the concept of culture

1. Changing the New Zealand Drinking CultureIt’s not the drinking – it’s how we’re drinking

2. the concept of culture Culture is learned not inherited. It derives from ones social environment not from one’s genes (Hofstede, 1997 in Walker 2000, p 62) • The means by which we bring order and meaning to our lives and provide a sense of purpose, identity and belonging, while also acting as a framework of values to guide our actions (Eckersley, 2006, p 253) • A way of life …. made up of habits, customs and norms (Giddens, 1997 in Roche et al., 2005)

3. western culture Some ideas and principles which might be considered cornerstones of western cultures: • Christianity and secularism • Rationality and emphasis on technological innovation and science coupled with a belief in progress • Emphasis on human rights, which are considered natural rights and the rule of law • Personal freedom as an important value • Expectation of personal responsibility • A strong sense of personal privacy and civil rights.

4. western culture – continued • Core component, as with any culture, is values • Materialism and individualism the two defining characteristics of modern Western culture (Eckersley, 2006) as they have most significant effect on psychosocial factors such as social support and personal control • Increasing fear and unprecedented consumption • Need to consider influence of individualism, materialism and social and economic disadvantage to get any cultural change.

5. history of alcohol • Alcohol is the psychoactive drug most widely used throughout the world • Regular use of psychoactive drugs, including alcohol, comes “close to being a human universal, a culturally patterned behaviour found worldwide” (Gamella, 2002, p. xv) • In English the verb “to drink” often applies to alcohol rather than any other beverage • 7000 years ago “drunkenness recognised as a major social problem” (Plant & Plant, 2006) • Early drinking most commonly associated with celebrations and still meeting same need today – transcending everyday life.

6. drunkeness – major social problem Hogarths Etching – Gin Lane (1751)

7. history – continued • 19th century western response – informal social sanction • Legislation - maintain social order and regulate production/distribution • No treatment response • 19th to 20th century – increase regulation • Link to economics, politics and social order.

8. effects of alcohol • Impairment to sensorimotor skills fairly uniform but behaviour not • Behaviour linked to people’s idea of what alcohol does (Mandelbaum, 1965, p. 282) • Drinking behaviour is learned therefore culturally determined (MacAndrew and Edgerton, 1969).

9. drinking culture – what is it? • Shared customs and attitudes – vary widely from essential and sacred to dispensable and destructive • Impacts on alcohol expectancies • Western culture and internalisation of expectations • Beliefs not monolithic • Cultures of drinking can change over time.

10. types of drinking and drinking culture • Valued by many for promoting relaxation and sociability; and most of reasons people drink are positive (Plant & Plant, 2006) • Non-problematic drinking normal in both statistical and sociological terms • Most risks associated with abuse • Sporadic episodes of acute intoxication – broader range of harms than moderate drinking • Problems linked with values, norms, attitudes.

11. classifying drinking cultures • ‘Wet’ , ‘dry’ and ‘blended’ • ‘Wet’ = high per capita consumption and permissive • ‘Dry’ = low per capita consumption and strong sanctions • ‘Blended’ = somewhere in between the two extremes.

12. wet or dry

13. minimising abuse and harm • Cultures most successful at preventing abuse and minimising harm do not control patterns through regulatory framework but: • View alcohol as natural part of life – no ambivalence • Teach young people by example of moderation • Encourage drinking among family/friends rather than same gender settings • Discourage heavy, episodic drinking • Sanction negatively and promptly unacceptable drinking practices • Respect the choice not to drink and do not pressure • Free of belief that alcohol can solve problems, signify adulthood, grant power or confirm ‘manhood’.

14. cultural values Hospitality, kinship and reciprocity: • ‘Mateship’ implied by drinking together • ‘Social credit’ - confirm ongoing networks of reciprocity by sharing alcohol • Drinking together binds members of a group • Ritualistic function – life cycle events, transition from work to play • Associated with recreation and irresponsibility - regarded as opposite to working.

15. drinking places

16. key features of New Zealand • Normalisation of alcohol into everyday consumer behaviour • Not considered part of drug culture • Positive contributions - cultural significance of socialisation, entertainment, celebration hospitality • Will not change by telling people they drink too much • Drunkenness normative – linked with the ‘shout’, ‘mateship’, and ‘wowserism’.

17. key features – continued • “Drunkenness and explosive drinking” definitive of social characteristics of early settlement by the English (Brady, 2000) • Significant influence on contemporary drinking patterns and culture • Was largely male, pub culture, 6 o’clock closing ‘drinking swill’ • OK to get drunk and drink to get drunk • Recently women drinking a lot more and drinking like men.

18. how do you change a culture? • Most people cannot be legislated into behaviour change, but environment and access does impact on ability to drink • People cannot be scared into changing the way they consume a legal product that has desired social and health benefits, but knowledge is necessary • Not everyone can or needs to access treatment and intervention • People will, for the most part, consume a product to the norm set by their society • Social norms can be changed with the right mix of strategies • Different people respond to different strategies, more often, a mix is required

19. the ALAC model to change a drinking culture NZ’ers drink in a way that shows it’s never ok to be drunk SUPPLY CONTROL Making sure there is effective legislation and regulation in place, and then making sure that it’s enforced and that people know about it. PROBLEM LIMITATION Supporting people to make change, either on their own or through a range of treatment services. DEMAND REDUCTION Encouraging and convincing individuals and communities to make good choices about drinking. INFORMATION / COMMUNICATION / POLICY Keeping the issue and the facts alive and heard!

20. the behaviour change journey SEE stage THINK stage ACT stage Agree that the problem has personal relevance. “I’m part of the problem”… Personalise the belief leading to behaviour change. Adopt useful plans and coping strategies that can help. “There are things I can do…” Access appropriate ideas, resources and assistance. Acknowledge we have a problem with binge drinking in New Zealand. “We have a problem…” Lay a foundation of widely held belief.

21. communications considerations • Cautions around denigrating the perceived benefits of drinking • Showing hard consequences perpetuates ‘not us’/’not me’ • Finger pointing inappropriate • Recognisable social and domestic situations are useful • Reflect personalisevs confront reject • Equal reach and influence for Maori and Pacific People as for the rest of the population.

22. we have concluded that • Changing New Zealand’s drinking culture requires a comprehensive programme of complementary strategies • It’s a whole population issue…Maori and Pacific Peoples share a drinking pattern • An appropriate balance is required across Supply Control, Problem Limitation and Demand Reduction • It’s not just about advertising • It requires a long-term commitment • ALAC cannot do it alone.

23. want to know more? Contacts ALAC Andrew Galloway Cathy Bruce Project Manager – Project Manager Drinking Environments Local Government a.galloway@alac.org.nz c.bruce@alac.org.nz www.alac.org.nz