The Scottish government has unveiled plans to prevent cut-price promotions on alcohol, by imposing a minimum price for goods sold in supermarkets and off licences. Scottish ministers believe that cheap deals on alcohol are to blame for the increase in binge-drinking, as well as the rise in alcohol-related health problems.
The government plan comes after it emerged last month that Scotland has the eighth-highest level of alcohol consumption in the world. The proposals, which are unlikely to be passed, want in particular to target young drinkers, who are in danger of over-consumption, leading to a generation of failed livers and other health issues.
Although I would class myself as part of the ‘binge-drinking generation’, in some ways I welcome the ideas proposed by the Scottish government. Britain undoubtedly has a huge drinking habit, which is so widespread it has become dangerous. Like many others, I too have been known to indulge in a little too much alcohol during my time at university, but the more I realise the effects which these social habits will have upon our generation, the more I want to put the glass of wine down.
The problem, clearly, is not with the price of alcohol in Britain, but with Britain’s culture and social habits themselves. In other European countries, alcohol is notoriously cheap, yet the drinking habits of these countries are far less pronounced. Why is this?
True, Britain’s drinking habits have begun to impose themselves upon other countries, although surely to a far less degree. Take France for example, where they have even had to adopt the English term ‘binge-drinking’, as the habit stems from British influence rather than French.
The French government also announced this week its plans to ban ‘open bars’ in the country, where clients pay an entrance fee upon arrival at a bar and can then drink as much alcohol as they wish without having to pay extra. In taking this action, France is acting upon a rising problem of binge-drinking before it becomes detrimental and irreversible. Perhaps Britain should have taken similar measures sooner.
After upping taxes on cigarettes and banning their advertisement and promotion, the Scottish government suggests that the government could now take similar measures to benefit problems with alcohol abuse. Now, while I’m not suggesting that hiking up the taxes on one of life’s few affordable luxuries in these difficult times is plausible, I do agree that something needs to be done to tackle this issue.
If removing attractive, brightly coloured promotions in supermarkets meant that you only buy the one bottle of wine, rather than an unnecessary three, “because it only costs a tenner”, then I see this as positive move. Or even relegating alcohol displays to less accessible areas of shops, rather than strategically placed next to the comfort food, so that when you’re planning a quiet night in, the alcohol offers are just too tempting.
It’s about time that Britain admitted that the elegant, wine-sipping socialites in the adverts are not the reality. The truth of it is that generally, that one bottle will be for one drinker, and will result in a very difficult journey home after Klute.
Admittedly, the recent ad-campaigns, including two very graphic television adverts, brought issues of binge-drinking to the forefront, but it will take far more to change the habits of an entire generation, and far more needs to be done to tackle the problem.
As the first real ‘binge-drinking generation’, a number of health problems await us later in life, which will undoubtedly put even further pressure on an already crumbling National Health Service. Maybe this current debate on issues of alcohol abuse could, if nothing else, remind the British public of the dangers of binge drinking, and persuade them to think twice before over-consuming until they can no longer remember.
The current binge-drinking generation are so hooked upon the habit that they no longer realise the damage they are doing to their bodies. NHS statistics published last week showed that there were 42,430 drink-related discharges from general hospitals in 2007-08. Sales figures also showed that nearly 50 million litres of pure alcohol were drunk in 2007 - the equivalent of 11.8 litres for every person over the age of 16.
Whilst I believe that this habit will not be so easily erased by these measures, what it could well do is prevent the next generation indulging to the extent that ours has, and to reinstate alcohol as a luxury which should be enjoyed only in moderation, rather than in excess.
So, whilst a fixed price for alcohol seems an unlikely measure to be adopted by the government, hopefully the Scottish government’s controversial proposals will persuade our government to actively tackle issues of binge-drinking, be that through advertising, further alcohol awareness campaigns, or simply better health education.
