The Drink Problem - Part 1 Modern Society & Advertising

The Drink Problem

Part 1 - Modern Society & Advertising

The priority of any addict is to anaesthetise the pain of living and to ease the passage of the day with some purchased relief - Russell Brand

In this blog post I will be exploring the role that Alcohol plays in modern society including how it is advertised and glamourised on TV and in Film etc.

In a way history has built up alcohol into the way it dictates modern society, here are some examples.  Every politician makes promises. It’s in their job description. But in the good old days, they offered something more concrete: Candidates handed out alcohol in return for votes.The practice dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, and it’s been recorded throughout Europe’s history as well. It then stayed around longer than you might think. George Washington’s first attempt at running for office (in the Virginia House of Burgesses) was a failure; on his next attempt, he won, after giving out about half a gallon of alcohol for each vote. A century later, the Republican Party elevated the idea, treating 50,000 of Brooklyn’s citizens to an alcohol-laden picnic. Some attempts failed, however, leading to important life lessons for 19th-century politicians. Stephen Douglas learned the hard way that if you’re expecting 20,000–30,000 people to show up for your party, make sure you have enough booze to go around. After the food and alcohol ran low at his New York bash, the whole thing turned into a massive pushing and shoving match. Voters went away still hungry and thirsty, and when they went to the polls, they voted instead for some man named Abraham Lincoln.  The New Testament is pretty explicit about approving of alcohol. Jesus and the Apostles all drank wine, and according to St. Paul, wine is a gift from God. Paul also said that wine should be enjoyed but not abused, and abstinence is better than alcoholism. While it seems like that should end all disputes on the matter, some Christians argue that the wine of the New Testament is actually non-alcoholic grape juice. They argue this even though the same Hebrew words describe Christ’s wine and the wine that got Noah drunk and naked. One of the first things the Puritans did in the New World was build some breweries, but some Baptist and Methodist groups call drinking and alcohol evil. Abstaining from alcohol is a big consideration in the Mormon belief system. Other groups, like the Evangelicals, have recently begun lifting bans on the consumption of alcohol in some of their schools—by instructors, anyway.  In ancient Egypt, from around 4000 B.C., writings reminded mothers to include a healthy serving of beer when sending children off to school. The idea that we needed to keep alcohol from younger generation started later, with Plato. In his Laws, written about 360 B.C., Plato described a soul having tasted alcohol as being made of fire and iron. Anyone younger than 18 wasn’t ready for the responsibility that needed to go along with enjoying this most godly of pleasures. He also outlined guidelines for how much you should drink. Once you were 18, you could certainly drink, but it was also important that you didn’t drink too much. By the time you were 40, however, you were free to honour Dionysus above all other gods. Alcohol would help you forget sorrow, renew youth, and soften the hard edges that came with age. Plato also went a step further in his Republic, saying that young men needed to be coached on how to drink properly. They should be trained at formal dinners about how to behave while drinking and what their limits were.  

The problem is we are bombarded by conflicting messages. These days alcohol, whether it’s a £25 Pinot Noir or a cheap can of lager, carries a health warning telling us to “drink responsibly” as well as information about how many units you can safely drink each day. Yet if you walk into pretty much any supermarket you can’t fail to notice the cases of beer stacked up, or the bottles of fizz with their pretty labels.

Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, agrees that it’s a mixed picture. “There is a growing group of under-25s who don’t drink alcohol at all, but there are also young people who binge drink on a regular basis. At the same time there’s an increasing number of people, particularly women, who are drinking at home.”

Ballard believes we have a “cultural difficulty” with alcohol. “If you go back 20 or 30 years smoking was normal, but if you look at TV soap operas today they’re all set in pubs which has this drip effect into people’s minds telling them that alcohol is something you need to have a good time, and I think that’s something we need to move away from.”

Debbie Bannigan, chief executive of national recovery charity Swanswell, says our drinking culture is changing, but not necessarily for the better. “Our traditional drinking culture was to drink occasionally but to drink a lot. “But over the last 10 or 15 years we’ve tried to overlay a continental drinking culture where we drink wine, and we’re now drinking on a daily basis. Unfortunately what we’ve done is create a daily binge-drinking culture.”

She feels that the ease with which we can get alcohol is one of the problems. “People used to have to go to the off-licence or the pub to get a drink, but now they can just pop a bottle in their trolley as they go down the aisles when they’re in the supermarket.”

People also use social media networks like Twitter and Instagram to normalise drinking. “There are hastags like #wineoclock that not only encourage people to drink, they encourage them to drink more of the time.”

It can also be hard trying to work out the number of alcoholic units you’ve had. “Most people don’t understand units because it doesn’t give them a visual reference. Not only that but the fact there’s a recommended number of units per day makes it seem like it’s OK to have a drink every day.”

