Alcohol is everywhere in daily life in Scotland, according to new research published by Scotland’s Alcohol Action Group. The Group, whose members include families and individuals personally harmed by alcohol, surveyed the presence and visibility of alcohol in their homes, communities and online spaces.
Members of the Group recorded each reference to alcohol they noticed in one day, as they carried about their normal daily activities. This included anything that included or referred to alcohol, such as direct advertising, branding, alcohol products, and alcohol-themed merchandise (e.g. birthday cards and gifts).
They found “constant exposure” to alcohol, and that it is “all around” as “part of the fabric of daily life” in Scotland. Although participants only spent an average of 1.5 hours recording their observations for one survey, they each identified over 10 alcohol references on average in this time.
Alcohol was identified on clothing and other non-alcohol products (such as greeting cards and gifts), music and sporting event sponsorship, radio adverts, media discussions, posters and billboards, newspapers and magazines, foods, TV advertising and use of alcohol in TV programmes, household waste collections, street litter, online references, retail and everyday conversations.
The research was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic where lockdowns and restrictions were in place, with the Group noting increased online references to alcohol as a coping strategy on social media posts, jokes and memes, as well as increased consumption in their own social networks. The majority of research participants believed people were drinking more than before the pandemic and that alcohol was causing more harm. Just one person thought people were now drinking less.
100% of participants felt alcohol products should include health warnings, with strong support for restrictions on alcohol advertising, marketing and access.
Group members shared some of their own experiences about alcohol everywhere, including the challenges of organising alcohol-free events, the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on drinking patterns, and how difficult it is to avoid alcohol in daily life.:
“I recently had a big birthday myself and I had asked friends what they would like to do. I had told them that I didn’t want an event in a pub or a cocktail night, and it was disheartening to see the response and a number of people dropping out before I had even said what I was going to do.”
“There’s too much advertising that promotes alcohol as a way to relax, reduce stress and have fun or as a way to reward yourself for working hard or achieving a goal. Alcohol advertising implies that social occasions/ holidays require alcoholic drinks in order to be enjoyable.”
“It’s casually slipped into film & tv in product placements; it’s never seen as an issue when alcohol is promoted and yet there would be outcry if cigarettes still had the same prevalence now as it once did. It’s strange to think we can banish the cigarettes, but alcohol is the done thing and few bat an eyelid.”
“I know people talk about having freedom of choice, but the advertising of alcohol is so in your face that anyone who has alcohol problems or is in recovery never gets a break from seeing this constant push for everyone to drink alcohol.”
The Alcohol Action Group wants to use these research findings to change the way alcohol is labelled, marketed, advertised and sold, and to create more alcohol-free spaces for families to enjoy.
Justina Murray, CEO of Scottish Families, said:
“This research confirms that alcohol products, branding and merchandise appear absolutely everywhere you look in our homes and communities. The people who carried out this research, many of whom have been personally harmed by alcohol, didn’t need to make any great effort to find alcohol references. Alcohol is ‘In your face’, no matter where you look.
We can see that there is no part of Scottish daily life which is alcohol-free. Alcohol has been normalised to such an extent that we are now in a state of collective denial about the harm it causes to our families and communities.
We want to see strong action on labelling, marketing, advertising and access to alcohol, with alcohol-free spaces becoming the norm not the exception.”
You can download and read the whole report here.
About the Alcohol Action Group
The Alcohol Action Group was established in December 2020 to understand the presence of alcohol in communities. The Group is open to anyone who wants to take action to reduce alcohol harms, and includes family members who are impacted by someone else’s alcohol use, community members and people working in services and organisations addressing alcohol harm. The Group is supported by Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs.