Comments on: Drug Action Week 2009 http://www.drugblog.net/2009/05/29/drug-action-week-2009/ News and issues for ATOD professionals Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:03:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: J & D Nentwig http://www.drugblog.net/2009/05/29/drug-action-week-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-109281 J & D Nentwig Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:47:12 +0000 http://www.drugblog.net/?p=279#comment-109281 Even though there are messages about the responsible use of alcohol and every now and again there are ads on tv about 'drink' driving or ending up having sex, or vomiting in the street, they don't last long. It's the same with Drug Action Week's slogan last year (and the same again this year), "Alcohol is a drug....TOO!!" How many people will remember it a week after Drug Action Week has ended (if they noticed it at all). Yet, how many people still remember (many, many years later), "I feel like a Toohey's", or that alcohol (as the ad said for over a year), "it's all good, mate". And which child doesn't know Bundy? The problem is, the Government 'tries' to put out messages that get about 1% air time and the alcohol industry (drug cartels, dealers and pushers if people are being honest) has messages going out all over the place 24/7 (almost)..and yes, even in family time under the guise of Sport. On the other side of the coin. They will make a big deal about the dangers of alcohol for a short while (usually when some well known personality who abuses alcohol is in the news), but then it's back to Cannabis (mostly) and occasionally ecstasy as being 'evil drug/s' and those are pushed for all they're worth. Ask anybody to name a drug and it will always be heroin, cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines....rarely alcohol. To most people it is a DRINK...but it's not. It's a drug in a drink (which is water, juice, milk etc)and they treat it like a 'drink'. It's time all this changed and people called a spade a spade...or, in this case, a drug a drug. Perhaps if more was made of the fact that alcohol IS a drug (not just 1 week a year) in everything, then people might get the message. Even though there are messages about the responsible use of alcohol and every now and again there are ads on tv about ‘drink’ driving or ending up having sex, or vomiting in the street, they don’t last long.

It’s the same with Drug Action Week’s slogan last year (and the same again this year), “Alcohol is a drug….TOO!!”

How many people will remember it a week after Drug Action Week has ended (if they noticed it at all). Yet, how many people still remember (many, many years later), “I feel like a Toohey’s”, or that alcohol (as the ad said for over a year), “it’s all good, mate”. And which child doesn’t know Bundy?

The problem is, the Government ‘tries’ to put out messages that get about 1% air time and the alcohol industry (drug cartels, dealers and pushers if people are being honest) has messages going out all over the place 24/7 (almost)..and yes, even in family time under the guise of Sport.

On the other side of the coin. They will make a big deal about the dangers of alcohol for a short while (usually when some well known personality who abuses alcohol is in the news), but then it’s back to Cannabis (mostly) and occasionally ecstasy as being ‘evil drug/s’ and those are pushed for all they’re worth.

Ask anybody to name a drug and it will always be heroin, cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines….rarely alcohol. To most people it is a DRINK…but it’s not. It’s a drug in a drink (which is water, juice, milk etc)and they treat it like a ‘drink’.
It’s time all this changed and people called a spade a spade…or, in this case, a drug a drug.

Perhaps if more was made of the fact that alcohol IS a drug (not just 1 week a year) in everything, then people might get the message.

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