Blunting the legacy of alcohol abuse in Western Australia
Tony Kirby The Lancet, Volume 379, 21 January 2012
After bravely ushering in alcohol sale restrictions proposed by its residents, a remote Western Australian community is tackling the long-term effects of alcohol misuse. Tony Kirby reports.
Fitzroy Crossing, an isolated town with approximately 2500 residents in Australia's remote northwest, was typical of such communities, with a large Indigenous population (around 60%), high rates of harmful alcohol use, and depressingly high rates of alcohol-related violence and crime.
A tipping point came in 2007 when there were 55 deaths in the community, 13 being suicides. Alcohol was a factor in most deaths. After much consultation, community elders took what at the time was unthinkable action: proposing that all stores selling take-away alcohol be restricted only to low-strength beverages, with a maximum of 2·5% alcohol by volume.