The social costs of misuse
As with other products that have the potential to be abused, there are health and social costs associated with alcohol misuse, including the cost of alcohol-related accidents and socially inappropriate behaviours. These have to be considered alongside the benefits that alcohol production and consumption bring to communities, including tax revenues and possible health benefits as well as the enjoyment that the responsible consumption of alcohol brings to many adults. It is acknowledged that there are possible health benefits as well as the enjoyment that the responsible consumption of alcohol brings to many adults. The total picture is complex and both the costs and the benefits are difficult to quantify. We believe that the correct response to alcohol misuse is for drinks manufacturers and retailers, governments, health authorities, health professionals and interested citizen groups to work together to find common ground and ways of promoting responsible drinking.
Young people
We live in the same environment as the consumers of our products. We therefore share concerns about underage drinking and binge drinking by a minority of young people. Young people sometimes experiment with drinking and can encounter problems if not given appropriate education and guidance. Parents and teachers, as role models, need to know the facts about alcohol and lead by example. The industry has a role to play and we have helped developed world-class awareness materials for use with young people.
As a company and as networked individual citizens of the 180 countries in which we do business, we continue our efforts to prevent sales of alcohol to people under legal purchase age where laws are specific and under 18 where laws are not specific.
In our marketing activities, we never describe or focus on people under the legal purchase age, which varies from country to country. In countries where there is no legal purchase age, or where the age is less than 18, it is Diageo policy not to target our products at people under 18. We believe that all governments should set an age limit for legal purchase at not less than 18 years. Equally, it is essential that controls are in place to ensure that such laws are observed and enforced.
Working with a local partner organisation, in Australia we have developed a website to inform young people about alcohol, its effects and how it can be used responsibly according to guidelines issued by the Australian Department of Health. A bowling game on the site reinforces many of the points made and allows players to post their scores on a leader board. Weblink: www.think-b4u-drink.com
Alcohol and health
While there may be health benefits for some people associated with moderate alcohol consumption, we do not advocate drinking for health reasons. The Diageo code of marketing practice specifically states that we will not present abstinence in a negative light nor imply that it is wrong or foolish to refuse a drink.
We are committed to open dialogue with public health authorities, research and academic communities and others with an interest in alcohol’s impact on health. We are a signatory to the Dublin Principles, which set out the ethical basis for co-operation between the drinks industry, governments, scientific researchers and the public health community. Weblink: www.icap.org/about_icap/dublin.html.
We keep up to date with research in the area of alcohol on health – for example, through our membership of the industry-funded Centre for Information on Beverage Alcohol. As a member of the Alcohol Task Force of International Life Sciences Institute Europe, we have co-funded a range of peer-reviewed research overviews and publications.
Drinking and driving
We believe all governments should set legal blood alcohol concentration levels for drivers and we support tough penalties for those convicted of drink-driving. We have a long track record of supporting anti drink-driving initiatives in many countries. In the 2003 holiday season we launched an anti drink-drive campaign with a difference in South African cities. The 'Double Vision' initiative involved sticking 75,000 magnetised replica keyholes on car doors beside the real keyhole to make drivers stop and think. The campaign was backed up with radio ads and coasters with the strapline 'Should you really be driving? Be responsible, if you drink, don't drive.’ In addition, for minibus drivers, who each year carry thousands of people home for Christmas, we produced music cassettes which included reminders to rest between long journeys and T-shirts with the slogans 'I am a No 1 taxi driver' and 'I don't drink when I drive’.