Don’t treat alcohol like a drug, says drink lobby
The Sense Group is trying to discourage young people from drinking too much by appealing to their sense of shame through an advertising campaign.
Alcohol is not a drug and should not be treated as though it were one, the head of a moderate drinking lobby group has said.
Conflating the two was both unjust and dangerous, The Sense Group director general Ray Grech told The Times, because it sent younger people conflicting messages.
“How can children justify the fact that their parents enjoy a glass of their favourite alcoholic beverage at lunch or dinner when it’s being equated to a drug?” he asked.
The Sense Group, whose members are alcoholic drink importers and distributors, has this year opted to discourage young people from binge drinking over the Christmas season by appealing to their sense of shame.
Designed as though they were photos uploaded to Facebook, the posters show young people passed out or vomiting after having overdone it on a night out.
“We all know how hard it is to persuade young people to think of their health but their social life and how they are perceived by their peers matters,” Mr Grech said.
86%
proportion of Maltese under 16 who drink, according to 2011 EU-wide study
A 2011 EU-wide study found that 86 per cent of Maltese under 16 drank – more than the 79 per cent EU average. But Mr Grech urged caution when interpreting such statistics.
“In 1995 that figure for Malta was 89 per cent. Those youths are now in their 30s, with jobs and maybe their own families. Have they turned out to be a generation of alcoholics?”
Countries such as Ireland introduced laws banning promotions deemed to encourage binge drinking. Mr Grech said he was wary of this, which he said denied responsible drinkers money-saving offers.
There were also misconceptions around binge drinking, he added.
“Consuming two drinks is not binge drinking. The EU measurement for binge drinking is five or more in a short span of time.”
Members of The Sense Group were committed to “disciplined” advertising of their products, eschewing direct promotion at events such as open bar parties, Mr Grech was keen to stress.
Local drivers must ensure they stay below an alcohol-blood level of 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. That 0.8 level is among the highest across the EU, and considerably higher than the World Health Organisation’s suggested 0.2 maximum.
Mr Grech pointed to local statistics, which showed that drink-driving caused fewer car accidents in Malta than in countries with lower limits, as proof there was no need to lower the intake limit any further. But could these statistics be skewed by poor enforcement of drink-driving laws?
“Of course, it’s even more irrelevant if breathalyser enforcement is not put into practice,” Mr Grech said.
“We believe more regular policing – and not just during festive seasons and special events – will deliver more results and subsequent caution by drivers.”
Nevertheless, it was not legal limits that created healthy drink-driving habits, he said.
“In reality it isn’t whether you’re allowed two drinks or one before getting behind the wheel, but whether you totally lack the will to control your alcohol intake when you know you’ll be driving soon after.”
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29 Comments
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Irena Shuke
Dec 25th 2012, 09:53
Apart from the dangers of driving under alcohol influence, how about having sex under alcohol influence? And then we shake heads regarding teenage pregnancies...
Manuel Mangani
Dec 24th 2012, 21:49
“Consuming two drinks is not binge drinking. The EU measurement for binge drinking is five or more in a short span of time.”
I have never heard anybody claim that consuming 2 drinks amounts to binge drinking. However there is plenty of evidence to show that even small amounts of alcohol could be dangerous in the context of driving. People intending to drive should drink nothing at all.
M Vella
Dec 24th 2012, 21:48
Red wine is good for your heart,ask your doctor.
James Dewar
Dec 27th 2012, 11:21
But bad for your liver in excess quantities!
Mr andreas bone
Dec 24th 2012, 20:22
Off course for Mr. Grech its not a drug, he's an alcohol importer its convenient for him to say so.
James Dewar
Dec 24th 2012, 16:20
Of course alcohol is not a drug. It's not addictive is it?
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 24th 2012, 17:25
Of course it is addictive - no doubt about it!
James Dewar
Dec 25th 2012, 15:14
@ Francis Saliba MD: My sarcastic comment has been misinterpreted! I know it is!!
Reuben Zammit
Dec 24th 2012, 15:40
Alcohol not a drug? Seems like a case of two weights and two measures, doesn't it Mr. Grech? Wouldn't it be wiser to just man up and say that OTHER soft drugs, such as marijuana, ought to be put on the same level of alcohol as you recommend, i.e. a drug to be taken in moderation if at all?
Mario Cucciardi
Dec 24th 2012, 15:20
“In reality it isn’t whether you’re allowed two drinks or one before getting behind the wheel, but whether you totally lack the will to control your alcohol intake when you know you’ll be driving soon after.”
A rather 'conflicting message'....
Carmelo Aquilina
Dec 24th 2012, 14:07
alcohol is a drug . The industry is trying to treat us like idiots.
Manuel Mangani
Dec 24th 2012, 13:17
The contention that alcohol is not a drug might have been credible had a definition of a drug been provided, and had it then been pointed out that the properties of alcohol do not fit within that defintion. This was not done, probably because any defintion of drug, as shown by Ramon Casha below, would immediately show very clearly that alcohol is a drug. The WHO considers alcohol to be a drug.
Robert Callus
Dec 24th 2012, 12:22
Alcohol is a mind altering substance - a drug.
