Dr. David Nutt on Alcohol

Rebutting industry myths. A couple of years ago, the European Alcohol Policy Alliance, known as EuroCare, put together a brochure addressing the common messages the liquor industry attempts to drive home through its heavy spending on advertising. The messages are not just designed to sell product, but also to influence alcohol policy at the political level. According to EuroCare, the “industry”—the alcohol and tobacco companies—“has traditionally worked closely together, sharing information and concerns about regulation. They have used similar arguments to defend their products in order to prevent or delay restrictions being placed on them.” I wrote a blog post on EuroCare’s list of alcohol untruths called “7 Myths the Alcohol Industry Wants You to Believe." Here they are: Message 1: Consuming alcohol is normal, common, healthy, and very responsible. Message 2: The damage done by alcohol is caused by a small group of deviants who cannot handle alcohol. Message 3: Normal adult non-drinkers do not, in fact, exist Message 4: Ignore the fact that alcohol is a harmful and addictive chemical substance (ethanol) for the body. Message 5: Alcohol problems can only be solved when all parties work together. Message 6: Alcohol marketing is not harmful. It is simply intended to assist the consumer in selecting a certain product or brand. Message 7: Education about responsible use is the best method to protect society from alcohol problems. Recently, I ra...
Source: Addiction Inbox - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: blogs