Recent article by the Western Cape Government entitled “Confronting and reducing alcohol-related harms in the Western Cape” and the recent release of the “Green Paper” proposal.
The Alcohol Harms Reduction Green Paper is the first step towards making our communities safer and our opportunities greater, by minimising alcohol consumption and reducing unnecessary harm to individuals, families and society as a whole.
South Africans drink more alcohol than people from most other countries, and we do so in risky patterns. The average consumption of pure alcohol per drinker is estimated at 27.1l per year, placing South African drinkers at the upper end of global consumption. When consumption increases, so does alcohol-related harm.
Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug countrywide. In 2013, it was recognised as the 3rd leading risk factor for death and disability in South Africa, following unsafe sex and obesity. It’s also a dominant substance of abuse in the Western Cape. Cases of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder recorded in the Western Cape are among the highest in the country.
Current statistics reflect the substantial changes in behaviour we need to achieve to be able to reduce alcohol consumption and harms in the province:
- 35.2% of Western Cape learners in grades 8-11 binge drink – more than any other province.
- 7-10% of our GDP or R165-236 billion is the estimated loss to South Africa’s economy due to alcohol-related harms.
- 70% of crimes in our communities are linked to substance abuse.
- 67% of domestic violence in our communities is alcohol related.
- 70% of trauma victims in our hospitals test positive for alcohol.
- 18%-26% of grade 1 learners in certain high-risk communities showed signs of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Read full article here or find treatment services in your area.
