Follow Drug Action Week 2012 on Twitter and Facebook

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) today (31 January) launched Facebook and Twitter pages for Drug Action Week (DAW) 2012.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ADCA, Mr David Templeman, said that by incorporating these social media communication tools into this year’s awareness campaign means DAW 2012 will reach out to a much wider audience than ever before.

“It will also allow for increased interaction with event managers, as well as others across the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and community sectors,” Mr Templeman said. “Facebook and Twitter will not only provide a higher and more personalised level of participation, but will provide feedback to plan future Drug Action Weeks.”

Mr Templeman encouraged past and prospective event organisers to join jump online and go to www.facebook.com/DrugActionWeekAustralia to “like” the Facebook page, and follow DAW on Twitter at @DrugActionWeek.

The DAW 2012 website is now set to take registrations for AOD events to promote awareness in both rural and metropolitan communities of the dangers from the excessive consumption of alcohol and other drug use. The focus again this year is on the short and long-term effects on individual health and wellbeing.

Mr Templeman said that following on from the highly successful theme of “Looking After YOUR Mind!” used for DAW 2011, a decision had been taken to again focus on this issue to raise awareness of the effects alcohol and other drugs can have on a person’s brain.

“ADCA and the Australian Government take the challenge of alcohol and other drugs misuse very seriously,” Mr Templeman said. “We know substance misuse has devastating effects on individuals, often with flow-on ramifications for families and communities when left unchecked”.

You can help spread the message of DAW 2012 and ensure it becomes a success by registering on DAW’s updated website, www.drugactionweek.org.au, and clicking on “register event” to receive informative and promotional materials. Please remember that to receive promotional materials, a permanent street address must be provided, not a PO Box address.

Some events already planned for this year range from sausage sizzles and information sessions at high schools to trivia nights with prizes to be won – so get creative!

DAW 2012 will be officially launched at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, 13 June 2012, and is scheduled to run from Sunday, 17 June through to Saturday, 23 June.

Nominations are also open for the National Drugs and Alcohol Awards (NDAA), which will be presented during Drug Action Week in Melbourne on Friday, 22 June. These awards recognise the many people and organisations that are doing exceptional work to reduce the harm and impact of alcohol and other drugs in Australia. To nominate someone you know in a particular category, please log onto http://www.drugawards.org.au/ and follow the prompts. 

Contact Details: Brian Flanagan, Manager Strategic Communications – Phone: 02 6215 9802 (w) or 0400 860 058 (m); Email: brian.flanagan@adca.org.au