A new film by students shows darker effects of binge drinking. Theresa Judge reports
Staff and students at Waterford Institute of Technology have launched a project aimed at raising awareness among second- and third-level students throughout Ireland of the dangers of binge-drinking.
A 10-minute film produced by students vividly portrays how excessive drinking can get young people into trouble. Under the influence shows a group of friends on a night out in Waterford city. As a result of binge-drinking one of the young men ends up getting arrested after trying to kick down a night club door while one of the young women is hospitalised after collapsing in a drunken stupor.
The head of the School of Education at the Institute, Ms Dolores Gilhooly, said it was believed this approach could be effective as the message was coming from young people.
"The idea is to make young people aware of the dangers of binge-drinking and rather than it coming out of the concepts of older people, these are concepts of people nearer their own age," she said.
The film is aimed primarily at second-level students and is to be sent on CD-Rom to schools all over the State. It is hoped that it will be used as part of the compulsory Social Personal Health Education (SPHE) subject taught at Junior Cert level.
Ms Gilhooly said a workbook to accompany the film will now be produced as it was important that teachers used the film as a basis for discussion. The CD can be stopped at a number of points to get pupils to reflect on what they are seeing. Teachers will be involved in drawing up the workbook and training days for teachers will also be held.
The project originated from an alcohol awareness week held in the Institute last November when design students were given the task of designing posters aimed at discouraging binge-drinking. Funding was then secured from the Department of Health and Children's health promotion unit to produce a film based on the posters with a commentary by students.
The design students gained some new skills in acting and in producing the film, assisted by a drama teacher and college technicians. Music students also got involved by writing the score for the film.
Ms Gilhooly said making the film helped raise awareness of the issues involved. It includes statistics about the dangers of binge-drinking including hospital admission figures and accident statistics. She said that the message needed to be directed at second-level students because "by the time they come to third-level the trend has already started".
It had to be continued at third-level and for this reason the film was also being sent to third-level colleges. She said high-risk drinking patterns among some students directly affected academic achievement and the misuse of alcohol also lead to personal problems and increased drop-out rates.
The film was launched by Co Mayo GP and coroner Dr Mick Loftus, who for many years has tried to raise awareness of the devastation caused by alcohol. He estimates alcohol was a factor in 60 per cent of the inquests he presided at over 32 years.
The South Eastern Health Board has also supported the project and its chief executive, Mr Pat McLouglin, said at the launch that the economic cost of alcohol abuse in Ireland in any one year could pay for all the health and social services in the south-east for three years.