Activities
Discussion prior to the programme
Split the young people into groups. Ask the young people to discuss the following, and record feedback on flipchart paper:
What are some of the main reasons people drink alcohol?
Name 5 behavioural changes that can result from drinking alcohol.
What are some of the risks associated with binge drinking?
What sorts of things can people do to reduce alcohol misuse?
What powers do the police have if people abuse alcohol?
Display the feedback.
Ask the young people to discuss:
What do people think about the responses to the questions? Agree? Disagree?
Are you surprised by how much you know about alcohol and the effects of alcohol? Why do you think this is?
What are some of the biggest risks associated with alcohol misuse?
How much power and influence do the media, sports advertisers, and television celebrities have in 'selling' alcohol?
Capture these views on a flipchart and revisit following the programme.
Discussion after the programme
Split the young people into groups. Discuss:
What did you think of the 'Hardeep Does Drinking' programme? What parts impacted on you most?
What are some of the risks associated with alcohol misuse – what were they for the three young women featured?
What are some of the wider associated costs? eg costs to neighbourhoods, or the NHS?
Look at the young peoples' feedback statements to the Activity prior to viewing the programme. Ask the young people to identify:
What they already knew about alcohol
What they have learned about alcohol usage now – have opinions changed at all
Anything they are still unsure of surrounding the use or misuse of alcohol
Working in groups, ask each to discuss and answer the questions from the scenes below. It would be useful to look at the scenes again before beginning the discussion.
The three young women
Why do you think they feel a 'drunken night on the town' is the only way to go?
How did they feel the 'morning after the night before? Were they embarrassed? Ashamed? Sick? Did they show regret in any way?
What potential risks did they leave themselves open to? eg assault, hypothermia, risk of unplanned / unprotected sex, STIs, pregnancy?
What health risks might they face if they continue drinking as they currently do?
Doctor Robinson gets Hardeep drunk
How can the doctor tell that Hardeep is getting drunk? What is significant about his behaviour?
What are some of the perceptions that people feel when they are drunk? Why is this?
List 3 ways in which behaviour changes, due to the influence of alcohol, can affect people. Consider – physical, mental and social aspects.
What impact does alcohol play in distorting your thoughts, feelings and coordination? How does it affect the messages that are usually sent naturally to the brain?
Is drinking a good thing?
Doctor Anne refers to drinking sensibly and in moderation.
One in six women and one in four men are said to drink too much. How much of this do you feel is down to: peers? society? work? culture?
What constitutes a binge drinker? What are some of the reasons for binge drinking?
What are some of the biggest dangers experienced through binge drinking?
Who is one of the most vulnerable groups currently most likely to binge drink? What risks do they leave themselves open to? Why?
Have you ever...
Why do you think people appear quite 'proud' of their accomplishments when drunk as illustrated through the drink-o-metre test?
What are some of the consequences of acting 'out of order' or 'disturbing the peace' within our neighbourhoods and communities?
Why do some people feel that the only way they can have a good time is by 'propping up the bar'? What does this say about them?
What kind of support is available to those affected with alcohol problems? Where might they go for help in tackling their problem?
How a mother stopped her daughter drinking
Why do you feel Alex's mother take the action that she did?
What do you feel about the methods used by Alex's mum in her fight to stop her daughter drinking at a young age?
Do you agree or disagree with the action Alex's mother took? Why?
Do you feel this action has been effective? Has it helped their relationship?
The hospital scene
What are some of the costs in dealing with drunks week in week out? eg fatality; the paramedics time; doctors; nurses; stretched 999 response teams?
What are some of the personal threats associated with alcohol abuse eg family relationship breakup; domestic violence; breach of the peace; assault; self harm?
How might people better manage their alcohol intake levels in the future? What could they do to ensure they don't become adversely affected by alcohol?
What steps could you take to better understand someone who may be battling a drinking problem?