We also appear to be drinking more than we’re letting on. Research published last month suggests that alcohol consumption in England has been underestimated by the equivalent of 12 million bottles of wine a week. The extra booze is swigged on holidays, at weddings, and during celebrations and isn’t accounted for by surveys that only ask questions about “typical drinking”.

All of which has serious health implications. Alcohol misuse has long been seen as a significant public health challenge; one that affects thousands of individuals, families and communities across the country and costs the NHS an estimated £3.5bn each year.

But there are a number of worrying trends and Bannigan believes many people don’t appreciate the health repercussions. “People often aren’t aware of alcohol-related illnesses like haemorrhaging, liver cancer and even dementia. Around 10 per cent of dementia is alcohol-related and we estimate there are about 80,000 cases of alcohol-related dementia in this country.”

The good news, she says, is that around 25 per cent of alcohol-related dementia is reversible. “If people realised they run an increased risk of dementia it could make them think about what they’re doing.”

When we talk about alcohol abuse we still tend to think in terms of social stereotypes, whether it’s the man on the park bench clutching a brown paper bag, or the binge-drinking teenager lying spread eagled on the pavement on a Saturday night.

Lucy Rocca, founder and editor of Soberistas, a social network for those concerned they may have a problem with drink, says we have a culture that endorses and trivialises heavy drinking. “The prevailing message seems to be that it’s OK to get hammered.”

But she points out that drinking habits have changed. “We’ve seen lots of pubs closing in recent years and there’s been a massive increase in drinking at home. Cut-price alcohol has made it easier to drink to excess in your own home, particularly for women because there’s still a stigma attached to women being drunk in public.”

She’s noticed other habits too. “It seems that younger people are drinking less and getting drunk does seem to be less cool among young people today, although social media might have played a part in that with people worried about getting drunk and having their picture taken.”

However, Rocca says other groups seem to be ignoring the health risks. “Older people and middle classes professionals haven’t changed and in some cases it’s getting worse. There will be a lot of people around the country drinking a bottle of wine a night and that’s hazardous, but they won’t realise it is.

“We’re also seeing the number of women going to hospital with breast cancer and liver disease increasing, which means the message isn’t getting across.”

As well as the stereotypes that persist she feels the issue of alcoholism isn’t always taken seriously enough. “Before Charles Kennedy died there were a couple of comments making light of his drinking problems.”

She wants to see changes. “The first step should be the Government sending out a stronger message saying that it’s not acceptable to drink to excess,” she says. “I think we should introduce minimum unit pricing and restrict alcohol marketing at major sports events. We also need better education, the message needs to be sent out so that people know what constitutes harmful drinking.”

Rocca also wants us to be more honest. “We have a tendency to defend our own drinking by highlighting other people’s problems, and I think we need to have a more honest conversation about how much we are drinking.”

HOW MUCH IS A UNIT?

We’re supposed to be keeping an eye on how much we drink, but how many of us know what a unit of alcohol is?

With so many different drinks and glass sizes, from shots to pints – not to mention bottles – it’s easy to get confused about how many units are in our drink.

According to guidelines, men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week, no more than four units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.

Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, no more than three units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.

• A pint of ordinary strength lager (Carling, Fosters etc) = 2 units
• A pint of strong lager (Stella, Kronenbourg etc) = 3 units
• A pint of ordinary bitter (John Smiths, Boddies etc) = 2 units
• A pint of best bitter (Fullers, Youngs Special etc) = 3 units
• A pint of ordinary strength cider (Woodpecker) = 2 units
• A pint of strong cider (Strongbow, Dry Blackthorn) = 3 units
• A litre bottle of super strength cider (Frosty Jack etc) = 7.5 units
• A 175ml (standard) glass of wine = 2 units
• a 250ml (Large) glass of wine = 3 units
• A bottle of wine (12% abv.,750ml) = 9 Units
• A pub measure (25ml) of spirits (vodka,gin,whiskey,rum etc) = 1 Unit
• An alcopop (I.e Smirnoff Ice, Wkd, Hooch, VK etc) = 1.5 Units

And the effects of such......

• Around 2 units = Talkative and relaxed, self confident, may be over drink driving limit
• Around 4 units = Blood flow increases, feel inhibited but your attention span shortens, you start dehydrating one of the causes of a hangover
• Around 6 Units = Your libido increases, your reaction time is slower, your liver starts working overtime
• Around 8 units = Your easily confused, your noticeably emotional, your libido decreases
• Around 10 units = Your vision may be blurred, Wine drinkers will have downed the calorie equivalent of 4 Mars Bars, If you drive you are 20 times more likely to have an accident
• Around 12 Units = If you regularly drink this amount you may have an alcohol problem, Regular heavy drinking causes liver damage
• Around 16 Units = You’ll find it very hard to control what you say and do, You may feel nauseous, You may be at risk of losing consciousness
• 18+ Units = Strong likelihood of losing consciousness, You face an increased heart attack risk, You’re at risk of breathing in your own vomit and suffocating, You may be incontinent

According to the above I used to range between 20-25 units per day on a normal day, and on a weekend or party etc between 22-30 units per day, in both cases thats more then recommended I have in a whole week, so i was drinking 7 times the recommended limit a week for years on end.

