Deaths and illness due to excessive alcoholism in New Zealand forced the medical students of University of Otago to carry out a movement in order to bring a rapid reduction in alcoholism among people.

The Members of the Medical Students for Global Awareness (MSGA) gathered at the university’s Hunter Centre, in Dunedin, demanding for a strict measure to be implied as per the Alcohol Law Reform Bill. The students encouraged the workers at the university, students from various departments and common people to sign the postcards to the political leaders of their choice, in order to encourage them to impose prohibition on alcohol consumption in the region in accordance with the bill.

As per MSGA Spokesman Stefan Fairweather, "The price we pay for this is ridiculously high - 20 deaths a week related to alcohol, 200 arrests, emergency departments in hospitals overwhelmed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with drinking related injuries". Drinking was not only popular with students of university but even the local people indulged in excessive drinking habit.

As per a report from the New Zealand Medical Journal, nearly one-third of a group of university students had died due to excessive drinking and even frequent vomits did not had any effect on their alcoholism.