On Thursday 11December 2014 the D12 Local Drugs and Alcohol Task Force (LDATF) organised a consultation seminar on alcohol in order to begin a discussion around problem alcohol use in the area and possible solutions.¹

The morning started with introductions by Susan Sargent (chair of the D12 LDATF) and Aoife Fitzgerald (co-ordinator of the D12 LDATF).  Three guest speakers then addressed the seminar: Suzanne Costello (Alcohol Action Ireland), who gave the national perspective on alcohol; Dr Suzi Lyons (Health Research Board), who presented local alcohol data from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS); and Hugh Greaves (Ballymun LDATF), who spoke about the approach the Ballymun LDATF has taken to dealing with problem alcohol use.

Hugh Greaves described how Ballymun LDATF took a public health-based approach to developing their strategy, using a community mobilisation model. The process included round-table events and a large number of stakeholders. 

After the presentations, the seminar participants broke into four workshops, which reached the following broad conclusions:

• Treatment and rehabilitation: The key priorities identified by this workshop included the need for additional training, for example SAOR (screening and brief intervention for people with hazardous/harmful alcohol use), and the need to encourage population-level interventions to reduce harmful drinking.
• Young people and alcohol: The need for outreach, education and alternative activities was highlighted by this workshop.
• Education, prevention and health promotion: This workshop stressed the importance of schools and teachers in educating young people and raising awareness, the need for greater awareness of problem alcohol use in the community, and the need to involve all stakeholders.
• The effect of alcohol on families and children: The importance of role models, the need for a public campaign on the impact of alcohol on children and the need for additional supports for families as a whole were all emphasised by this workshop.

On foot of the outcomes of the consultation seminar, the D12 LDATF committed to work over the following months to develop a strategy to address alcohol-related harm in the D12 area, using a community mobilisation model.²

1. To access a copy of all the presentations and full reports from the workshops, see http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/23377/
2. For further information on the work of the D12 LDATF and the Ballymun LDATF, visit http://www.d12ldtf.ie   and/or  http://www.ballymunlocaldrugstaskforce.ie respectively.