GP says health campaigns wasted on heavy drinkers

Health promotion campaigns around alcohol are "absurd" because heavy drinkers already know about the dangers, Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, a London-based GP and author said yesterday.

Reminding them of the dangers did not inhibit their consumption, while those who did not drink had their own reasons "among which concerns about health are not likely to be prominent", he said.

Dr Fitzpatrick was speaking at the "Alcohol, Ethics and Society" conference in the International Financial Services Centre, Dublin.

It was organised by the International Centre for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) and the National College of Ireland.

ICAP was set up by international alcohol companies to reduce alcohol abuse.

Dr Fitzpatrick said doctors should not interfere with their patients' drinking habits unless a patient requested help or presented with a clearly alcohol-related problem.

By trying to regulate behaviour, doctors were in danger of moving beyond their sphere of expertise, he said.

"If instead of providing cure or care, they become intrusive and moralising, they will soon lose the respect of their patients."

Dr Joseph Barry, public health lecturer at Trinity College Dublin said the Government could either choose to protect the public's health or allow the drinks industry to satisfy its shareholders.

The vast budgets of the drinks industry were preventing effective measures being put in place, he said. Dr Barry pointed to the success of public health practitioners in addressing the issue of tobacco through legislation and called for a similar approach to be adopted to alcohol.

Despite the industry's claims of trying to encourage sensible drinking, its aims were incompatible with public health, Dr Barry said.

However, Mr Peter H Coors, chairman of Coors brewing company said he believed it was his company's job to promote healthy lifestyles.

"Let's face it, being a good corporate citizen and having a positive corporate image actually promotes product sales. But it is also the right thing to do." Mr Coors criticised the increasingly litigious climate in the United States which had resulted in "some pretty bizarre lawsuits".

Referring to a recent case where an obese man filed a lawsuit blaming fast-food restaurants for his health problems, he said it was "troubling" to suggest that educated consumers were incapable of making their own responsible choices.

Increased education about alcohol is the top priority of policy makers worldwide, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the International Centre for Alcohol Policies.

In the survey governments highlighted underage drinking as the top challenge facing them worldwide.