Transcript Developing a Club Drug & Alcohol Policy

Developing a Club
Drug & Alcohol
Policy
Colin Regan
ASAP National Coordinator
Irish Adults - European Comparison
60
50
Ireland
40
UK
Sweden
30
Finland
20
Germany
Italy
10
France
0
Men
Women
Binge per 100 drinking occasions
Irish 16 Year olds - European Comparison
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
89
83
Ireland
Europe
69
52
3737
32
22
16
Any alcohol Drunk last 12 Smoked last
last 12
months
30 days
months
Ever used
cannabis
9
6
Ever used
any other
drugs
9
Ever used
solvents
A.S.A.P. Programme
1 National Officer
4 Provincial Officers
32 County Officers
2,000+ Club Officers
750,000 Club members
A.S.A.P. Programme
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Reduce the harm from alcohol & other drugs
National template
32 County Officers
Officer in every club in the country
DVD for clubs
Education for parents/guardians
Website & video messages from players
Helps resist negative peer pressure
Linked in with existing drug/alcohol services
Club Drug & Alcohol policies
should include….
1. Prevention of drug and alcohol abuse
2. Education about drugs and alcohol
3. Planned responses to likely drug and
alcohol incidents
A.S.A.P. Programme
7 Steps to developing your
Club Drug & Alcohol Policy
1. Form a committee to develop
the policy.
• The committee for developing the policy
must involve of management, coaches,
parents and players.
• Young people must be involved in a
meaningful way.
• Keep the committee to a maximum of 8.
2. Study relevant resources
GAA Club Manual for Drugs & Alcohol
•GAA Task Force Report on Alcohol
www.gaa.ie/page/official_reports
•ASAP Programme “Club Matters” DVD
•Contact your local Health Promotion or
Drug & Alcohol service
•ASAP Website www.gaa.ie/asap
3. Review the situation in your
area regarding drugs/alcohol.
• Every club has different needs.
• Spend some time discussing the types
of problems that have happened before.
• Think about the type of difficulties that
are likely to come up in the future in your
area and your policy on these.
4. Prepare a draft copy of the
Club Drug & Alcohol Policy.
Keep it to 2- 3 (max.) pages in length
The least a policy should include is…
• Reason for having a policy
• Definition of the word “drug”
• Rules on alcohol, drugs, tobacco, medicine
• Roles and responsibilities
• Education about alcohol and drug use
• Sanctions & Confidentiality
• Procedures for monitoring and evaluation
5. Circulate the draft policy
• SEND OUT COPIES TO EVERYONE
• Invite people to give feedback on the
draft policy.
• Amend it to include relevant feedback.
• Get club management to ratify the policy
and formally adopt its recommendations.
6. Finalise, launch and start
implementing the policy.
• Officially launch of the policy to;
1. signify its start date
2. get some positive media coverage
3. let everyone know of its existence
• Make sure EVERYONE in the club gets
a copy.
• Display it in the club.
• Move quickly to arrange an education or
training event to capitalise on momentum.
7. Monitor, review and evaluate
the policy.
• The types of drugs being used changes
so get annual updates.
• The policy should be reviewed annually
and always after an incident to see if it
was effective or it needs to be amended.
Club Drug & Alcohol Policy
Follow the steps in the
manual and your club
will be better able to…
1. prevent alcohol and
drug problems from
happening,
2. know what to do
when alcohol or drug
problems do occur.
A.S.A.P. Programme Resources
Contact Details for the
A.S.A.P. Programme
Colin Regan
National Coordinator
A.S.A.P. Programme
Croke Park
3 Jones Road
Dublin 3
(087) 2945705
[email protected]