DrinkWise Australia is launching its long-term social change campaign today in a bid to influence generational change toward the responsible consumption of alcohol.
From today, TV advertisements will air for six months and a new website for parents goes live.
The campaign will work toward making ‘drinking to get drunk’ socially unacceptable among future potential drinkers in Australia. Reversing the trend of teens drinking at an earlier age is also among DrinkWise’s objectives.
The program is focused on changing attitudes toward alcohol and it has been jointly funded by DrinkWise Australia and the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Ageing.
DrinkWise chairman Trish Worth said Australian attitudes to risky drinking need to change. “A long-term commitment is required, not only from individuals but from society as a whole, including the alcohol industry, health professionals, the media and community organisations, such as sporting clubs and schools,” Worth said.
“DrinkWise wants to spark a national conversation and debate about what is acceptable and what is unacceptable drinking behaviour. The glorification of excessive drinking is a cultural trait we need to discourage,” she said.
DrinkWise CEO Dr Mike MacAvoy said the strategy behind the campaign was based on compelling evidence that supports a strong correlation between the way parents drink and, in turn, how their children grow up to drink.