Be Nice to Brain campaign supports alcohol reduction

In November 2024, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) launched a website and social media campaign called Be Nice to Brain. The campaign encourages Tasmanians aged 25 - 44 to cut back or cut out alcohol to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Be Nice to Brain provides information, tools and resources to help Tasmanians understand how alcohol can affect sleep, mood, stress, anxiety and overall wellbeing and provides practical advice on how to make a change.

FARE surveyed 850 Tasmanians and found that that one in three want to cut back on their drinking, and many don’t know the impact alcohol has on mental health. In addition to the survey, the 2025-2035 National Suicide Prevention Strategy reports that harm related to alcohol and other drugs is one of the most common risk factors identified in suicide deaths in Australia.

FARE Director of Health Programs, Kristie Cocotis said this campaign aims to overcome the information gap regarding the connection between alcohol and mental health.

“We know that cutting back or cutting out alcohol can improve our sleep, mood, energy levels and reduce feelings of stress and worry. We also know that over time, drinking alcohol can make feelings of low mood, anxiety and stress worse, which is why we provide tips and strategies on making changes, as part of the campaign.”

Be Nice to Brain aims to teach people that alcohol can affect sleep, change brain chemicals, and make anxiety and stress worse. By offering helpful tips and support, Be Nice to Brain encourages Tasmanians to make changes that will improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Key messages and resources

The campaign targets people aged 25-44, using social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook to share engaging animations and videos featuring experts. The key messages of the campaign include:

• Alcohol can negatively impact many aspects of your life, including your mental health and wellbeing.
• Alcohol changes the balance of chemicals in your brain and may leave you feeling down or anxious, as well as disrupting your sleep.
• Alcohol can contribute to the development or worsening of mental health concerns over time.
• Cutting down or cutting out alcohol can have a positive effect on mental health and wellbeing.
• The National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian guidelines advise that to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than four standard drinks on any one day and no more than 10 standard drinks a week.

For more information and resources visit the Be Nice to Brain website, where downloadable social media graphics are also available.