King Canute was famous, or infamous for ordering the tide to stop according to legend. Well in modern day terms that's pretty much what anyone who seeks to stop people drinking is trying to do, with I might add as much chance of success. If you really want to change peoples drinking habits then you don't just stand up in front of them and say stop! Nor do you try and blow away their minds with study upon study. You have to get clever. Just like the Dutch did when building the dikes that salvaged land from the sea. They used their brains!
Psychology is the key to turning the tide on alcohol. You can't fight it head on. Lets face it the first records of alcohol production en mass go back to the first civilisations where you will also find records of drug abuse, gambling and fornication/prostitution. The four great taboos of civilised society have in fact been present since day one of civilisation so you would not be trying to change a fashion, which lasts for a few weeks, or a trend that can last for several years.
By telling people to stop drinking you are effectively trying to turn back history, And history has a habit of not liking that!
So effectively you have to play smart and change attitudes and throwing a load of studies at people, most of whom wouldn't know a scientific study if it hit them in the face, is not the answer.
In the words of Ali G you gotta keep it real!
People need to be able to identify with what you are asking them to do and why you are asking them to do it. And remember you are fighting against a sophisticated machine called the alcohol industry and their PR gurus who know how to stay on message and keep people on message. So you have to do a better sales job than the salesman. You have to know the tricks of the trade.
And that's where psychologists come in! You cannot command the tide to turn back you have to fool it into wanting to turn back so that eventually it does - simples eh?
Monday, 10 October 2011
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Oh Dear Don
When is Don Shenker ever going to realise that he has no chance at influencing children to stay away from alcohol?
His latest attempt at getting facebook to stop giving access to under 18's to alcohol advertising just shows he has absolutely no idea how children work, how facebook works or how marketing works. He is also showing scant regard for history but it all sounds very good.
Problem 1 : Children lie about their age on facebook!
Problem 2: It is not the marketing of alcohol that has made the difference it is marketing full stop,
Problem 3: Constantly saying that a teenager shouldn't do something guarantees they will.
Once again we see the relationship continue. Big alcohol are the bad guys, Alcohol Concern the knights in shining armour and the Government are in between.
It is a symbiotic relationship of the highest order and the voice of reason and understanding gets lost.
I have spent my life dedicated to changing the habits of those who use alcohol and I still see the same old entrenched attitudes that lead us on a road to nowhere.
Change the paradigms - NOW!
His latest attempt at getting facebook to stop giving access to under 18's to alcohol advertising just shows he has absolutely no idea how children work, how facebook works or how marketing works. He is also showing scant regard for history but it all sounds very good.
Problem 1 : Children lie about their age on facebook!
Problem 2: It is not the marketing of alcohol that has made the difference it is marketing full stop,
Problem 3: Constantly saying that a teenager shouldn't do something guarantees they will.
Once again we see the relationship continue. Big alcohol are the bad guys, Alcohol Concern the knights in shining armour and the Government are in between.
It is a symbiotic relationship of the highest order and the voice of reason and understanding gets lost.
I have spent my life dedicated to changing the habits of those who use alcohol and I still see the same old entrenched attitudes that lead us on a road to nowhere.
Change the paradigms - NOW!
Now that is the pot calling the kettle!
You may remember the previous input about drinkaware.co.uk and my dislike of the way in which the alcohol industry portrays itself. Now it's time for me to show you the opposite side of the coin and talk about the abolitionists and detractors.
The Sunday Times carried on it's front page a small but not insignificant article today with regards to the drinking habits of Members of Parliament. The medical profession had decided to attack MP's who according to them are exhibiting alcoholic behaviour patterns.
Maybe the medical profession needs to be reminded that the highest rate of abuse of alcohol is within their own four walls and although the 600 plus MP's may be influential on our society the tens of thousands of doctors are more influential at the grass roots because people ultimately still trust their doctors whereas they are ambivalent to their MP!
And as most doctors have little or no real knowledge of alcohol then why do they think that they are best placed to criticise anyway?
The medical profession needs to put it's own house in order first before they try and take the moral high ground relating to the misuse of alcohol and come to that drugs. Leave it to those of us who have made alcohol and it's challenges our lifelong work. Leave it to the real professionals! Because if the message gets lost the only beneficiaries will be the alcohol companies
The Sunday Times carried on it's front page a small but not insignificant article today with regards to the drinking habits of Members of Parliament. The medical profession had decided to attack MP's who according to them are exhibiting alcoholic behaviour patterns.
