Health authorities accused of trivializing alcohol in campaign for young people

A public health campaign aimed at young people, launched Monday September 26 by the Public Health France agency, was accused by part of the medical world of trivializing alcohol consumption by refraining from discussing its dangerous effects in favor of advice on behavior to adopt. This campaign, which includes posters and clips as well as radio spots, aims to “raise awareness among young people of the risks of alcohol and drug consumption”.

She recommends adopting several behaviors to reduce the risks associated with alcohol consumption: drinking water between each drink to minimize the effects, avoiding encouraging someone to drink who does not want to, taking friends home who have drunk too much, etc. But, in substance and form, it has sparked criticism from several doctors who see it as a form of trivialization of alcohol consumption, in particular, because there is no mention of health risks.

Questioned by AFP, the Ministry of Health defended a strategic choice: encouraging young people to avoid risks, rather than illusorily encouraging them to abstinence. Public Health France defends this strategy by recalling that it regularly evaluates the way in which public health messages are received by young people. “We rely on our observation data: it is because this risk reduction strategy works well that we wanted to continue it”the head of the unit dedicated to addictions within the agency told AFP.