Alcohol Concern launches alcohol charter
As part of Alcohol Awareness Week 2011, which runs from 14 to 20 November, Alcohol Concern has launched the Charter for a World Free of Alcohol Harm, and is urging all MPs to sign it.
The charter says:
- Everyone has the right to enjoy life free from the effects of alcohol harm - at home, work or in the community, and everyone has the right to be free of the pressure to drink and to be supported when they choose not to.
- All children and adolescents have the right to grow up in an environment protected from the promotion of alcohol and the negative consequences of alcohol consumption.
- Anyone who develops a problem with alcohol – as well as members of their family - has the right to accessible advice, treatment and care.
- Everyone has the right to objective and independent information and education, starting early in life, on the consequences of alcohol consumption on health, the family and society
To help achieve these goals, Alcohol Concern is also calling for the following to be reflected in the government’s forthcoming alcohol policy:
- Prevention of irresponsible promotion of cheap alcohol and deep discounting
- Control of the availability of alcohol locally by allowing local areas to reduce licence density
- Protection of children from alcohol marketing
- Increase of both identification and support for people affected by alcohol misuse.
Alcohol Concern chief executive Eric Appleby said: “The charter, based on the World Health Organisation’s ethical principles on alcohol in society, reflects a growing international consensus on the health harms caused by alcohol misuse, and the actions that can be taken at a national and local level to address them.
“The imminent renewal of the national strategy on alcohol is a decisive moment in which to act. Politicians have this opportunity to start towards making the aspirations in the charter a reality.
“We’re asking everyone, especially policy-makers and those with responsibility for our health and well-being, to sign. During Alcohol Awareness week, we’ll be publishing an open letter to our health ministers and their shadow counterparts asking them to sign up and indicate their commitment to reducing alcohol harm.”
Portman Group chief executive Henry Ashworth added: “We are pleased that Alcohol Concern is focusing on similar priorities to the industry’s own initiatives and the Government’s Responsibility Deal.
“It is vitally important to remember that the vast majority of people in the UK do drink responsibly and it is in all of our interests for alcoholic products to be consumed sensibly across the board. Responsible alcohol producers and retailers are committed to playing their part and we are reviewing how we can strengthen regulation so alcohol is marketed responsibly and appropriately to legitimate adult consumers.”
To sign the charter, email contact@alcoholconcern.org.uk, or sign up online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JKF5H9X