Maybe the medical profession needs to be reminded that the highest rate of abuse of alcohol is within their own four walls and although the 600 plus MP's may be influential on our society the tens of thousands of doctors are more influential at the grass roots because people ultimately still trust their doctors whereas they are ambivalent to their MP!
And as most doctors have little or no real knowledge of alcohol then why do they think that they are best placed to criticise anyway?
The medical profession needs to put it's own house in order first before they try and take the moral high ground relating to the misuse of alcohol and come to that drugs. Leave it to those of us who have made alcohol and it's challenges our lifelong work. Leave it to the real professionals! Because if the message gets lost the only beneficiaries will be the alcohol companies
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink
I sometimes wonder how pathetic the great manipulators, the alcohol companies, really can be.
I have never been anti-alcohol. I enjoy a drink as much as the next person, but I am anti binge drinking and excessive drinking for I see all to clearly the damage that this does.
A friend of mine on twitter who owns a very well established and successful business retailing and wholesaling non alcoholic wines told me that drinkaware refused to put a link from their website to his. This is ridiculous and they know it. What it does show though that like big tobacco, alcohol companies will go about using their PR machine to prevent any semblance of education or choice.
People who sell non alcoholic wines and beers are not generally anti alcohol they just want to operate a business where people can make a choice based on a product. After all Toyota brought us the Prius and that hasn't stopped people buying other non hybrid Toyota cars, or Ferraris come to that. And interestingly enough the alcohol companies can make exceedingly good non alcoholic wines and beers but chose not to heavily market them themselves as the profit margins tend to be lower.
So come on drinkaware.co.uk get your act together. You are supposed to be promoting education and choice not denying it. You are getting as bad as Alcohol Concern who have the exact opposite views but still deny education and choice.
We live in a world where we can educate and get free choice through that education, give us some credit please and start treating us like grown ups!
I have never been anti-alcohol. I enjoy a drink as much as the next person, but I am anti binge drinking and excessive drinking for I see all to clearly the damage that this does.
A friend of mine on twitter who owns a very well established and successful business retailing and wholesaling non alcoholic wines told me that drinkaware refused to put a link from their website to his. This is ridiculous and they know it. What it does show though that like big tobacco, alcohol companies will go about using their PR machine to prevent any semblance of education or choice.
People who sell non alcoholic wines and beers are not generally anti alcohol they just want to operate a business where people can make a choice based on a product. After all Toyota brought us the Prius and that hasn't stopped people buying other non hybrid Toyota cars, or Ferraris come to that. And interestingly enough the alcohol companies can make exceedingly good non alcoholic wines and beers but chose not to heavily market them themselves as the profit margins tend to be lower.
So come on drinkaware.co.uk get your act together. You are supposed to be promoting education and choice not denying it. You are getting as bad as Alcohol Concern who have the exact opposite views but still deny education and choice.
We live in a world where we can educate and get free choice through that education, give us some credit please and start treating us like grown ups!
Monday, 3 October 2011
It's all in the message
I was sat reading through a publication called PR Week when I turned, as I am want to out of curiosity, to the jobs/employment pages. Lo and behold staring me in the face was an advertisement for a Communications Officer for drinkaware.co.uk the industry organisation voluntarily set up to give information to the general public about the so called facts about alcohol.
The advertisement goes on to talk about joining an award winning Communications team promoting key messages to several sectors and also implies working intimately with the medical profession. And for the right person the remuneration package is £25k per annum.
Now is there any wonder why when a body, set up by the alcohol industry, can pay £25k for a very junior spin doctor that those of us who really seek to educate about alcohol stand a chance?
Now I'm not naive enough to believe that a multi-billion pound industry is going to roll over and say yes we've misled you for thousands of years, let's face it look at big tobacco, but I would like to think that they have the courage to tell the truth because for all of you that know me I am not anti alcohol just anti abuse of alcohol.
Also how are these "Communications Officers" trained? Oh I forgot to tell you. They are trained by Universities and Colleges who specialise in Communications but have little understanding of the true neurophysiological or psychological impact that those Communications have upon the intended subject. Sure there are one or two really good centres out there but the reality is that once someone has written the "Communications Bible" they all preach from the same sheet. However those organisations who do understand this deep impact upon the human psyche are very powerful indeed and have the ability to manipulate the human race as if they were a toy in the bath. Don't believe me? Ask Stanley Milgram, Josef Goebbels or even Rupert Murdoch.
