DrinkAware ethicswashing is disinformation

Addiction Economy Thought for Today - Embarrassing, I am only now becoming aware of just how harmful alcohol is to individuals and society. An exemplar case study of the Addiction Economy at work.

Something so embedded in British culture, it's so easy to forget it is a very harmful sector with a cost to society in the UK of £42bn, against revenue generated of £45bn, not a great trade off. Our little infographic comparison with smoking, unhealthy foods and gambling here:

https://lnkd.in/eZP2Taeu

Campaigns to get a minimum price for alcohol failing, but here is Ireland making a start and grasping the nettle with health warnings. Good on them.

We have the pointless DrinkAware stuff on the ads, which is a business sponsored ethics washing initiative mainly it seems to me. But I am starting to investigate more on this including the excellent work of Nason Maani and others.

Numbers 4 and 5 of our Economic Model of Addiction (Misinformation and Undermining Policy Action) seen here in their hard-hitting article in the British Medial Journal Commercially driven efforts to frame alcohol harms have no place in UK health policy development

https://lnkd.in/etpGw5WH

"There is considerable evidence of the role of commercial actors, particularly harmful commodity producers, and the trade associations and third party organisations they fund, in shaping policy and public discourse to their own ends.

"These actors undermine the adoption of effective prevention policies while presenting themselves as health experts and self-regulators. The cross-industry use of such strategies, including by the alcohol industry, is well documented. The World Health Organization (WHO) thus recommends that alcohol producers should not be part of policy considerations, beyond policy implementation.

"Despite this, in the UK, the alcohol industry remains an active participant in alcohol policy development. A recent parliamentary oral evidence session focused on preventing alcohol harms serves as a pertinent reminder of how industry influence is an important obstacle to progress at a time of record highs in alcohol harm."

Our Economic Model here. Love any feedback.

https://lnkd.in/enuF7_t4