It seems that alcohol is heading down the
path that smoking took before it. The
alcohol industry has not on its own regulated the advertisement programs, and
if it doesn’t soon, the restrictions will follow just like they did for the
smoking industries. This is a wake-up
call that the industry needs to take very seriously.
A major report on global alcohol consumption has recommended an
international ban on alcohol marketing and advertising. The world is “not on track” to achieve
targets to reduce harmful drinking, according to a new report in The
Lancet journal. The study,
published in The Lancet, looked at alcohol intake in 189
countries between 1990 and 2017, during which time consumption increased from
5.9 liters of pure alcohol a year per adult to 6.5 liters. Researchers forecast
that consumption will further increase to 7.6 liters by 2030. As a result of increased alcohol consumption
and population growth, the total volume of alcohol consumed globally per year
has increased by 70% in the past 27 years.
The report highlights the shifting
geography of drinking levels, with reductions in Europe more than offset by
increases in Southeast Asia. In particular, alcohol intake increased in
countries with a growing middle class, such as India, China and Vietnam. By
2030, Europe is no longer predicted to have the highest level of alcohol use. The estimates also suggest that by 2030 half
of all adults will drink alcohol, and almost a quarter, 23% will binge drink at
least once a month.
According to
researchers, increasing rates of alcohol use mean the world is “not on track”
to achieve targets to reduce harmful drinking. The World Health Organization
(WHO) is aiming to see a 10% reduction in harmful alcohol use by 2025. The volume of alcohol consumed is growing
faster than the number of drinkers, leading to an “increased
alcohol-attributable disease burden”.
“Based
on the data, the aim of reducing the harmful use of alcohol by 10% by 2025 will
not be reached globally,” according to author Jakob Manthey,. “Instead, alcohol use will remain one of
the leading risk factors for the burden of disease for the foreseeable future,
and its impact will probably increase relative to other risk factors.
Implementation of effective alcohol policies is warranted, especially in
rapidly developing countries with growing rates of alcohol use.” The report researchers are calling for the
implementation of measures including increased taxation, restricted
availability, and a ban on alcohol marketing and advertising at a global level. Price or availability-based policies are
important, strict restrictions on advertising and other promotional activities
are crucial to slow the growing demand for alcohol in these countries.
