Over the last few days two organisations have issued statements urging adults to be “responsible” over the Christmas and New Year celebrations by not drinking too much.
They also called on people not to drive if they intend to consume alcohol.
The Sense Group has launched a campaign urging people not to drive if they are going to drink which forms part of a wider campaign calling for moderation in the consumption of alcoholic drinks by adults.
The group is suggesting that people choose a “leader” who will not drink alcohol on the night and therefore be able to take them home safely after the party.
The group suggests that a different person is chosen to be the leader each time. It says that this concept has worked well abroad and makes the point that the system has also been gaining ground in Malta over the last four years.
The National Agency Against Drugs and Alcohol, Sedqa, has also urged everyone to drink responsibly during the festive season and to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol.
Both The Sense Group and Sedqa also appealed to outlets not to sell alcohol to under-age people.
The Malta Independent joins these two organisations in calling for adults to be more responsible during the Christmas period – and the rest of the year too, for that matter.
Consumption of alcohol in great amounts, and especially in a short period of time, usually results in the individual concerned ruining the party for everyone else and for those who have to take care of the “abuser”. One does not have to get drunk in order to enjoy oneself.
As the two groups have said, it is also important that no alcohol is sold to youngsters under the age of 18. The legislation in this regard is, unfortunately, not enforced as it should be and, as TMID wrote some weeks ago, such legislation should be stricter and better enforced.
What TMID has reservations about is the so-called leader concept. Although the idea has its advant-ages, because it means that the person taking the others home will have been responsible enough not to drink, at the same time it indirectly condones the fact that non-leaders can drink as much as they like.
Of course, The Sense Group does make it clear that there should be moderation in alcohol consumption by everyone, and that adults should drink in a responsible manner. But at the same time, appointing a leader is basically admitting that getting drunk is part and parcel of merry-making.
The leader concept just puts the onus on the person who is not drinking, while others can do what they like because they know that ultimately there will be someone who will take them home safely. In a way, it is indirectly encouraging people to drink heavily, when we are sure that the Sense Group wants to promote the opposite.
Taking the role of leader in turns is intended to distribute the responsibility among those forming part of the same group. This, in itself, is an expression of solidarity but, at the same time, it could encourage the non-leaders to drink more to make up for that night when they have to take care of the others.
What is ultimately important is that alcohol should, as both The Sense Group and Sedqa say, be consumed in moderation.
We repeat, there is no need to get drunk to enjoy oneself. It is often the case that when people get drunk, they spoil the party for themselves, and for others too – apart from the terrible hangover the following morning.