Binge Drinking on the Gold Coast

Socio-cultural factors influence the beginning and continued use of alcohol among adolescents (Janet Bobo and Corinne Husten, 2000). When teenagers are drunk they are more likely to be involved in risky behaviour such as verbal and physical abuse. Teens are known to drink to get drunk, rather than the fact of just drinking (Steven Dowshen, 2009). Research suggests that excessive alcohol consumption has had a harmful effect on the social aspects of drinker's lives such as their social life and physical health, work, school, family and relationships (Alcohol and Drug Information Services, 2011). On the Gold Coast binge drinking is becoming a major problem among teenagers (Shannon Willoughby, 2011). The Coast has heavy concentration of nightclubs and an all or nothing drinking culture. The National Schoolies Week organisation suggests that on the Gold Coast a phenomenal 52.3 percent of boys and 37.3 percent of girls get drunk every day and night throughout the week of Schoolies (Georgia Muir, 2012). A need for change is in order to deal with the teenage drinking culture on the Gold Coast because it is getting out of control. Banning schoolies altogether wouldn't affect the drinking culture as the teenagers who just finished year 12 would most likely just go out and party anyway. In order to change the drinking culture of the Gold Coast there needs to be a stricter Drug Strategy put into place.

Binge drinking at parties for young people seems to them to be an environment that appears to support heavy drinking, but clearly there are many risks involved. Teenagers say that it is alcohol is more easily available to them today than it was five years ago (Ken Chisholm, 2011). The four leading injury-related causes of death among youths under the age of 20 are motor-vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides and drowning (Ken Chisholm, 2011). Alcohol is known to be the cause of many of these deaths. Binge drinking at parties can also create risks such as passing out, getting sick and in some extreme cases alcohol poisoning, permanent brain damage or death (Ken Chisholm, 2011).

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