Second hand harm

Alcohol-related second hand harm is one of the biggest issues we face. At Balance we often describe it as a similar effect to second hand smoking – it’s the harm caused by someone else’s drinking. It continues to have a detrimental effect on family and friends, children and young people, businesses and communities across the North East. And it affects you.

Alcohol is highly likely to affect your role in some way. An aggressive patient, violence, stretched resources, court cases – many of you will have to deal with these issues which can be exacerbated by alcohol.

Family and friends
If someone is drinking too much alcohol, the likelihood is that it is having an effect on their loved ones, be it a parent, child or partner.

It can result in them spending less time with family and friends after waking up with a hangover. It can affect the quality of the time they spend with them. This is just a small example of how alcohol can impact on family life. It can also be a lot worse. Ill health, erratic behaviour, accidents, hospital visits, trips to the police station can all be the result of alcohol – and it’s usually other people picking up the pieces.

Alcohol is also linked to domestic violence. Over half of all domestic abuse cases handled by the police in the North East involve alcohol. The links between alcohol and domestic abuse are complex but alcohol can increase the frequency and severity of assaults.

Children and young people
Children and alcohol do not mix. Research shows that parents are a major influence when it comes to the drinking habits of children and young people A teenager who has seen his or her parent drunk is twice as likely to get drunk themselves.

Although the vast majority of parents in the North East take their responsibilities very seriously - four in five agree that adults should never drink too much in front of children – all adults need to lead by example.

Getting drunk in front of children is not only putting individual health at risk, it’s endangering the wellbeing of the child – both now and in the future, by creating another generation which views excessive drinking as perfectly normal.

And for young people who do drink alcohol, the implications could be life changing. It can impair brain development and affect their education. They become more vulnerable and are more likely make poor decisions and take risks. Research shows that a third of drinkers in the region have experienced a risky situation as a result of drinking too much.

Drinking too much can encourage young people to take drugs or have unprotected sex which could result in an STD or unwanted pregnancy.

Businesses
Businesses and employers are also exposed to the issues associated with people drinking too much too often. From sick days and lower productivity to vandalism, it’s a problem that can affect any business in any sector regardless of size and turnover.

Communities
All of the above will have an impact on the communities. Noise, litter, rowdiness, crime, stretched resources...and that's before we take financial burden to take into consideration.