Authorities In Ireland Have A New Plan To Try And Curb Excessive Drinking

in #freedom6 years ago

According to a previous World Health Organization survey, it's believed that Ireland has one of the worst rates of binge drinking in the world.

Binge drinking is defined as the practice of consuming large quantities of alcohol in one session; usually around 5+ drinks or more for males and 4+ drinks for women. Binge drinking has been linked to a myriad of health issues including high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, memory and learning problems, and more.

Authorities in Ireland have a new plan that they're hoping is going to curb the excessive drinking and it's one that we've seen implemented before.

Ireland is now looking to impose tobacco-style health warnings on alcohol products to try and prevent people from engaging in binge drinking.

Just recently, a bill passed the Irish Parliament that would strictly limit alcohol advertising and newly require the products to be separated from certain retail areas that are inside shops. They want health warnings to be clearly displayed on the alcohol beverages, including warnings about cancer.

It's also reported that the advertising of alcohol is going to be banned in public parks and sporting events.

This recently passed bill is described as the very first national law that's forcing alcohol manufacturers to use specific warning labels detailing the health risks for their products.

The director of Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland mentioned that they supported the new objectives but they question whether or not it's going to be effective, they also question if the objectives are evidence-based.

There are several studies which have suggested that those warning labels have been effective in decreasing the rates of smoking where those rules had been implemented. However, researchers have pointed out that along with those labels there have been other anti-smoking measures implemented as well, such as taxes or bans, and so there are multiple variables that might have contributed to the decrease in smoking and it might not necessarily be the result of strictly those graphic images on the pack.

What If The Plan Backfires...

One previous 2016 study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggests that those graphic warning labels might backfire and end-up contributing to more of the same problem.

Researchers suggest that people see these labels as something which threatens their freedom and their personal choice. Why? Well, researchers suggest that people don't like these labels, so the graphic images make them angry and it prompts them to think of negative thoughts; they feel as if they are being manipulated. Researchers admit that the labels make the consumer think that the government is being overly domineering in their personal business and this in-turn is going to stress them out which will ultimately make them smoke even more.

“If these individuals see things as freedom threats, they are going to be more attracted to perform the threatened behavior," - prof B. Quick, co-author of paper

Researchers concluded from the study that they might be doing even more harm with those labels, harm to a group that they say needs the most help in trying to battle their addiction.

Maybe if they want to try and lower the rates of alcohol consumption, they should consider going with different approach--cannabis decriminalization.

Pics:
pixabay

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One previous 2016 study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggests that those graphic warning labels might backfire and end-up contributing to more of the same problem.

Or even besides that, I feel like it could make people desensitized to warnings in general. They become used to ignoring it and not seeing any serious harm. And then if someone warned them about some bad drug like heroin or something, they could be more likely be like "meh".

(I don't think drinking is good for you, but as you say, there's a consequence to being overly fast to issue warnings. Voluntary p2p, buyer to producer labeling works fine.)

Lets wait and see.........:)...

I cannot see those labels as having much of an effect!

I know I feel better now i have stopped drinking, hate the hangovers.

I don't drink very often. I know it has been more than a year. Funny, my friend I was staying with just gave me two beers this morning. I am going to drink them eventually, maybe do a review. Jaha

Ohh be careful they could go straight to your head LOL :)

I think this is great, let's hope it works, hehe here in Venezuela, thanks to the inept government, the consumption of liquor has stopped a lot because of its high cost

@doitvoluntarily it seems very good to try to reduce and contain the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. but the prohibition is not the way, the way is to make people aware that drinking alcohol is bad for the organisms, the warning label does not exist, we see it in the cigarette packs that warn of the problem that causes smoking and each You see more. Awareness of people, my humble opinion
Thank you very much for sharing this news
I wish you a great day

Why should government try to micromanage people though? Why shoud businesses be firced to comply with arbitrary dictates imposed at gunpoint just to satisfy the whims of moralistic busybodies?

Do those labels actually work? Smokers don't seem to be fazed at all by the sight of a rotten lung on the cigarette package. Is there D.A.R.E. in Ireland? It's a program that opens campaigns to educate the people (especially the youth) about the detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption and drug abuse.

Bureaucratic busybody control freaks gonna be bureaucratic busybody control freaks.

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