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In another article on this web page (Alcohol
Education – There’s No Doubt It’s Needed) I’ve outlined the terrible,
financial, social and personal cost of the misuse of alcohol. We know
that young people are doing themselves and others considerable damage.
Also let’s accept for the moment that the financial and social cost of
alcohol abuse is in the region of £20 billion a year (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6721183.stm).
Helping people to see the stupidity of alcohol misuse so that they
reduce their drinking and avoid the pain of excess alcohol is not, and
will not be easy. For me, a major reason we are not making any
progress is the misplaced ineffective effort and expenditure put into
initiatives that are wrongly called “alcohol education”. Everyday we
see evidence of alcohol education failing.
What isn’t working?
·
Advertising - showing youngsters making fools of
themselves and being despised by other young people doesn’t work. It’s
not realistic – it won’t happen in real life and besides many young
people don’t care about being made a fool of. In fact, for some, being
seen to be getting “pissed out of your skull” is a badge of honour!
·
Shock tactics - showing (in posters and television) the
terrible health effects or horrific deaths in car accidents caused by
alcohol misuse have only a short term impact and are quickly
forgotten.
·
Higher alcohol prices - any first-year economics student
will tell you this will not work. The demand is inelastic – people
will buy it no matter what the price – even if they have to steal or
do without food to get the money. Some people will resort to making their own alcohol. Also, why should responsible drinkers be
punished because some others are stupid?
· Forcing young people to show identification and
proof-of-age to buy alcohol doesn’t work because they’ll get others to
buy it for them.
·
It seems that the punishments available to the police
and courts (a telling-off or £80 for being drunk and disorderly) are
too weak to have any effect or are not applied when people are brought
to court.
Alcohol education is about personal
responsibility
Alcohol education is about consciously engaging the mind and heart in
getting willing change. For me, alcohol education involves a series of
thorough and extensive discussions which can take place in any
organisation during which people are assisted by others, who may be
older, in authority or more experienced, to make explicit those values
underlying their own behaviour with alcohol, to assess the
effectiveness of these values and associated behaviours for their own
and others' long term well-being and to reflect on and acquire other
values and behaviours which are more effective for long term
well-being of self and others.
In alcohol education the facts are not enough. Yes,
explain the real and horrendous risks of disease, early death, car
crashes, teenage pregnancy and jail. However, the real change will
come when people, in open discussion, have to face what they are doing
to themselves and others – the pain they are causing. In alcohol
education there is no escape – you come face to face with what, deep
down (subconsciously) you already know – that getting drunk and
hurting others ruins your life and those related to you. You have to
account for your values towards alcohol. This is not a rational
activity – it taps into your emotions and reveals your degree of
personal responsibility.
Yes, we should continue with the technical and legal solutions but we
should be focussing more on children’s behaviours. Ideally, they
should
to be brought to a level of insight so THEY DON’T WANT the alcohol.
Alcohol education could take place with children and teenagers in
school and various youth groups. Remember, it is not about telling,
but about bringing people to their own realisation. They know what
responsible behaviour is – even if they have been brought up in a
family of drunks. Perhaps part of punishment should be the requirement
to attend alcohol education classes. Organising alcohol education in
schools and colleges should be straightforward – it could be included
in some of the other educations such as personal and social
education. However, forcing adults to attended classes on alcohol
education would be a challenging exercise.
In
Values education: the contribution of some voluntary youth
organisations I’ve described how some voluntary organisations
are doing values education. Perhaps this will give ideas that can be
adapted for alcohol education.
Ask Dr Bill to talk at your next conference or
event to give more details on how a values education approach can
improve the effectiveness of alcohol education. See
Speaking and Postgraduate Education
Copyright © 2008 Values Education Ltd
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following details are retained. “A values education article from CAVE
www.valueseducation.co.uk
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