- Shattering the alcohol norm -
62% of the world’s adult population lives free from alcohol any given year. 48% of the global adult population are lifetime alcohol abstainers.
Despite these facts, people often feel alone, marginalized and even excluded or bullied when they choose to stay sober for a night, a party, a month or any other period.
That’s because of the alcohol norm – the socially constructed convention that alcohol belongs everywhere at all times. The alcohol norm is pervasive and oppressive and it is fueled by the alcohol industry. Big Alcohol’s profits soar when more people use alcohol and so their strategy is to create the impression that everyone likes alcohol, that alcohol is glamorous, harmless and magic really.
But there are a number of problems associated with the alcohol norm:
- It stigmatizes people with alcohol problems.
- It paints anyone who has an alcohol use disorder as a social deviant.
- It blames the individual, not society or the political decisions that have created environments where a toxic, cancer-causing, psychoactive substance is widely availably and affordable.
- It restricts the freedom of all those who want to live free from alcohol.
- It excludes young people from many aspects of public life, for the benefit of alcohol.
- It fuels alcohol consumption and associated alcohol harm.
More so, the alcohol norm establishes a fake picture of alcohol.
Feeling high from alcohol is first and foremost a social construction and much dependent on the circumstances and expectations – not a property of ethanol, the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages.
Drink revolution 6-point plan
Together with 150+ civil society organizations and grass-roots movements from 60+ countries around the world, we have identified seven key areas where urgent action can lead to transformative change.
Busting alcohol myths
The alcohol industry works systematically to perpetuate myths about alcohol, its harms and its properties.
This distorts fact-based understanding of alcohol and its harms.
What we want:
- Systematical debunking of alcohol myths
- A fact-based understanding of alcohol and its harms
Exposing Big Alcohol
The alcohol industry employs unethical business methods in its ruthless pursuit of ever more profits.
Tax schemes and price fixing, marketing that targets kids, aggressive political lobbying against public health promotion policies, systematic failure to regulate itself, marketing that objectifies and sexualizes women…
What we want:
- Systematic exposing of the unethical business practices of Big Alcohol
- Increase public awareness of the goals, tactics and lies of the alcohol industry
Drinkspiration
The alcohol norm creates the impression that alcohol is glamorous and belongs everywhere.
This marginalizes and stigmatizes everyone who chooses an alcohol-free lifestyle – be it for a party, weekend, month or entire life. The world simply needs less alcohol and more Drinkspiration!
What we want:
- Better offer of attractive, healthy alcohol-free drinks in bars and restaurants around the world
- Bigger availability of alcohol-free drinks in supermarkets, social and cultural events
Guerilla tactics
Many people are tired of the alcohol norm. People are angry about alcohol harm and the lack of political will to do something about it.
People are appalled by the unethical business practices of Big Alcohol. The world needs more Drink Revolutionaries.
What we want:
- Empowerment of children, adolescents and youth to tackle and shatter the alcohol norm that limits their freedom and violates their rights
- Building a global social movement to shatter the alcohol norm
Three best buys
There three cost-effective, high-impact and evidence-based measures that work to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm.
The three best buys are scientifically proven to reduce alcohol consumption and related harm. They are the cornerstones for shattering the current alcohol norm.
What we want:
- Increase of alcohol taxation
- Ban of alcohol advertising and sponsoring
Decrease of alcohol’s availability
Alcohol free environments
Seen with the eyes of children, adolescents, youth and women, our world has an alcohol problem.
The pervasive presence of alcohol in the public spaces causes harm, excludes people and erodes community resilience. The world needs more alcohol free environments.
What we want:
- Alcohol policy making to improve urban development
- More alcohol free spaces for children and youth
#YesToMore
No more withouts…
What is missing in the current alcohol norm is the understanding of what a day, a party, a relaxing evening, a romantic dinner, a weekend with friends, a month or life “without” booze actually is like. What it feels like and looks like.
To shatter the current pervasive and harmful alcohol norm and create more freedom for more people, we need to change the discourse. It’s not at all about saying NO to ethanol; it’s not at all about going WITHOUT booze.
It’s all about: YES TO MORE.
It’s all about showing all the beautiful benefits that alcohol-free choices bring. There are so many amazing examples of these gains (and a whole blog about it here).
- Self-worth and awareness.
More understanding of ourselves – that we gain when we give ourselves the space that booze has been taking up in your life. The understanding makes it easier for us to know what to do with our lives and what kind of relations we wish to have. - Opportunities and freedom.
More time – that comes from less health related consequences of using alcohol (no headaches, other pains, nausea, hangovers, wasted weekends), and from the free moments that occur in our lives when we free them from hours spent with alcohol. - Resources.
More money – that comes from fewer expenditures on boozing and dealing with its health, social and financial consequences. These resources are available to be used for more wholesome activities and things.
Flipping the script
It is time to flip the script. It’s time to move from NOs and WITHOUTs to a life-affirming focus on YES TO MORE.
Yes to more drinks and less worries, yes to partying in the night and coming fresh to work or school the next morning, yes to better conversations, yes to new interests, yes to more self-care, yes to new encounters, yes to better health, yes to more freedom, yes to more celebration of life that comes with alcohol-free choices.
Yes to more moments.
Drink Revolution Resources
There are awesome and inspiring people out there. We consider them trailblazers for the Drink Revolution. They are heroes for taking on the alcohol norm, telling their personal stories, inspiring people from around the world to live free from alcohol and helping to push back against Big Alcohol.
Their books, blogs, and podcasts are outstanding resources for any Drink Revolutionary. Below is a little overview. Please feel free to share resources that inspire you!
Must-read books
A Happier Hour
Autor Rebecca Weller
Drink. The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol
Autor Ann Dowsett Johnston
The Sober Revolution. Calling time on wine o’clock
Glass Half Full. A positive journey to living alcohol free
How to lead a happier, healthier and alcohol-free life. The rise of the soberista.
Autor Lucy Rocca
Alcohol Nation. How to protect our children from todays drinking culture
Autor Dr Aric Sigman
Oh, go on – have one more
Autor Dr. Diyanath Samarasinghe