So if an industry like the alcohol industry really wants to make you believe something they take fresh young minds and turn them into Communications Officers implanting them with the message that they are being responsible and educational about alcohol.
After all it's all in the message
The advertisement goes on to talk about joining an award winning Communications team promoting key messages to several sectors and also implies working intimately with the medical profession. And for the right person the remuneration package is £25k per annum.
Now is there any wonder why when a body, set up by the alcohol industry, can pay £25k for a very junior spin doctor that those of us who really seek to educate about alcohol stand a chance?
Now I'm not naive enough to believe that a multi-billion pound industry is going to roll over and say yes we've misled you for thousands of years, let's face it look at big tobacco, but I would like to think that they have the courage to tell the truth because for all of you that know me I am not anti alcohol just anti abuse of alcohol.
Also how are these "Communications Officers" trained? Oh I forgot to tell you. They are trained by Universities and Colleges who specialise in Communications but have little understanding of the true neurophysiological or psychological impact that those Communications have upon the intended subject. Sure there are one or two really good centres out there but the reality is that once someone has written the "Communications Bible" they all preach from the same sheet. However those organisations who do understand this deep impact upon the human psyche are very powerful indeed and have the ability to manipulate the human race as if they were a toy in the bath. Don't believe me? Ask Stanley Milgram, Josef Goebbels or even Rupert Murdoch.
So if an industry like the alcohol industry really wants to make you believe something they take fresh young minds and turn them into Communications Officers implanting them with the message that they are being responsible and educational about alcohol.
After all it's all in the message
Thursday, 29 September 2011
I need a drink!
I was recently approached by someone who has been having a hard time and I noticed how they were constantly clock watching. So I asked why?
"Because it's nearly beer o'clock time I need a drink" was the reply
"So if you need a drink why are you here talking to me, after all we have 24 hour drinking now? " I asked rather tongue in cheek.
"Because I don't want a drink but I need a drink"
It was a psychological need for a crutch. They were clearly showing a pattern of denying that they were in trouble. Not necessarily with alcohol but it was manifesting in the form of taking themselves off to the pub at precisely the same time every night. It was a diversionary tactic from facing up to the challenges that they knew they had but didn't know how to handle. When I discussed this with them they said to me that their boss had called them into the office and had noticed that they were always going to the pub at the same time every night and would refuse to work late if needed because of the prior engagement. The manager suggested that they put themselves forward for alcohol testing. They were now worried that they would lose their job.
I explained to them that whatever the results of any medical test showed there was no medical test that proved or disproved alcoholism and companies or organisations who relied solely on a laboratory finding were negligent themselves as addiction to alcohol is far more complex than that. They seemed relieved and agreed that they would seek further help in discovering why they had this particular relationship with the pub and what was the underlying cause.
When we ask ourselves questions we don't always get the answers that we wish for and we often try to hide. So if you are feeling vulnerable, talk it through with someone you trust, but always remember that you ultimately make the decision and any decision is better late than never
"Because it's nearly beer o'clock time I need a drink" was the reply
"So if you need a drink why are you here talking to me, after all we have 24 hour drinking now? " I asked rather tongue in cheek.
"Because I don't want a drink but I need a drink"
It was a psychological need for a crutch. They were clearly showing a pattern of denying that they were in trouble. Not necessarily with alcohol but it was manifesting in the form of taking themselves off to the pub at precisely the same time every night. It was a diversionary tactic from facing up to the challenges that they knew they had but didn't know how to handle. When I discussed this with them they said to me that their boss had called them into the office and had noticed that they were always going to the pub at the same time every night and would refuse to work late if needed because of the prior engagement. The manager suggested that they put themselves forward for alcohol testing. They were now worried that they would lose their job.
I explained to them that whatever the results of any medical test showed there was no medical test that proved or disproved alcoholism and companies or organisations who relied solely on a laboratory finding were negligent themselves as addiction to alcohol is far more complex than that. They seemed relieved and agreed that they would seek further help in discovering why they had this particular relationship with the pub and what was the underlying cause.
When we ask ourselves questions we don't always get the answers that we wish for and we often try to hide. So if you are feeling vulnerable, talk it through with someone you trust, but always remember that you ultimately make the decision and any decision is better late than never
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Another day another DEMOS
Well it's silly season again as far as the alcohol world is concerned. We are going to have a raft of studies flying at us over the next few months all trying to hit the headlines. Today's comes from the Think Tank DEMOS
It claims that parenting influences drinking habits and that poor parenting around the ages of 5, 10 and 16 will lead to bad drinking habits between the ages of 16 to 34.