Alcohol Information Game
Play the 'Alcohol Information Game' by splitting the wider group into 4 smaller groups. Cut up separately and give out the 'Alcohol Information Statements' to each of the 4 groups and ask that they be sorted into 2 (true or false). Check that the group understands the task. Spend 15 minutes going through the game with the groups back together.
Alcohol Information Game Statements:
Alcohol is a stimulant type drug
Mixing your drinks means you will get drunk quicker
Drinking spirits is less harmful than drinking lager or beer
Alcohol affects young people far more because of their lack of experience and their age
Drinking black coffee helps sober you up
A person drinking heavily on a night out would be ok and safe to drive a car the following morning
The effect of alcohol depends on the strength, amount used, body size, where you are, your gender, and who you are with at the time
Drinking different types of alcohol can affect your mood in different ways, eg make you more aggressive
Alcohol Information Game Answers:
Alcohol is a stimulant type drug: FALSE
Alcohol is a depressant type drug – depressing the central nervous system and dampens actions within the brain.
Mixing your drinks means you will get drunk quicker: FALSE
Mixing your drinks doesn't make them stronger; it may mean however, that you are drinking more. How long it takes and how drunk you get is influenced by many things, e.g. if you have eaten before drinking, your gender, age, how much and how quick you drink.
Drinking spirits is less harmful than drinking lager or beer: FALSE
Problems and potential trouble are just as likely to occur from drinking spirits than lager or beer. What is important is the amount consumed and not so much what it is.
Alcohol affects young people far more because of their lack of experience and their age: TRUE
Drinking black coffee helps you sober up: FALSE
Only time sobers you up
A person drinking heavily on a night out would be ok and safe to drive a care the following morning: FALSE
This is dependant upon how much was drunk, but, the legal limit could be exceeded, and you could fail a breathalyser test 12 hours after having your last drink. It takes 1 unit of alcohol at least 1 hour to leave your system.
The effect of alcohol depends on the strength, amount used, body size, where you are, your gender, and who you are with at the time: TRUE
A wide and varied combination of factors can influence how alcohol affects you.
Drinking different types of alcohol can affect your mood in different ways, eg make you more aggressive: FALSE
Alcoholic consumption does affect behaviour and mood, but this is a result of many things such as conditioned experience, how you actually feel at that moment in time, your expectations and how much you drink. It is not true, for example, to say that drinking dark rum makes you aggressive and vodka makes you happy and excited. All alcohol is the same – taste, smell, strength and colour (and cost) aside! It's the quantity you drink that really makes the difference.
Discussion after the programme
Spend 15 minutes on this activity.
Split the group and work in pairs or groups of three.
Give each young person a blank leaflet. Explain that the aim of the group is to make up a leaflet on alcohol that carries the most important information that they think the rest of their peer group need to know about. Supplement the group work with available and appropriate leaflets and posters. Suggest IT development and research for alcohol related information and support. This could include websites.
Bring the group back together and see how many useful suggestions, information and ideas could be utilised and further explored.
Project based work
This project encourages exploration of the positives (benefits) and negatives (costs) said about drinking alcohol.
Develop a list of some of the benefits said about drinking alcohol:
Benefits as talked about by newspapers, advertisements and the media
Benefits as discussed with your parents, carers and teachers
Benefits as talked about by your friends and other people
Benefits as read about in magazines or books you have read
Now develop a list of some of the costs associated with drinking alcohol:
Newspaper articles about football hooligans getting drunk
What your friends say regarding the wider costs e.g. how much it costs, what it may lead to, fighting and violence, hangovers
Stories about alcoholics and the overall cost to society
Costs as discussed in the magazines or books you have read
Now write down your personal thoughts about what you think the problem and concerns surrounding alcohol are.
Use stories from newspapers and pictures from magazines and leaflets etc.
How do you think the problem could be resolved?
What do you think should be done about improving this problem:
By the government?
By the police?
By parents?
By young people?
By schools?
By others?