Passive Drinking: the Collateral Damage From Alcohol
Posted Jun 25 2009 1:59pm
by Lisa Frederiksen
On March 16, 2009, Great Britain’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, issued his annual report, “ 150 Years of the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer: On the State of Public Health 2008.” One of the chapters, “Passive Drinking, the Collateral Damage From Alcohol,” caught my attention, and I wanted to share some of the key points Sir Donaldson raises [emphasis added]:
• Drinking alcohol is a deeply ingrained part of our society; each year, the average intake per adult is equivalent to 120 bottles of wine. • The consequences of drinking go far beyond the individual drinker’s health and well-being. They include harm to the unborn fetus, acts of drunken violence, vandalism, sexual assault and child abuse, and a huge health burden carried by both the NHS [National Health Service] and friends and family who care for those damaged by alcohol. • Success on another big public health killer – tobacco – continues to require multifactorial action, but a key element has been raising awareness about the impact of passive smoking. • There is no similar awareness or concern about ‘passive drinking’ – the consequences of one person’s drinking on another’s well-being. It is not recognised as a concept or a rationale for action. • There is no stated national consensus that as a country we should substantially reduce overall alcohol consumption, but such a reduction would benefit the health of many who drink – and those affected by passive drinking.
You can download an 8-page PDF of this chapter from this site (just scroll down to “Download the report by chapters”), and in the meantime, I’ll leave you with some further quotes from this chapter:
“In contrast to smoking, alcohol is too often viewed as a problem for individuals rather than for society. This is not the case. The second-hand effects of alcohol consumption – which I collectively term ‘passive drinking’ – are more complex in their causation than those of passive smoking, and more wide-ranging in their impact.”
“Imagine a country in which… • nobody is physically or sexually assaulted because of alcohol • nobody dies in an accident caused by alcohol • no child has to cower in the corner while its mother is beaten by a drunken partner • the streets are welcoming for all on Saturday night • the streets are free of urine and vomit on Sunday morning • people who want to stop drinking or to drink less are guaranteed the support of their peers to do so • nobody has to see their father, husband, sister or daughter die young as a result of drinking too much alcohol.”
This is well-worth the read and offers a great deal of food for thought and conversation. Please pass it along…
by Lisa Frederiksen
On March 16, 2009, Great Britain’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, issued his annual report, “ 150 Years of the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer: On the State of Public Health 2008.” One of the chapters, “Passive Drinking, the Collateral Damage From Alcohol,” caught my attention, and I wanted to share some of the key points Sir Donaldson raises [emphasis added]:
• Drinking alcohol is a deeply ingrained part of our society; each year, the average intake per adult is
equivalent to 120 bottles of wine.
• The consequences of drinking go far beyond the individual drinker’s health and well-being. They include
harm to the unborn fetus, acts of drunken violence, vandalism, sexual assault and child abuse, and a huge
health burden carried by both the NHS [National Health Service] and friends and family who care for those damaged by alcohol.
• Success on another big public health killer – tobacco – continues to require multifactorial action, but a key element has been raising awareness about the impact of passive smoking.
• There is no similar awareness or concern about ‘passive drinking’ – the consequences of one person’s drinking on another’s well-being. It is not recognised as a concept or a rationale for action.
• There is no stated national consensus that as a country we should substantially reduce overall alcohol consumption, but such a reduction would benefit the health of many who drink – and those affected by passive drinking.
You can download an 8-page PDF of this chapter from this site (just scroll down to “Download the report by chapters”), and in the meantime, I’ll leave you with some further quotes from this chapter:
“In contrast to smoking, alcohol is too often viewed as a problem for individuals rather than for society. This is not the case. The second-hand effects of alcohol consumption – which I collectively term ‘passive drinking’ – are more complex in their causation than those of passive smoking, and more wide-ranging in their impact.”
“Imagine a country in which…
• nobody is physically or sexually assaulted because of alcohol
• nobody dies in an accident caused by alcohol
• no child has to cower in the corner while its mother is beaten by a drunken partner
• the streets are welcoming for all on Saturday night
• the streets are free of urine and vomit on Sunday morning
• people who want to stop drinking or to drink less are guaranteed the support of their peers to do so
• nobody has to see their father, husband, sister or daughter die young as a result of drinking too much alcohol.”
This is well-worth the read and offers a great deal of food for thought and conversation. Please pass it along…