Diageo: Further Resources and Information

Further Information and Resources

Campaigning Groups Dealing with Alcohol Issues, and Support Groups

• Institute of Alcohol Studies http://www.ias.org.uk/ The Institute of Alcohol Studies aims to 'increase the understanding of alcohol and of public policies necessary to reduce the problems associated with its use.' Its research and publications look critically at government policies for dealing with alcohol.
• Alcohol Concern http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/ Alcohol Concern is an important British alcohol agency working 'to reduce the incidence and costs of alcohol-related harm,' and it also works to influence public policy. See some of their press releases about recent policy: http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/servlets/doc/897; http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/servlets/doc/827; http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/servlets/doc/813)
• World Health Organisation (WHO) www.who.int/en/ In highlighting the global health costs of alcohol, the WHO has also questioned the role of alcohol corporations and the leverage given to them. For example see their Global Status Report on Alcohol Policy, www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/alcohol/en/)
• Thalidomide UK www.thalidomideuk.com/ The support, advocacy and campaigning organisation for survivors of thalidomide in the UK. In recent years they have campaigned on issues surrounding the compensation received by survivors from Diageo and parent company Distillers who manufactured the drug in the 1950s.
• Campaign for Real Ale www.camra.org.uk/SHWebClass.asp?WCI=ShowCat&CatId=221

A consumer group defending British real ale, who see part of their campaign as defending small brewers and independent, small scale production of ale from takeovers by large multinational companies. See their campaign on breweries at risk.

• The Centre for Recovery www.recovery.org.uk/
• Royal College of Physicians www.rcplondon.ac.uk/
• Alcoholics Anonymous www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
• Turning Point www.turning-point.co.uk/
• British Medical Journal http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/

Interesting Articles on Diageo and related issues

• Robin Room, 'Disabling the Public Interest: Alcohol Strategies and Policies for England,' Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs, March 2004 http://www.ias.org.uk/publications/alert/04issue3/alert0403_p6.html A powerful article about how the UK government's alcohol policy has been created with the interests of the industry in mind.
• Hillary Abrahamson, 'Big Alcohol Puts on a Front,' Multinational Monitor December 1998, vol 19 no 12 http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm1998/98dec/front1.html
• Sally Jackman and Linda Hill, 'Global Perspectives on Alcohol Marketing,' New Zealand Drug Foundation, May 2003

www.adf.org.au/pdf/dyp/GlobalPerspectives_screen.pdf

• 'The Beverage Alcohol Industry's Social Aspect Organisations: A public Health Warning.' Eurocare Advocacy for the Prevention of Alcohol Related Harm in Europe, http://www.eurocare.org/publications/socialaspects.pdf
• Alcohol Policies Project, 'Paying the Piper: The Effect of Industry Funding on Alcohol Prevention Priorities,' 1996

http://www.cspinet.org/booze/ppstudy.html These two articles show the impact of industry funding of research into alcohol harm.

The Guardian has a number of articles and features about the problems with alcohol abuse in Britain. See for example:

• Jay Rayner, On the Streets of Binge Britain, 05.09.2004
• Alan Travis, Drinkers Face Three Strikes Ban, 22.01.2005 and Peter Hetherington, ASBOs are not just for Yobbos, 08.09.2004 - on the focus of government alcohol policy (as well as other policy areas) on marginalising invdividuals guilty of irresponsible behaviour, rather than on regulation
• Sarah Hall, New wave of 'sophisticated' alcopops fuels teenage binge drinking, 14.12.02 about the role of marketing of alcopops in fuelling unde-age binge-drinking
• Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, Under the Influence, 20.11.04
• Julia Finch, Drink Firm's Shock for Bingers, 09.10.04

An article in The Telegraph about the Metropolitan Police warning on the dangers of increased licensing hours: Philip Johnston, 24 hour drinking “will fuel crime”, 20.03.04

• BBC News articles:About the pressure on the NHS caused by alcohol: Alcohol puts huge pressure on NHS, 6.03.04
• About marketing: 'Creative Adverts' Selling Drinks, 15.03.04
• About the Guinness Affair: Mike Verdin, Guinness Four fail in fight for acquittal, 21.12.01
• About whiskey in Scotland: Whisky prices anger Scots farmers, 28.02.2002; Diageo Attacked over whisky cuts, 23.07.04