We live in a society now where drinking is widely accepted and promoted and glamourised.  In fact, as I’ve found since i gave up drinking, if you are going out to socialise you are looked up on as the minority or the strange one if you are not drinking for no good reason such as illness or driving etc.  Most young people only go out into town on a night now to ‘Get Drunk’ rather then anything else and in most cases will be tipsy or drunk before they have even left the house.

Alcohol now days is glamourised majorly in TV adverts and shows and films.  Its always a positive thing when you see it, associated with good times and being cool, never in a negative light.  The only time it is done negatively is in drink drive adverts, but even then it doesn’t suggest “why not, not have a drink” to simply says “If your going to drink, don’t drive”.  In the soap dramas, you know Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, Corrie, Eastenders etc, what is the focal point of everything in the communities, where they all go at the end of the day, where all the action happens, where the characters always celebrate or gather to socialise ‘THE PUB’ and always with Alcohol.  Now I'm only speaking from first hand experience but I'm sure its common in most households, I can always remember the soaps being on in our house growing up and i started watching them from the age of sort of 12/13.  If this is the case what is this teaching our children growing up? Soap operas are to blame for encouraging teenagers to drink, warns a report.  Some of the nation’s best-loved programmes including Coronation Street and EastEnders are littered with so many references to alcohol that they are a ‘major source of exposure’ for children and young people. The study  found 92 per cent of episodes contain some form of alcohol imagery including drinking, bottle branding and scenes in the Rovers Return and Queen Vic. Research also revealed drink was a recurring theme every nine minutes on terrestrial channels during the evening. Alcohol use was highest in soap operas, closely followed by feature films, says the report published in the Journal of Public Health.  The greatest amount of alcohol content was in the hour immediately before the 9pm watershed. The study, by researchers at Nottingham University and King’s College London, is the first for nearly two decades to document alcohol content during prime time on the five most popular terrestrial TV channels.  The researchers said: ‘Our findings demonstrate that prime-time television is a major source of exposure to alcohol imagery among children, and as such is likely to be contributing to uptake and consumption of alcohol among young people in the UK.  Tighter regulation of advertising and promotion of alcoholic drinks, including promotion through sporting events, has been proposed to reduce [such] consumption. We suggest that such measures should include television programme content as well as advertising, particularly before the 9pm watershed.  They added: ‘Episodes of alcohol branding comprised advertising, such as billboards, branded products such as bottles visible behind a bar or held or used in a scene and branded items such as umbrellas or clothing.’ The study examined more than 400 broadcasting hours between 6pm and 10pm, including adverts. The researchers said it was ‘surprising’ to see real brands of alcohol alongside fictitious branding in TV pubs. The study found that 92 per cent of soap episodes carried alcohol imagery compared to 86 per cent of feature films, and sport and comedy,  both 63 per cent.  

The study led Alcohol Concern to call for the appointment of an alcohol advertising regulator. But ITV spokesman Alison Sinclair insisted alcohol imagery in programmes is taken seriously ‘Real advertising brand names never feature and the focus is on the drama in a small community and on the dialogue amongst the characters in the pub as opposed to alcohol intake,’ she said.

BBC spokesman Joanna Allen added: ‘Any alcoholic drink bought or consumed by a character in EastEnders will always be a fictitious brand. Any use of branded alcohol is purely for background dressing.’  Also look at things like ‘The Simpsons’ a kids cartoon, in every episode more or less Homer goes to the pub and gets drunk and there is even an ultra cool character called ‘DuffMan’, all these things are making drinking look cool to kids as they grow up.  The other Sunday I went to a local pub to watch a football match on Sky TV at a lunch time.  In the area in front of the the TV there was about 100 people.  I would say me and about say 50 of the people were over the age of 25, there were then another 30 people between the ages i would say of 20-25, then there were about a group of 6 lads who I would say were not long 18 and then there were 14 clearly under aged kids, i would say they must of been aged about 10-14 years old.  During the adverts for during the TV footage i would say at least 1 in 3 adverts for alcohol, adverts that made alcohol look like a good thing.

To this blog post I have attached some images of examples of how alcohol is promoted as a good thing constantly.

This is it for todays post take care and check back soon for another post.

- Addiction isn’t about substance, you aren’t addicted to the substance, you are addicted to the alteration of mood that the substance brings.