Silent Voices alcohol abuse campaign ‘not about judging parents’

The organisation behind a new campaign aimed at tackling the trauma endured by the children of those who abuse alcohol say the initiative is not about judging parents, but ending an ongoing cycle of harmful drinking.

Alcohol Action Ireland’s ‘Silent Voices’ campaign, which launches today, comes as the alcohol-industry funded organisation Drinkaware says attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol are shifting.

Somewhere between one in six or seven children suffer from alcohol-related harms, according to Alcohol Action Ireland, whose chair Carol Fawsitt said its campaign seeks to address this ‘hidden harm’ to young people.

“Silent Voices is about giving a voice to the lived experience of the child and adult child growing up with parental alcohol misuse, to start the conversation about this hidden harm, to help not only those affected by growing up with parental alcohol misuse but also the next generations, to put this childhood trauma on everyone’s radar.” Ms Fawsitt said. “Silent Voices is not about pointing fingers, blaming or judging parents who engage in alcohol misuse.

We need to stop the cycle of damage repeating. Parents and carers of children may not be aware of the impact of their drinking behaviours on the child. Parents and carers may themselves have grown up with parental alcohol misuse in their families of origin and may never have been able to access help or support. A parent’s own unresolved trauma is at risk of being played out with their child.

Meanwhile, national not-for-profit organisation Drinkaware said there was a 300% rise in people visiting its website in December 2018 compared to 2017.

The organisation, which is funded by donations from the alcohol and retail industry, said its own research has found that physical health (61%), fitness (43%) and mental health (32%) are the top three motivations for Irish adults to drink less.

“The recent threefold increase in the number of people taking the time to visit the Drinkaware website is a signal that attitudes and behaviours are shifting,” Sheena Horgan, Drinkaware CEO, said. “People are actively looking for information, tools and tips to understand and change their drinking habits.”

She said OECD figures indicating a slight decrease in adult per capita alcohol consumption shows small progress in the right direction.

“Irish adults are becoming more mindful about the way they consume alcohol and we have reason to believe this will continue,” she said.