Driving Us All To Drink…

There should be a ban on all alcohol advertising, including sports and music sponsorship, doctors say.

‘Doctors’..?

What, all of them?

Well, no. It’s merely their union, the British Meddling Association yet again, as Counting Cats has also noted…

The British Medical Association said the crackdown on marketing was needed along with an end to cut-price deals to stop the rising rates of consumption.

I don’t suppose it’s occurred to anyone that the rising levels of consumption might have something to do with the overabundance of hectoring busybodies telling us all what we should eat, drink and smoke, has it?

Doctors said action was needed as alcohol was now one of the leading causes of early death and disability.

Only smoking and high blood pressure is responsible for a greater burden of disease, according to the World Health Organization.

So, since the smoking ban hasn’t (obviously) worked to help us all to live forever, and the obesity campaign is barely off the ground, no reason not to go for the hat-trick, is it?

But are those dire-sounding statements thrown around so carelessly a bit misleading? Well, yes.

Is anyone surprised?

The report points out that while the money spent on alcohol advertising -nearly £200m a year - remained significant, there had been a growth in more subtle types of marketing.

The alcohol industry had, in particular, become a major sponsor of sports events - second only to the finance sector in terms of overall funding.

Well, I know the tedium of watching a few people run around and around always makes me feel like a gin and tonic, but I don’t think it has that much effect on everyone else, does it?

Report author Professor Gerard Hastings said alcohol was now promoted more heavily than ever.

He added: "Given the alcohol industry spends £800m a year in promoting alcohol in the UK, it is no surprise that we see it everywhere - on TV, in magazines, on billboards, as part of music festival or football sponsorship deals, on internet pop-ups and on social networking sites.

"All these promotional activities serve to normalise alcohol as an essential part of every day life."

You mean, it shouldn’t be? We should regard it as something forbidden, and dangerous, and not to be trusted to have around?

Well, yes, I’m sure that’d work…

As well as calling for the outright ban on such marketing and advertising, the BMA said there needed to be a reduction in licensing hours and tougher rules in place on price.

The doctors' body once again reiterated its call for minimum pricing to be introduced to help combat promotions such as happy hours and two-for-one purchases and higher levels of tax.

And what happened the last time they called for this, then?

Oh, that’s right. The government, in a rare moment of sanity, told them to sod off:

But so far the Department of Health has resisted such calls, preferring to encourage the industry to sign up to voluntary codes to encourage responsible drinking.

And is there a cadre of pressure groups lining up to support them in their call for us to be treated like children?

You bet:

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of science and ethics, said: "The BMA is not anti-alcohol. As doctors our focus is to ensure that individuals drink sensible (sic) so they do not put their health and lives in danger."

Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said the report put a "compelling case for change".

"Alcohol is now marketed as a staple part of our diet in the UK.
"The way it is advertised, positioned in stores and its sheer cheapness leads people into feeling that buying and consuming large amounts of alcohol regularly is just the same as life's essentials like bread and milk."

And Don Shenker, of Alcohol Concern, added: "There's no longer any doubt - the heavy marketing and promotion of alcohol, combined with low prices - are encouraging young people to drink at a level our health services are struggling to cope with."

But the fakecharity business is doing very nicely out of it.

Isn’t it?

And will only extend its grasp to other things, unless stopped.

Update - over at 'The Devil's Kitchen', 'The Filthy Smoker' weighs in too.