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Date : 27/06/2003
Source: Department of Health
Title: R Schoeman: Launch of ARA media campaign against under-age drinking


SPEECH BY RENIER SCHOEMAN MP, DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AT THE LAUNCH OF THE ARA MEDIA CAMPAIGN AGAINST UNDER-AGE DRINKING, The South African National Art Gallery, Cape Town, 27 June 2003

Key input: According to the Medical Research Council's research one out of three high school learners had the habit of binge drinking. Recent Drug Wise survey showed that almost 100% of Grade 11 learners used alcohol to some extent.

Programme Director, Premier of the Free State, MECs, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I welcome the opportunity to represent our Government at the launch of the mass media campaign of the Association for Responsible Alcohol Use. The campaign is, in many ways, a milestone for the alcoholic beverage industry in its recognition of the challenges that face it on social responsibility front.

There is no denying that reckless and excessive alcohol consumption has a destructive impact on society as a whole. The damage is not confined to the individuals who misuse alcohol, but it endangers the lives and affects the well-being of many others. Indeed, society as a whole is a victim - our health services are heavily burdened with those injured in alcohol related accidents and crimes; our law enforcement agencies are similarly tied up; productivity across the board suffers and with it the national growth rate.

We are all, to some extent, affected - and we all have a responsibility to contribute to tackling this problem. I appreciate the fact that the manufacturers of alcoholic drinks have recognised that their business imposes on them a special responsibility and social duty.

The advertising campaign that is being launched today is not the first initiative taken by the industry to reduce the risks associated with alcohol. But it will enjoy a higher profile than previous interventions and it has the potential to influence many more people. I imagine that earlier, more localised activities have provided vital information for this national advertising campaign.

The ARA campaign aims to reach out to young people by making a reasonable appeal to them to understand the risks of alcohol use and to make choices that are in their own interests -- choices that will safeguard their future.

Recent research has really underscored the need for interventions such as this. A survey undertaken by the MRC among more than 10 000 high school learners established that one out of three had the habit of binge drinking. And, more recently, Drug Wise did a survey that showed almost 100% of Grade 11 learners used alcohol to some extent. I must say that I personally find this absolutely shocking.

The ARA campaign makes the very valid point that you don't need to be addicted to alcohol for it to have a drastic impact on your life. Many deaths and injuries due to alcohol are caused by careless or reckless drinking by individuals who are not alcoholics - and who might have acted differently if they had thought twice, or if their friends hadn't pushed them to have "another one . . . or two".

Dit is belangrik om die kultuur ten opsigte van alkoholgebruik te verander - om 'n klimaat te bou van matigheid eerder as dat oormatige gebruik daarvan geprys word.

Reklame speel 'n uiters belangrike rol in die vorming van gewilde gebruike veral onder die jeug.

As Government, we endorse the approach of prioritising a mass based information campaign focused on young people. Our experience in the field of HIV and AIDS suggests that we can change behaviour through a concerted information and education approach. The HIV challenge in our country is formidable, but it would undoubtedly have been even more serious without the combined information interventions of many government departments and non-governmental organisations. Almost all organisations have focused their HIV messages on adolescents and teenagers - and significantly, it is in this age group that we are seeing a very slow but sustained decline in HIV prevalence.

As Government we, too, have a special duty to intervene to protect individuals from substances that are potentially harmful to their health. If the equivalent of the United States Food and Drug Administration had been around at the dawn of history, it would probably have banned alcohol there and then. But the reality is that alcohol has featured in the diet and culture of many nations for at least as long as humans have been able to write. So, when most modern governments talk of regulating alcohol they do so in full recognition that abolition is not on the cards. That option has been tried and has failed.

Terwyl die Departement van Gesondheid verbind is in die stryd teen die nadelige gevolge van alkohol, is ons ten volle bewus daarvan dat miljoene Suid-Afrikaners alkohol op 'n verantwoordelike wyse gebruik. Hulle genieting hou geen gevaar in vir hulle eie gesondheid of enige iemand anders nie - en ons het geen plan om inbreuk te maak in situasies waar daar geen openbare gesondheidsprobleem bestaan nie.

We also recognise that marketing is only one of many factors that influence the pattern of alcohol consumption. Social and psychological factors play an enormous role in fuelling alcohol consumption and actually converting a social habit into a social hazard.

Any national programme to combat the consequences of alcohol misuse will therefore also demand a range of interventions of a preventive and rehabilitative nature. Given the complexity of problem and its size, we need to put our efforts into the sustained unfolding of several mutually reinforcing interventions with national impact.

Some Government interventions will focus on regulation and can include the following:
* Careful consideration as to whether our current regulations on the licensing of liquor outlets effectively prevent the sale of alcohol to minors or whether these regulations could be used to greater effect
* Consideration of whether the self-regulation of marketing and advertising by the industry is producing an adequate and socially responsible result or whether Government needs to introduce some advertising requirements
* An obligation on producers to put clearly worded health warnings on all containers of alcoholic drinks
* Recognition of the fact that regulation and strong law enforcement in respect of road safety have a clear role to play in deterring irresponsible consumption of alcohol.

Other public sector interventions will focus on information, education and the development of social skills in young people. In some instances - for instance, in relation to foetal alcohol syndrome, driving under the influence of alcohol and vulnerability to crime - good information campaigns can do a world of good.

Heavy consumption of alcohol occurs at all levels of society. Poverty alone is certainly not a cause for excessive alcohol use. But poverty combined with other social and personal dynamics is a potent factor in alcohol misuse. Consequently, the importance of programmes of economic development and social upliftment cannot be underestimated if we are sincere about striking a blow against alcohol abuse.

The expansion of services to manage alcoholism per se and to deal with the effects of excessive drinking on family life is another major challenge. The public sector has far too few resources for effective assistance to the unacceptably large number of alcohol users who fall into this category. We need to locate more partners at community level to expand the network of care.

What I have drawn is a brief sketch of the minimum package of interventions needed to make an impact on the social and public health problem of alcohol misuse. It must be clear to anyone here today that we have only set out on a long uphill journey. It must be equally obvious that this is a challenge too large for any single organisation or even governmental institutions alone. Without concerted action, a strong sense of common purpose and an approach characterised by a spirit of partnership, we will not succeed.

There are many potential allies in the campaign to reverse the damage of alcohol misuse. We may not all agree on every tactic - but we will surely be happy to fight side by side on certain fronts. And it is this sense of practical co-operation that we, as Health Department, will seek to develop to its fullest.

I conclude by saying, we are at one with ARA in its latest mass media campaign. We congratulate you for taking this initiative and we sincerely hope that other concerned organisations will see this as an invitation to become more publicly involved in a positive way.

I thank you.

Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za)

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