Crisis support services in night-time entertainment districts: Changes in demand following changes in alcohol...

Night time entertainment districts (NEDs) are predominantly frequented by youth who drink alcohol before and after entry. Centres where people binge drink alcohol make use of emergency services at a greater rate than those places where alcohol is not present. Previous UK government research suggests that lengthening the hours for alcohol sales has led to a spreading of emergency service use across the night, with services required later in the night. In Queensland, the State Government has introduced more restrictive opening hours for alcohol sales in NEDs and we predicted earlier use of crisis services and, with a large preloading culture, similar or more service use.

Volunteer organisations, such as the NightWatch in Brisbane, Australia, provide crisis interventions as required in these NEDs and so we used the data from their records. Every Intervention made by the NightWatch organisation is recorded in an electronic database. We analysed data, matched for time of year, by looking at a 6 month period before the new legislation and a matching 6 month period following legislation.

Following restrictive alcohol sales, the NightWatch provided similar numbers of interventions but those that required a more involved intervention (e.g., Rest and Recovery in a shelter) were significantly more prevalent, while less involved interventions (e.g., Intoxication First Aid provided in situ on the street) were fewer. Consistent with both preloading research and research into hours of alcohol availability, it was found that the NightWatch provided their services to the same number of people as before the legislative change, but provided them earlier in the evening.

Where there is a preloading culture, restricting alcohol sales at the end of the night appears to lead to an increased use of crisis interventions earlier in the evening. A compressed need for aid runs the risk of overloading crisis service availability unless these services are proportionately resourced.