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OBSERVATIONS: Tessa Richards Europe on the rocks BMJ 2007; 334: 1142 [Full text]

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Responsible use of alcohol

Hugh Mann   (1 June 2007)

Investing in alcohol is no longer responsible

Joseph M Barry, Tom O'Dowd   (2 June 2007)

Responsible use of alcohol 1 June 2007
Hugh Mann, Physician Eagle Rock, MO 65641 USA Send response to journal: Re: Responsible use of alcohol	The "responsible use" of alcohol and other addictive substances is an impossibility. Even moderate amounts of addictive substances do not belong in our diet. They inevitably take over our lives and undermine our health. Beware of "health experts" who recommend addictive substances. They are either misinformed or dishonest. The only people who benefit from addictive substances are the companies that sell them, and the "health experts" who promote them and then treat the inevitable abuse. Competing interests: None declared
Investing in alcohol is no longer responsible 2 June 2007
Joseph M Barry, Clinical Professor Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Tom O'Dowd Send response to journal: Re: Investing in alcohol is no longer responsible	"Doctors are stalwart drinkers", says Tessa Richards in her observation piece "Europe on the Rocks" (June 2, 2007) where she calls on doctors to do more to tackle alcohol abuse.1 Doctors are also stalwart investors and must begin to use their financial clout as shareholders to remove alcohol from their portfolios. Last Autumn the multi-national drinks industry used its political, business and financial lobbying muscle to subvert the European Commission's attempts to bring forward an alcohol strategy based on public health principles.2 In the past the public health agenda has relied solely on evidence to effect political change. This worked when elected politicians had a stronger influence on society. The business corporations have now become bigger players where the measure of success is profit. Health policy has to accommodate to this change and will have to engage shareholders directly to get them to avoid alcohol at both manufacturing and, the sometimes forgotten, retailing levels. Leadership is required from doctors who are often the first witnesses of alcohol related harm. This can be exercised by refusing to hold shares in alcohol companies and by instructing fund managers to set up and seek non- alcohol based portfolios. This will require work on the part of the financial institutions and fund managers who now have access to a research base on ethical investing.3 Ethical investments are now doing well with little if any financial penalty accruing to the investor. It is time to include the manufacture and importantly the sale of alcohol as an unworthy and unethical way of making money for the individual investor. Most doctors would not knowingly invest in tobacco companies and while there is no safe level of tobacco use alcohol is no ordinary commodity either4 and even small amounts can cause catastrophic harm. In most public health and social marketing campaigns industry (alcohol, tobacco, food) have much better thought-out strategies than healthcare organisations. This is not surprising as their enormous budgets can afford the professional supports. Advocacy budgets will never come remotely near industry budgets but doctors interested in the health of the public have to develop expertise on the ways of big business and use this expertise in informing individual shareholders on the wider societal implications of their investments. References 1. Richards T. Europe on the rocks. BMJ 2007;334:1142 (2 June), doi: 10:1136/bmj.39227.654838.59 2. McKee M. A European Alcohol Strategy: Will the opportunity be missed? (editorial). BMJ 2006; 333: 871-872. 3. www.eiris.org 4. Babor T, Caetano R, Casswell, S, Edwards G, Giesbrecht N, Graham K, et al. Alcohol: no ordinary commodity. Research and Public Policy. Oxford and London: Oxford University Press; 2003. Competing interests: None declared