Would you support a *complete* ban on alcohol advertising?

Dostoevsky wrote:

Personally, on this issue I'd be more influenced by the lobbying of medical professionals who encounter alcohol abuse than I would be by the lobbying of the alcohol industry, or the silence of a media which would lose millions in advertising revenue if such a ban came into place.

It's this sort of framing of the argument that does my head in: it assumes that the only interested parties are on the one hand, the alcohol industry (publicans, drinks companies, retailers) and on the other the caring medical professions who expect that the mere plebs will do whatever they the doctors tell them.

To hell with that. This is an issue of choice that affects every adult in the country. We have as much right to air our views and to be heard on this than any suit with a stethoscope.

For the record, I have no connection whatsoever with any section of the drinks, licensing or hospitality industries and it should be patently obvious that I am not a doctor.

Now, to your points:

I would wholeheartedly support any measures designed to make our alcohol culture more like that of France.

My only proviso would be that the medical profession would then shut up and say "our work here is done. We've got what we demanded. Now we will go back to doing what we do best: examining people's blood and piss to find out what's wrong with them and treat them accordingly."

(Some chance of that)

Why would I welcome a French style alcohol culture here? They drink more than us for a start. The average French person over the age of 15 drinks a litre more of pure alcohol per year than their Irish counterparts. 12.3l in France compared to 11.3 in Ireland.

The source for this is the famous Irish Goverment "Steering Group on Alcohol and Substance Misuse" report, much beloved by the price hikers and access controllers.

That's Fact 1.

Here's Fact 2 (:P)

Alcohol is a lot cheaper in France, and a damn sight more available too. According to figures produced by the World Health Organisation pertaining to 2008 (a few years ago I know but then some of the "interesting articles" linked to in the OP go back to 2004) good beer is on average 68% more expensive in Ireland than in France; spirits 42% more expensive and table wine a whopping 116% more expensive here than in France.

Ireland has admittedly cheap crap beer, Dutch Gold etc that is on average 2 per cent cheaper than in France, according to the same WHO figures.

They have a better attitude to drinking alcohol in France than here. (This is just my opinion. I'm loth to call it Fact 3) They use it as a means of social intercourse and an excellent accompaniment to a meal. They don't indulge just for the purpose of getting pissed, as we tend to do.

Make Ireland's drinking culture more like that of France? I'll drink to that.

I know this is an old post, anyway... don't like seeing serious problems being forgotten.

There's such a thing as having a drink and a good time, and there's also not being able to control yourself because of drink.
This is self destruction, and affecting the people around you if you've got a family that have to deal with a real alcoholic, daily.

I remember when my dad use to work shifts years ago, I opened the door to go to school a few times, he'd be in the flowerbed!
Funny but that's how it was.. the stuff I've seen in films, I could have made my own movie, I escaped through music lol
I kinda felt that he earned it and he was entitled to do what ever he wanted with it, pretty normal childhood.

Ask any doctor how many patients they've treated because of alcohol related illnesses, would be in the thousands.
Not to mention all the other establishments that were set up to help people with alcohol problems, it's addictive.

Personally I think more of these issues are connected to spirits, but also a lot of problems with beer/larger etc.
I sometimes get a craving for a drink, when I see an ad on TV, their ad worked, made me feel like I want a beer.
That always went un-noticed, seemed normal all these years. like it's ok to grab a beer/spirit every now and then.
But these days I'd drink a glass of coke with ice to try kill the craving, that's how I fight it, doesn't always work

I think from personal experience with friends and family, alcohol, beer, spirits can and will destroy your mind/body if
you're unlucky enough to be an alcoholic who can't do without a drink/fix, whatever you want to call it, like a drug addiction.

It's not right to see ads telling people how great their product is and how many people celebrate their product.
But what about the people that lost family, or a friend because their alcohol problem got too out of control.

TV advertisements, self proclaiming you brought the whole nation together, build rail roads me hole.
The whole nation would still be drinkin something as long as it tasted good and got them drunk, whatever brand it was.

I'm not against having a drink and a laugh, look at this post, I can't support something that has caused so much damage to many people.
The same way we got cigarette adverts banned, because, plain and simple, they will kill you, or someone close to you.

Alcohol can kill you too, can destroy families, for those reasons I'd support a ban on advertising alcohol on TV.

Hope you're never that unlucky, enjoy the ads while they last, and try drink responsibly!