My son has a phrase for this and excuse my language but he would say "No shit Sherlock!"
Stating the obvious in a study is neither driving the argument forward nor enhancing the debate it is merely showboating.
What the study doesn't do is look at the knowledge that parents had in regard to alcohol. A parent can only parent given the influences that they have had and role models they have perceived as they were learning to be parents. It's the hardest job in the world raising children, particularly in a fast moving world that we have today,. I know I am the father to 3 natural and 2 step-children (whom I hasten to add I have always regarded as my own children and have not been treated with any difference). It has been a very tough job and at times absolutely impossible.
My role models were poor. My parents did their best, the realistic situation however was that I had a mother hooked on anti depressants and a father who was an alcoholic (see earlier parts of this blog) I was an only child and heavily influenced by my Grandfather who in many ways instilled in me my compass for life in teaching me compassion, integrity and the need to put others first. The latter sometimes compromising the former two.
When it came to alcohol therefor I grew up thinking that one went to bed at 7pm and drank copious amounts of whisky until one was blotto. At 14 I felt this experience for the first time myself when my so called mates decided it would be funny to spike my Ben Shaw's shandy with whisky. I still remember the feeling of walking along the kerb all the way home and skulking off to the bathroom to render new decor to the toilet bowl. It was an experience that I did not enjoy.
Yet with all the alcohol floating about there was no talk about it. Everything was brushed under the carpet and it was down to me to find out what was actually going on. I was never educated by my parents, in fact I don't know any of my school friends who were, nor do I know any of my children's friends who were educated either, interestingly enough.
I was accused recently in some feedback about my style of education that I am a very nice man with great integrity but sometimes I'm in Neverland. I took that as some of my ideas were too outrageous to ever be contemplated. Isn't that what they said about people who wanted to travel to the stars?
If we really seek to change the drinking pattern of our nation then we must seek to educate. Parents cannot educate their children and cannot be expected to educate their children if they have no clue themselves. If it is away with the fairies to think that is possible then section me now because I will just keep coming back at you.
Educate now, educate well, and make sure the educators are in full knowledge themselves. Stick that one in your Think Tank!
It claims that parenting influences drinking habits and that poor parenting around the ages of 5, 10 and 16 will lead to bad drinking habits between the ages of 16 to 34.
My son has a phrase for this and excuse my language but he would say "No shit Sherlock!"
Stating the obvious in a study is neither driving the argument forward nor enhancing the debate it is merely showboating.
What the study doesn't do is look at the knowledge that parents had in regard to alcohol. A parent can only parent given the influences that they have had and role models they have perceived as they were learning to be parents. It's the hardest job in the world raising children, particularly in a fast moving world that we have today,. I know I am the father to 3 natural and 2 step-children (whom I hasten to add I have always regarded as my own children and have not been treated with any difference). It has been a very tough job and at times absolutely impossible.
My role models were poor. My parents did their best, the realistic situation however was that I had a mother hooked on anti depressants and a father who was an alcoholic (see earlier parts of this blog) I was an only child and heavily influenced by my Grandfather who in many ways instilled in me my compass for life in teaching me compassion, integrity and the need to put others first. The latter sometimes compromising the former two.
When it came to alcohol therefor I grew up thinking that one went to bed at 7pm and drank copious amounts of whisky until one was blotto. At 14 I felt this experience for the first time myself when my so called mates decided it would be funny to spike my Ben Shaw's shandy with whisky. I still remember the feeling of walking along the kerb all the way home and skulking off to the bathroom to render new decor to the toilet bowl. It was an experience that I did not enjoy.
Yet with all the alcohol floating about there was no talk about it. Everything was brushed under the carpet and it was down to me to find out what was actually going on. I was never educated by my parents, in fact I don't know any of my school friends who were, nor do I know any of my children's friends who were educated either, interestingly enough.
I was accused recently in some feedback about my style of education that I am a very nice man with great integrity but sometimes I'm in Neverland. I took that as some of my ideas were too outrageous to ever be contemplated. Isn't that what they said about people who wanted to travel to the stars?
If we really seek to change the drinking pattern of our nation then we must seek to educate. Parents cannot educate their children and cannot be expected to educate their children if they have no clue themselves. If it is away with the fairies to think that is possible then section me now because I will just keep coming back at you.
Educate now, educate well, and make sure the educators are in full knowledge themselves. Stick that one in your Think Tank!
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