Madam, - Drinks advertisements have become so much part of our culture that we never seem to question the subtle ways by which we're persuaded to believe that a life without alcohol is like an opera without the singing.
They're probably the best ads in the world. They certainly present us with the best images, the best music, the best catch-phrases and the best visual jokes. In alco-ad land we see magnificent horses trotting through snow-covered meadows or emerging from creamy black surf. We are drawn, not through the looking-glass, but through the empty vodka bottle into a world of sun-drenched orchards and idyllic social gatherings.
What we never encounter in alco-ad land are images of under-age drinkers vomiting on pavements, vicious drink-fuelled closing-time brawls on the streets of our towns and cities, lives shattered by the behaviour of an alcoholic family member or A&E personnel being stretched to the limit by the consequences of excessive drinking. Unwanted pregnancies are not mentioned in the wonderland of the alco-ad.
Drinks companies' acknowledgement of the destructive capabilities of their products has been minimal in comparison to the saturation-style promotion designed to present alcohol as the essential ingredient in the success of any social gathering.
I would not, however, advocate a ban on advertising alcohol. People tend to rebel against this kind of censorship and promoting alcohol provides jobs in the advertising world. In addition, there's the fact that we'd miss the entertainment value of some of these classics. A preferable solution would be for the alcohol industry to acknowledge its responsibilities to publicise the less glamorous world, the world associated with abuse of its product.
I would suggest that for every 60 minutes of positive TV advertising there should be 10 or 15 minutes of hard-hitting, uncompromising, graphic footage portraying the horrendous consequences of excessive alcohol consumption for individuals and society. Similar images would appear in print and billboards and on radio.
The display of explicit warnings should be compulsory wherever alcohol is sold and at events sponsored by any drinks company. - Yours, etc.,
CHRISTOPHER DOYLE, Glasnevin Hill, Dublin 9.