Key facts of the campaign are attached.

ENDS

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