Swanswell

Another day, another fakecharity alcohol scare story on the BBC.

The advice on alcohol limits is too confusing according to Debbie Bannigan, head of the charity Swanswell. She says that 'units' mean nothing to many people - and the guidance should be clearer and easier to remember.

In this week's Scrubbing Up, she says that to have a daily "safe" amount is misleading and that some people - including pregnant women and drivers - should be told "no alcohol is best".

Swanswell are not a charity in the true sense of the word. They are a service provider for the public sector paid for from public sector funds. Their accounts (.pdf) are particularly coy about stating precisely where their income comes from. In the year ending 2010 they received just over £6million, of which a paltry £1629 came from 'donations'.

You have to admire the writer though as she manages to get most of the prevalent temperance messages into the piece

"no alcohol is best"

even though statistically teetotallers are less healthy than moderate drinkers

And the concept of a daily safe amount may even encourage the idea that we should drink alcohol every day.

there's nothing wrong in drinking a small amount of alcohol every day if that's what the individual chooses to do

people are confused about the impact alcohol can have on their lives

well yes they are but why? Maybe because of the amount of ridiculous temperance literature being produced to scare them?

walk into any supermarket and you'll be encouraged to buy alcohol

or bread, or fruit, or vegetables. Those dastardly bastards in the Tesco marketing department cunningly placing goods we can purchase on display! Whatever next!

purchasing alcohol is just part of the weekly shop rather than something that we have to think about doing.

in the same way that we don't think about anything else that we purchase from the supermarket. Oh wait, yes we do! People make choices. I shop frequently but rarely buy alcohol for home consumption. Why? Because I prefer to drink in a social setting like a pub or beer garden. It doesn't matter how many displays of alcoholic drinks there are I'm not going to buy it if I don't want to.

A zero limit for drivers, pregnant women and children avoids confusion and helps us all to take responsibility

A zero limit will not avoid confusion all the while that alcohol is present in things such as medicines. Unless you are proposing that anyone on cough medicine is prevented from driving?

We shouldn't be afraid of setting clear guidelines and sticking to them

We already have guidelines that, to anyone with average intelligence, are clear as fucking day. The problem isn't the guidelines but that each one of us is different. You cannot legislate precisely to cover every eventuality unless you apply a totalitarian ban. Is that what you're really after I wonder?