Isolation brings ‘pub’ into homes
Alcohol and Drug Foundation has unveiled new data that shows increased video catch-ups between friends has been a catalyst for Australian parents drinking more alcohol during the COVID-19 lockdown.
One in five parents who have upped their alcohol consumption during isolation cited extra video socialising as a factor in their increased intake.
Of those, parents aged 18 to 34 were far more likely, 31 percent, to say extra video socialising prompted them to drink more.
The data has led to launch a reflective new video campaign showing children imitating the behaviour of some parents during online ‘iso-video’ chats.
Alcohol dominates the children’s conversation, with one innocently claiming he’s been ‘sucking the guts out of a few cold ones’, and another boasting ‘oh yeah, got myself a slab’.
The video is part of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s ‘You haven’t been drinking alone’ community health initiative, developed to encourage parents of school-aged children to consider how their drinking might have changed during lockdown, the impact it might be having on their health and how they might be inadvertently influencing their children’s attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol.
Foundation chief executive Erin Lalor said the past couple of months had been stressful for parents and video catch-ups had become a key way for people to connect with friends and families.
“While video catch-ups have played an important role in addressing social isolation, a by-product has been bringing the pub into many Australian homes, with kids listening or watching,” she said.
“As social-distancing measures continue to ease, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation is encouraging parents to be mindful of how they have been drinking during isolation and the role it can play in shaping their children’s attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol.
“There is a compelling body of evidence highlighting how parental behaviours and attitudes towards alcohol play one of the strongest roles in influencing children’s future behaviour towards alcohol. This is not something to be taken lightly.
“We don’t want children learning to think alcohol is a healthy lifestyle choice, or to view alcohol as a coping mechanism for feelings of stress, anxiety or boredom.
“Parents can role model lower-risk behaviours around alcohol by drinking no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks on any day.
“We also encourage parents to show their kids that they don’t always need alcohol to relax, have fun, as a reward, or in every social situation.”
The campaign comes off the back of a Yougov poll run by the foundation in midmay, which revealed one in four, or 29 percent of parents of school-aged students had increased their alcohol intake since the outbreak of coronavirus, with 20 percent consuming alcohol in front of their children daily or every other day.