Resources

Thank you for your interest in the Alcohol Community Action Project (ACAP). ACAP was a 12 month pilot project which has now concluded.

While the pilot project has concluded, the website will remain available for all interested parties.

During its trial, ACAP successfully supported concerned community members across NSW community to engage with liquor licensing and planning processes.

The initiative proved an important first step in demonstrating the need for support for communities and providing a model for service implementation.

The pilot project consisted of two key resources; the website and a community adviser. It aimed to ensure that the control of liquor outlets reflect the expectations and aspirations local communities and not be solely driven by the wishes of liquor industry.

ACAP helped explain the complexities of problematic liquor-related Development Applications (DA’s), liquor licensing and related approvals, and complaints about liquor outlets. ACAP helps people within communities to mobilise and achieve:

•  A community free from alcohol-related harms so everyone can safely enjoy public spaces day and night.
• An informed and equal say on all liquor-related decisions that impact upon their community.
•  A community that is not unfairly burdened with the high costs and dislocations of alcohol-related harms arising from the supply, promotion and availability of alcohol.

Sponsors

ACAP was made possible by a grant from the Australian Rechabite Foundation, and the project was administered by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.

Visit the ACAP website

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has published recommendations for drinking alcohol to avoid health risks. The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol are based on evidence and understanding of the harms associated with drinking.

There are four key guidelines plus detailed information on how and why the guidelines have been developed. Additional health advice is also provided for particular groups, such as older people, people with a family history of alcohol dependence, and people who use illicit drugs.

What you need to know

There is no level of drinking alcohol that can be guaranteed to be completely ‘safe’ or ‘have no risk’. However, the guidelines advise on how healthy adults can minimise the risk of short and long-term harms.

For both women and men:

• Drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces your lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury. This recommendation is to reduce the longer-term risks of drinking such as cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bowel, liver, prostate and breast, and brain damage.
• Drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion. Short-term consequences of a drinking session may include accidents, injuries, and other harms associated with binge drinking.

For women who are pregnant or breastfeeding:

• It is recommended that for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, or who are breastfeeding, not drinking is the safest option.

For young people:

• People under 18 years of age also should not drink alcohol at all.

For parents:

• Parents and carers should be advised that children under 15 years of age are at the greatest risk of harm from drinking and that for this age group, not drinking alcohol is especially important.

How much is a standard drink?

A standard drink is any drink containing 10 grams of alcohol. One standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of  the alcohol type. To see how many standard drinks are in different alcohol products, see the guide below:

Further information

Visit the NHMRC website for more information about the guidelines.