DVD reveals perils of alcohol
The short, dramatised DVD which was produced by staff and students at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) has been hailed as a welcome fight-back against drinks advertising which glamorises alcohol, according to the Director of the Irish College of General Practitioners’ (ICGP) Alcohol Project, Rolande Anderson.
Launching the 10-minute DVD on the perils of binge drinking, he warned of a wave of alcohol-related problems such as alcoholism, liver problems, impotence and drink-fuelled violence and sexual assaults if drinking in Irish society as a whole is not curbed.
Dolores Gilhooly, Head of the School of Education & Professional Development at WIT said staff at the college are always very conscious of the need to take a holistic approach to education.
“We have a detailed alcohol policy in place and a series of actions have been taken to curtail on-campus alcohol promotions.
“High risk drinking patterns among some students impact directly on academic achievement and as well as reducing the prospects of students reaching their full potential, the misuse of alcohol gives rise to serious personal problems and increased drop-out rates.
“Unsafe drinking contributes to a range of health, behavioural and social problems with knock-on effects for families, peers and broader society.
“Sadly, acute problems, whether these are accidents, violence, injuries, crimes or unplanned pregnancies, are frequently linked to excessive drinking - often among normally light or moderate drinkers who engage in occasional bouts of heavy drinking with devastating consequences similar to those encountered by the young people in this film,” Ms Gilhooly continued.
The film and support material for social, personal and health education (SPHE) teachers will reach tens of thousands of teenagers as they are being distributed to secondary schools and third level colleges across the country.
Part-funded by the Department of Health & Children’s Health Promotion Unit to reinforce the sensible drinking message, a key strength of the punchy film is its accessibility to young people - something illustrated by how well received it has been among students that have already seen it.
The resource book and DVD are being distributed through the SPHE Support Unit at the Marino Institute of Education.
