12 February 2012

Drug Foundation welcomes survey on drinking and social media

Nearly a third of people aged 18 to 55 who drink alcohol have had the experience of saying things they regret on a first date because they've had a few drinks too many – and about one in five end up doing things they wish they hadn't.

However, most of the 200 odd people surveyed by Research New Zealand in January this year about their drinking and behaviour said they did not feel a need for alcohol while out on a first date – and most did not end up red-faced on Facebook or Twitter after a few drinks.

These are some of the findings of a survey carried out by Research New Zealand for the New Zealand Drug Foundation. The margin of error for the survey is 6.7 percent.

The Drug Foundation is currently running a month-long FebFast fundraiser, in which people give up alcohol for all of February to raise money via online sponsorship for charities working with young people affected by drugs or alcohol.

Last year’s FebFast raised more than $100,000 and this year’s FebFast is on track to raise a similar amount. More details about FebFast (including how to participate or make a donation) are available at www.febfast.org.nz.

FebFast Coordinator Catherine Milburn says she’s heartened by the survey findings.

“The survey provides a valuable snapshot of the relationship between people’s drinking and behaviour,” she says.

“We can see that for some people having a few too many drinks ends up with them saying or doing things they regret, but the survey also shows that most people, 70 percent, don't need to drink alcohol to make a good first impression on a date.

“And with social media such a large part of our lives, it was also really good to see that people are using it responsibly and not posting comments or drunken photos that they wish they hadn't once they've sobered up.”

Key findings from the survey:

• of the 500 people who took part, 80 percent of men described themselves as drinkers and 74 percent of women
• 30 percent of 18-55 year old drinkers said they have said things they later regretted when out on a first date or having drinks with someone they were interested in, as a result of having had too much to drink. This was true of more women (36 percent) compared with men (24 percent), and of people aged 18 to 34 (41 percent) than people aged 35 to 54(23 percent).
• 22 percent of 18-55 year old drinkers said had done things they regretted, after a few too many drinks on a first date. This was true of both men and women, but the survey found that people aged 18 to 34 (32 percent) were more likely to have experienced this situation than people aged 35 to 54 (17 percent).
• 10 percent of of 18-55 year old drinkers who use social mediahave done something on a social media site like Facebook or Twitter after drinking too much, and 11 percent have had embarrassing photos of themselves when drunk tagged on sites like Facebook or Twitter that have subsequently had a negative effect on their social life or work.

“The messages we can take from these findings are a good fit with the focus of FebFast,” says Catherine Milburn.

“FebFast is about raising much-needed funds for drug and alcohol organisations that work with young people, but it’s also about taking time out from drinking so that we can see how we’re going, whether we want to make any changes in our own lives.

Ms Milburn says FebFast fundraising will continue throughout February and into March, and people can still sign up to take part or donate money through the FebFast website (www.febfast.org.nz).

The recipients of this year’s FebFast funding are: Evolve (Wellington), Rainbow Youth (Auckland), CareNZ (Waikato), and the ADHD Association (national).

“Every bit of support we can give them will make a real difference,” says Catherine Milburn.

ENDS

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