Alcohol-fuelled violence and stupid behaviour...

With regard to the assorted articles on pages 6 & 7 of the Northern Star on Saturday, February 13, 2010:

When it comes to all the articles that are being published in the newspapers at the moment in this region about alcohol-fuelled violence and it's consequences, I think we are really missing the point when the conversation within these articles turns to how best to promote Byron Bay as a tourist destination. The thing that is sorely missing in these types of articles is the fact that stupid behaviour is what leads to these problems and behaviours are something we learn from a very young age and primarily at home.

It is a great idea for the business community to voice its' 'support to curb Byron's party image', but the idea of what is best for businesses to be promoting, such as Byron's beautiful and natural assets and bringing back families and cultured tourists, completely ignores the real reasons that these problems with alcohol and violence happen here in the first place. Tourism itself along with complacent parenting practices is what has wreaked the most havoc here in Byron Bay, not just alcohol.

However, because alcohol has been such a big a part of the culture of our country ever since white man first came to its' shores, it is now an ingrained problem. The use of alcohol has been accepted, encouraged, even passed down from generation to generation as part of good old aussie culture. A drink after a hard day's yakka, a reward for every milestone reached, even a rite of passage for young people reaching adulthood. The fact is, that our young people today see drinking alcohol as their 'right'. Unfortunately, the largest consumers and abusers of alcohol in our country are under the age of 18, not yet adults, or even legally allowed to drink it and because they have such a huge 'problem' with it, their 'right' to a fully functioning brain is the thing that is most acutely and profoundly effected.

What we really need to be passionately doing as a community is teaching our young people early on that drinking to the point of being drunk and badly behaved is unacceptable. Changing the drinking hours at the hotels and clubs isn't going to change this. This change has to start at home. Making it harder for young people to take up drinking in the first place, is a good really good place to start. If parents really understood the long-term implications of early introduction to alcohol, they would do anything in their power to stop their young from taking it up. Or, at least they should. But most parents these days turn a blind eye to their children's drinking and seem to think that they will just grow out of it. Some of them even buy the alcohol for their kids, with the stupid belief that they can teach them responsible drinking practices at home.

Teaching young people responsible drinking at home, is irresponsible. This actually tells them that drinking is ok. It isn't. We have set up laws in our country regarding legal drinking age for a reason. These reasons are well thought out and they are scientifically backed. Alcohol damages the brain and in the case of teenagers it permanently retards the growth of important areas of the brain and wires it up for addictions and serious behavioural and mental health problems. If we want to curb the problems associated with alcohol-fuelled violence and stupid behaviour, we need to start in the home and with the parents. In fact all adults also need to understand that supplying alcohol to minors is illegal and why it is.

As a community, we need to start paying less attention to the needs of the tourists and be more interested in attending to our own local young people and their needs. We need to cater to their requirements for safe, clean socialising opportunities and keep them away from the badly behaved partying tourists who come here. We need to get behind those organisations and venues within the community that provide the services that support our young people. We need to put our money and our energy into trying to keep our young people educated and safe. And most of all, we need to be responsible with our own choices and our own behaviours, because our young mimic us.

On another note, allowing multi-national liquor superstores such as Dan Murphy's into our town, will only add fuel to this fire. The availability of cheap alcohol is the number one reason behind alcohol-fuelled violence and every other crime associated with alcohol. It is also one of the main reasons that young people take up drinking, besides boredom. It is time that the community and particularly the parents of our young people, became proactive. We need to stop Dan Murphy's coming to town and we need stop being so complacent as parents and adults and start paying attention to our children's needs and educate them and ourselves about the real dangers of drinking alcohol. It is also the undereducated young people that grow up to be the ones that cause the problems with alcohol related violence in the pub and clubs.

Bugger the tourists, bad behaviour starts at home.

Life is short, let's make it easier and let's make it matter...