Sir, – If independence is an essential aspect of achieving charity status, how can Drinkaware (Letters, December 31st) be independent of the alcohol industry if it is funded by it?
Furthermore, Drinkaware describes itself as being “the national charity” for addressing alcohol harm.
It is neither “the” national charity nor the first national charity for addressing issues arising from alcohol. Civil society groups have led on this for many decades.
Drinkaware is very much a latecomer to the arena, and one could question as to whether its approach points the finger at consumer behaviour as being the core issue of alcohol harm, rather than the alcohol industry’s persistent failure to warn of the addictive, teratogenic, carcinogenic, toxic, and mutagenic properties of the drug alcohol. – Yours, etc,
MICHELE SAVAGE,
Dublin 12.