Sir, – The claims apparently made by members of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland that campaigns run by drinkaware.ie to promote the responsible use of alcohol in Irish society somehow constitute "subliminal advertisements to encourage people to drink" ("Industry efforts to curb drinking a 'joke' and encourage consumption", Home News, April 24th) are incorrect and perverse. Our raison d'être has always been stated clearly: we are an alcohol social responsibility organisation, not an alcohol prohibition organisation. Our key focus is 18- to 24-year-olds, and the fact is 87 per cent of this age group drinks alcohol. That is the context in which our messaging and campaigns are structured.
The very difficult task which we undertake is to challenge and change some of the harmful cultural ways in which Irish people have, for generations, used alcohol. Hence, the messaging surrounding our current TV advertising campaign is that this age cohort should not be pressured into drinking more, or fast, or to indulge in our so-called “rounds” system.
Drinkaware.ie advertisements are not about encouraging people to drink, but - if they do drink – to use alcohol responsibly. In that context, we seek to promote cultural change, point up the harmful and adverse consequences of abusing alcohol, and provide information and strategies to help consumers adopt a more moderate style of drinking. We advise that for some, and in certain circumstances, it is best not to drink at all. Recent campaigns depicted a series of situations where persons who are drunk interfere with, and abuse, innocent third parties, including those working in, or attending emergency departments. Our award-winning Reclaim Your Weekend programme and dedicated website seek to alert the broader 18-29 age cohort to the benefits of avoiding excessive weekend alcohol consumption so they can participate in activities and events around the country that cost nothing.
Evidence provided by Millward Browne, in January 2013, suggests we are having a positive impact. Drinkaware.ie is perceived as the leading organisation promoting “drinking in moderation” and is significantly ahead of, for example, the HSE and its sponsored organisations. In addition, 85 per cent of over-18s are aware of drinkaware.ie; this figure rises to 91 per cent for the 18- to 29-year-old cohort. More than 90 per cent of those aware of drinkaware.ie said this brand should be used more widely, while 81 per cent said “it is effective without pointing the finger”.
Drinkaware.ie exists to help tackle problems arising from the abuse of alcohol in Irish society, and believes the most effective way to build on the progress already being made in this field is to have all stakeholders, including Government, the alcohol industry, the retail sector, professions like doctors, and ourselves, working together. Partisan and partial approaches will not resolve the problems. We would welcome those genuinely interested in addressing the issue, rather than complaining about it, to sit down with us and discuss how our campaigns might be further improved. – Yours, etc,
FIONNUALA SHEEHAN,
CEO, drinkaware.ie,
Mature Enjoyment of
Alcohol in Society (MEAS),
Fitzwilliam Street Lower,
Dublin 2.