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Open letter on Northern Territory Alcohol Policy October 2024: Putting the health, wellbeing and safety of Territorians first
Dear Chief Minister the Hon Lia Finocchiaro,
We are writing to urge you to put the health, wellbeing and safety of Territorians first, by keeping in place measures that work to reduce harms from alcohol.
Alcohol causes a great deal of harm to far too many Territorians. Measures that control the availability and accessibility of alcohol, like the Minimum Unit Price and reduced trading hours for alcohol outlets have proven to reduce harm, which has been proven to save lives.
As leaders of health, community, Aboriginal and research organisations, we see the impact of effective alcohol policies in keeping our communities safe, and we strongly oppose any moves to remove these policies.
If these policies are removed or relaxed, we know we will see increases in violence against women and children, more people hospitalised because of chronic diseases and more deaths.
Please engage with us, listen to us and consult with communities who experience firsthand the impact of alcohol on our families.
We know all too well what happens when decisions are quickly made without community engagement and consideration of the evidence.
As you know from July 2022 to early 2023, restricted area legislative provisions were allowed to lapse across the Northern Territory despite warnings from community leaders of the increased harm that this would cause, and the result was a very significant increase in violence and other harm, especially to women.
At the recent National Cabinet meeting, alongside the Prime Minister and all First Ministers you acknowledged the role of alcohol in exacerbating violence against women and children and committed to reviewing alcohol laws and their impact on victim-survivors of family violence.
Your government’s consideration of the removal of Minimum Unit Pricing will not make women and children in the Northern Territory safer. It will increase violence and harm. Any increase in trading hours will have a similar effect.
We urge you to abandon any plans to remove or relax these policies, and to prioritise the health, wellbeing and safety of families and communities.
Signed,
Dalgarno Institute (Source: FARE)
See Also:
Warnings of NT 'rivers of grog' as minimum alcohol price abolished _ The Australian
Open Letter to NT Gov - 16 October 2024
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Gove Peninsula alcohol reduction trial extended by 12 months
An alcohol reduction program being managed by the Gove Peninsula community is being extended for 12 more months after a successful six-month trial.
The peninsula, situated in the north-eastern corner of Arnhem Land, saw the trial introduced in October last year in an effort to help reduce rising rates of alcohol-related crime and domestic and family violence, as well as secondary supply.
The trial sets daily limits on the amounts of takeaway alcohol purchases by permit holders, which varies by tier and location within the Peninsula.
The Northern Territory government has extended the trial after preliminary data indicated it was having a positive impact on the community. There has been a reduction in alcohol related assaults across the Peninsula as well as a reduction in the number of presentations to the Gove District Hospital for alcohol related issues.
The Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation represents the Rirratjingu people, the Traditional Owners of the Gove Peninsula. Rirratjingu leader Mandaka Marika said the corporation supported the NT government's decision.
"Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation supports extending the trial for a further 12 months, and setting a maximum take-away limit to reduce secondary supply of alcohol," he said.
Gumatj leader Djawa Yunupingu said they were "supportive" of the permit system being extended, arguing, "we have seen the damages alcohol causes too often".
"We are taking actions to build a better future for this region, and we hope all community members understand the role they have to play in this challenging enterprise," Mr Yunupingu said.
A review in 2021 by the Gove Peninsula Harmony Group found while there were improvements needed for the previous permit system, there was no great desire to abandon it. Instead, data showed secondary supply was a key problem.
"There was support for the current measures to be maintained or enhanced." the review said. "Unrestricted permits were regarded as the prime source of secondary supplies."
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Study: No More Than 6 Teaspoons of Added Sugar per Day
JAMA. Published online April 19, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.6285
Moderate-quality evidence has tied high intake of sugars, particularly those containing fructose, with a range of poor outcomes, such as obesity in children, coronary heart disease, and depression, according to an umbrella review of 73 meta-analyses that included 8601 studies, a majority of which were observational.
Low-quality evidence linked each additional serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage per week with a 4% higher risk of gout. Each extra cup per day of a sugar-sweetened drink was associated with a 17% and a 4% higher risk of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality, respectively.
“[W]e recommend reducing the consumption of free sugars or added sugars to below 25 g/day,” the researchers wrote in The BMJ. That translates to about 6 teaspoons daily. The authors also advised limiting sugar-sweetened beverages to less than 1 a week.
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April 18, 2023. Michael Banissy Professor of Psychological Science, University of Bristol
Most of us know how good it feels to receive a hug from a loved one or hold hands with a partner. But what many of us may not realise is that touch is far more than just a simple physical sensation – it’s an essential element in human connection.
Touch is a fundamental human need. It affects brain development, and helps us bond and build important social relationships.
Touch is also extremely important for many other aspects of our health and wellbeing, as I detail in my latest book, When We Touch.
1. Hugs can lower stress
Whether you like a short squeeze or a long cuddle, hugging can help reduce stress. Research shows that both hugs from other people and self-hugs can lower cortisol levels (often known as the “stress hormone”) in the body after a stressful experience.
This is important, as long-term stress can have many adverse health effects. One example is chronic inflammation that can place people at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Fortunately, research has found that when people hugged their loved ones more often, it led to lower markers of chronic inflammation – even after just two weeks.
The benefits of hugs don’t stop there. Regularly hugging has also been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease the risk of getting sick and improve everyday moods. Hugs are modest gestures with a powerful effect.
2. A gentle caress may reduce pain
Not only is a gentle touch or caress soothing, it may actually be able to reduce pain.
In 2018, researchers examined whether gentle stroking could help babies cope with pain when receiving a routine pinprick blood test to their heel. They found gentle stroking was associated with both reduced pain-related brain activity and reflexive withdrawal compared to the group that did not receive touch.
Several studies in adults have also shown that gentle caressing before experiencing pain induced by heat or pressure can reduce the perceived intensity of it.
The reason that this specific type of touch may be able to reduce pain is related to nerve fibres in the skin called c-tactile afferents. These are particularly attuned to comforting or caregiving touch – such as gentle skin stroking – and provide a biological foundation to process affectionate touch.
When someone gently strokes our arm, for example, the c-tactile afferents on our skin are thought to release chemicals, such as the hormone oxytocin, which is associated with bonding and calmness.
Ongoing work is now looking at whether c-tactile touch can be used to help with chronic pain. Results so far have been mixed. One reason for this is that chronic pain can alter how pleasant gentle stroking is perceived. This shows that there’s more to touch than just receptors in our skin – our interpretation of the pleasantness of touch may also affect its outcomes.
3. Holding hands helps buffer against anxiety
Holding hands may help reduce anxiety during scary situations. A recent randomised controlled trial found that men who held a relative or nurse’s hand while undergoing a biopsy reported feeling less anxiety and pain compared to those who didn’t. Other research has also found that holding a nurse’s hand during cataract surgery reduced self-reported feelings of anxiety and levels of adrenaline (a physiological marker of anxiety) in patients.
Not only that, but studies in married couples have found that holding hands during a scary situation (in this case, under the belief that they may receive a mild electric shock) can reduce anxiety-related brain activity. This was also found to be true regardless of whether the participant held their partner’s hand or a complete stranger’s. But if you want to boost the anxiety-busting effects of hand-holding, studies suggest you get the most benefit from holding hands with someone you have a closer relationship with.
4. Massage promotes a host of benefits
The benefits of massage are numerous and varied – including reducing stress, easing pain and boosting relaxation. The reason why massage is thought to have all these benefits is due to changes that happen in vagal and parasympathetic nervous system activity.
(republished by permission (c) Bristol University and The Conversation)