PROJECT

Drinking alcohol can be fun and is an important part of our life and participation in social events such as BBQs, celebrations and nights out. Unfortunately, if you drink alcohol at the wrong time, at the wrong place or in excess, alcohol can impair your performance and in the worst case scenario can lead to serious harm.

The community of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has a lot going for it, it’s a vibrant society with people from all over the world and young families with children who enjoy the lifestyle of an outback town. Kalgoorlie-Boulder is located in the southern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

But there are some issues linked to the excessive use of alcohol in this town that need to be addressed for the good of all members of this community.

The per capita consumption of alcohol in Kalgoorlie-Boulder was 14 litres, compared to 10 litres for the rest of WA
Kalgoorlie-Boulder experienced 85 hospitalisations per 10,000 residents for acute alcohol problems, whereas the state average was 53 hospitalisations per 10,000
Per capita night-time assaults, which are taken as a proxy measure of alcohol related violence, were 83 per 10,000 residents compared to 6 per 10,000 for the rest of WA

This is also some of the reasons why the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder decided that something had to be done, so in collaboration with the National Drug Research Institute a 3.5 year long project was set up, after receiving funding from AER-foundation.

The aim of the project is to reduce harm caused by excessive alcohol use and this is to be achieved through collaboration with existing agencies and service providers in the community and the hope is that the project will support existing efforts and start up new interventions targeting individuals, families, groups, workplaces and policy makers.