Thanks to the miscoception that it isn't many mistakes have been done. One of them was mistaking cannabis as a gateway drug to harder ones. Most respondents in questionnaires tagged "cannabis" as their first drug since they didn't think of alcohol as such. http://robertcallus.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/is-it-a-gateway-drug/
Bernard Mamo
Dec 24th 2012, 11:55
Of course it's a drug. What are these people saying? I can't even imagine where these "official" bodies come up with such idiotic tales!! Maybe for rousing conversation? I believe anything that changes the state of mind or body in an unnatural way (including paracetamol) is a drug.
Irena Shuke
Dec 25th 2012, 09:51
Exactly! Sadly very few people will understand the meaning of what you wrote.
The thing I personally could never understand is - what's the meaning of alcohol? If you can't have fun in a natural way, in the company you're with, why be with that company? And if you are having fun with those people, why would you need alcohol to contaminate yourself?
A.R Bonello
Dec 24th 2012, 11:48
The Sense Group, whose members are alcoholic drink importers and distributors....Seriously!?
Steven Cutajar
Dec 24th 2012, 11:44
"Alcohol is not a drug and should not be treated as though it were one, the head of a moderate drinking lobby group has said."
Kind of ironic to hear that from the group that supposedly bring about awareness.
Victor Borg
Dec 24th 2012, 11:42
Alcohol is indeed a drug. In fact, alcohol is much more harmful than the class of least-harmful drugs. Alcohol, for example, is much more harmful than cannabis. Prolonged alcohol use - more than 2 glasses of wine daily - will lead to liver damage. Prolonged cannabis use - having a joint in the evening - causes no discernible damage. These are scientific facts that anyone can check.
Eric Farrugia
Dec 24th 2012, 11:25
Mr. Sense Group director general Ray Grech, making that kind of statement is unjust and dangerous, try telling that to the families of those youngsters that died in car accidents , or to the wheelchair bound victim of their own stupidity , all for a few extra drinks . The reality is that the two most powerful and lethal drugs are Alcohol and Cigarettes and ironically they're the legal ones.
Ramon Casha
Dec 24th 2012, 10:40
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug
"A drug is a substance which may have medicinal, intoxicating, performance enhancing or other effects when taken or put into a human body or the body of another animal and is not considered a food or exclusively a food."
Alcohol is a drug. It is by far the most dangerous drug by number of deaths per year, and is more addictive and dangerous than cannabis.
Albert Bezzina
Dec 24th 2012, 10:40
Let's call it a 'mind altering substance' than. Mr Grech should find that difficult to contradict.
Mr Grech also quotes statistics which are incomplete and in no way do they give a clear picture of the prevalence of drink driving nor is it possible to give a clear picture of how many road traffic incidents are caused by the presence of alcohol OR other mind altering substances!
john chircop
Dec 24th 2012, 10:08
Ray Grech you are in fantasy land or have you consumed something that has made you lose your senses.Do not compare countries,alcohol is dangerous consumed even in small amounts as not everyone is affected the same way.You would be singing a different tune if your family members were killed by a driver of a vehicle who had been drinking.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 24th 2012, 10:06
Every drug abuser has an interest to downplay the danger of his own particular drug whether he consumes the drug, sells it or both. It is so pitiable when a particular lobby falsely claims safety for its preferred drug, whether alcohol, marijuana, or tobacco etc while pointing its fingers at other harmful drugs of addiction.
adam spalding
Dec 24th 2012, 09:55
Alcohol needs to be controlled severely . Its ignored as its not politically advisable to confront the damage it does.
Over this xmas period there will be deaths, assaults antisocial behavior all due to alcohol. Cars will be driven drunk ( attempted murder).
Yet who do we penalise..... the smokers lol. The cannabis user .... lol,
We know what alcohol does and we IGNORE it.. pathetic
Ben Chetcuti
Dec 24th 2012, 09:50
In 2010, drug experts ranked alcohol as the most harmful drug (above heroin and crack) in a multi-criteria analysis that included physical, psychological, and social harms. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101101162138.htm
Ben Chetcuti
Dec 24th 2012, 09:44
From a pharmacist's perspective, alcohol is not only a drug, it is a dangerous one. It also happens to be one of the oldest and most widely used, so it is legal and deeply ingrained in most cultures today. Like all other drugs, a responsible attitude must always be taken around its use. Denying that alcohol is a drug is not only scientifically incorrect, it is downright irresponsible.
Mr C. Tabone
Dec 24th 2012, 09:28
Alcohol is a drug and it is very careless to state otherwise. It is classified as a depressant and has the addictive properties of a drug. Alcohol lobbyist would say anything in the name of profits but nevertheless there is an undeniable link between alcohol consumption and traffic fatalities.
Peter Murray
Dec 24th 2012, 09:26
Alcohol not a drug-what absolute nonsense to claim this, as it most assuredly is !It is also a very additive and, when taken in excess and regularly,also a very dangerous to health drug with many other ramifications attached.Nothing wrong with drinking alcohol in moderation or infrequently but to suggest alcohol is not a drug is irresponsible and misleading.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 24th 2012, 09:23
All biochemists classify alcohol correctly as a mind depressing drug to which society has become accustomed in the same way that some South American societies have become accustomed to the potent hallucinogen peyote and to chewing of coca leaves. Control by law enforcement and education is absolutely essential. These should be intensified, not relaxed - as is the case with tobacco also.
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