So I was watching TV the other night when up came the strangest advertisement… Wild Turkey…and…Jimmy Barnes!

Quite frankly the ad made me squint in confusion. 

Is this the same Jimmy Barnes?  The Jimmy famed for drinking two bottles of vodka a day, and now sober ? Barnesy, fronting a multimillion-dollar alcohol campaign?

Jimmy Barnes has previously lent his support to Operation Unite, a trans-Tasman initiative aimed at curbing alcohol-related violence.  During this, Barnes spoke out as both an entertainer and father.

So why would he lend himself to a process – marketing of alcohol, that is – which the evidence shows speeds up the onset of drinking amongst young people, and increases the amount consumed by those already drinking?

Why would a sober person want to be a part of an advertisement that depicts him at the bar, bottle of Wild Turkey in hand?

And of all people to promote your product, why approach someone who has publicly admitted they have had to conquer a massive alcohol problem which caused immense harm to them and people around them? 

It’s Jimmy Barnes…I get that.

But what does that say?

Foster has apologised for using ex-boozer David Boon to market beer because they admitted it encouraged the culture of binge drinking. Will Wild Turkey have to do the same?

Maybe Jimmy’s just working hard to make a living.  What do you think?  Email CAAN@adf.org.au

Until next week,

Sarah Jaggard
Community Mobilisation Policy Officer

Dear GrogWatch,

Thanks for shedding light on yet another round of alcohol during pregnancy research this time from Victoria.

Such research is highly questionable on so many levels but above all the question I ask them is WHY??  Why do they need to prove the absence of something when the presence of it is a proven harm. Alcohol is a neurotoxin.  It mutates DNA.  It is a group 1 carcinogen, and addictive. 

As far as I understand it, there is no safe threshold for adults, only degrees of risk, and children should be kept away from alcohol until they are at least in their late teens because their developmental potential is not complete.

Why do these people want to prove that giving it to a highly under-developed fetus is safe?  If one can never know ones true genetic potential when we start, how can one prove that alcohol has NOT compromised that potential in any way?  

What they choose as their measure of proof and what might be adversely impacted at low levels may be two entirely different things.  Questionable research can only ever come up with questionable answers so what is their motivation for bothering?  Like I say - questionable!

Best wishes,

Christine, NZ

Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre and the Australian Drug Foundation invite you to:

Developing an Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Treatment Strategy for Victoria: What do we need? Symposium

When: Wednesday 21 September 2011
Time: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: William Angliss Institute Conference Centre, 555 La Trobe Street, Melbourne

As the Victorian Government works on a whole-of-government Alcohol and Drug Strategy, it is timely to consider the key issues in terms of alcohol and drug use in our community. Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre and the Australian Drug Foundation will present a full-day symposium to consider the opportunities and challenges for a whole-of-government approach.

Speakers will explore what existing evidence suggests will be most effective in terms of opportunities for prevention, treatment responses, system and service configurations, community engagement and population-based approaches. The symposium will seek ideas and proposals from attendees, as well as identify key issues from all sectors of government.

Register here - today!

Red repudiated to the last drop
Sydney Morning Herald, 19 September 2011
Red wine's reputation for preventing heart attacks has come under fire from health experts who have declared every drink of alcohol can do you damage. The Alcohol Policy Coalition has challenged the red wine ''myth'' and recent international research showing that light drinkers are at less risk of heart disease than abstainers.

Finding solutions to alcohol issues
Western Advocate, 19 September 2011
Licensees, police and councils in the Bathurst region will be among the first in the State to benefit from a new program which supports liquor accords in the introduction of new measures to reduce alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour.

WHO outlines steps to reduce leading causes of death
CNN, 18 September 2011
To decrease deaths from noninfectious diseases, countries should pass excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol, encourage smoke-free public places, reduce salt and trans fat in foods, and increase awareness of diet and physical activity, according to a World Health Organization report.

FIFO mine workforce recipe for trouble
Courier Mail, 16 September 2011
The move towards fly-in, fly-out workforces at Queensland mines is leading to more drug and alcohol abuse, drug and alcohol expert John Close claimed. Chief executive of rehabilitation centre Goori House, Mr Close said there was a danger transient populations in FIFO communities may fall victim to the perils of drug and alcohol abuse and subsequent crime, domestic violence and family breakdowns.