Is your club sorting things out ASAP?

The positive influence the ASAP programme is having on the lives of our members is not easily quantifiable.

In the five years since its inception the GAA’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention programme (run in conjunction with the HSE) has reached almost every club in the country. Its aim is simple – to reduced the potential harm caused by alcohol and substance misuse.

The majority of Irish people enjoy a sociable drink responsibly. However, there is no denying that as a nation we often engage with alcohol in a way that exposes us to potential harm. The facts are there for us all to see (taken from www.alcoholireland.ie):

• The Irish drink about 20% more than the average European
• In 2010, the average Irish person aged 15+ drank 11.9 litres of pure alcohol, according to provisional data. That’s the equivalent of about 44 bottles of vodka, 470 pints or 124 bottles of wine
• More than one in four of those attending accident and emergency departments have alcohol‑related injuries, almost half of which occurred to people aged under 30 years
• One in three crash deaths is alcohol-related

The GAA has always seen itself as more than a sporting organisation, and, as such, extends the duty of care it has to its members beyond the playing pitch. The ASAP programme is just one example of this. The programme continues to offer advice, information, and support to clubs, counties, and all GAA members in and around matters pertaining to alcohol and substance abuse.

ASAP county coordinators and ASAP club officers are doing tireless work to promote messages, material and activities that encourage healthy interaction with all potentially harmful substances. They are also there to offer help and direction to anyone who may find themselves in need of assistance around alcohol and drug issues.

Opening lines of communication about once taboo subjects is the first step in engaging with problems in a meaningful way. That is what the ASAP programme is all about. The ASAP manual, DVD and website www.gaa.ie/asap are just three resources available to your club in tackling the issue of drug and alcohol misuse. Your county coordinator, Cathal Hand, in conjunction with the National Coordinator, Colin Regan, are at your disposal at any time for information and education sessions with teams and/or mentors.

If your club does not yet have an ASAP officer or has yet to adopt a Club Drug and Alcohol policy (as required under the GAA Strategic Vision and Action Plan 2009-2015) then please contact Cathal email youthofficer.monaghan@gaa.ie or Colin email colin.regan@gaa.ie to get advice and a sample club policy. You’ll never know whose life it might change.