wfn.org | Alcohol Control Groups for U.S. Watchdog's Investigation

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

September 6, 1998
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

ALCOHOL CONTROL GROUPS WELCOMES U.S. WATCHDOG'S INVESTIGATION
98/29/02

Washington, D.C., USA, 06.09.1998 [ICPA/APD] Groups 
committed to the reduction in alcohol abuse have 
welcomed the announcement on August 6 by the U.S. 
Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) investigation into 
the advertising and marketing practices of alcohol 
companies.

Thomas Neslund, executive director of the 
International Commission for the Prevention of 
Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA) supported the 
FTC's wide-ranging investigation.

"It's high time the beer, wine and liquor marketers 
were called to account for some of their advertising. 
The FTC was quite right to question ads that showed 
young people drinking while boating, and questioning 
claims that pre-mixed cocktails with almost 6 per 
cent alcohol were a "low alcohol beverage."

In a statement released on August 6, the National 
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency also 
welcomed the FTC actions. "These actions hold the 
alcoholic beverage industry accountable for the its 
advertising practices," said the statement.

For the ICPA, Neslund also challenged the view 
promoted by wine producers and retailers that the 
drinking of wine in moderation has beneficial 
effects. 

"The truth is that alcohol-even in moderate doses-
impairs nearly every aspect of information 
processing, including the ability to think 
abstractly, to conceptualise, and to interpret 
incoming information. In brief, a person under the 
influence of even moderate doses of alcohol is less 
able to appreciate and integrate the potential 
dangers of a particular action. There has even been 
research that indicates that alcohol enhances the 
cancer-causing potential of other chemicals taken 
into the body."

Noting the wine industry's obvious vested interests 
in promoting the supposed benefits of wine drinking, 
Neslund also pointed to a report produced in October 
1997 by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest 
which concluded that "the industry lobby group 
skillfully manipulates evidence in order to magnify 
the supposed protective benefits of wine. Many 
have understood those reports as advice that one should
drink for one's health; not just any alcoholic 
beverage, but wine, in particular."

"All the health benefits found in wine are present-
and more-in the grape," Neslund states. "Grapes and 
unfermented grape products provide all the benefits 
without any of the liabilities."

The ICPA was formed in 1952 with one of its main 
sponsors being the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The 
Adventist Church has been committed to an alcohol-
free lifestyle since its inception.