Cabinet has approved a draft bill banning alcohol advertising, to restrict the advertisement of alcoholic beverages and sponsorship. It will be gazetted for public comment within the next few weeks.
Shocking statistics
- Alcohol consumers were at 77% higher risk of contracting HIV (Baliunas & Rehm, 2009).
- Persons consuming alcohol prior to, or at the time of sexual relations were at an 87% increased risk of HIV infection (Baliunas & Rehm, 2009.)
- The risk for HIV infection amongst binge drinkers is twice as high as non-binge drinkers.
- An increase in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1 mg/L leads to a 2.7% increase in the likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex (Rehm et al, 2012 (MA-12).
- Alcohol drinkers are 60% likely to be classified as adherent to HIV medications compared to abstainers, and only 47% for problem drinkers (Hendershot et al., 2009).
- Non-adherence to drugs is approximately 9 times worse on drinking days (Parsons et al, 2008).
- Deaths due to alcohol abuse attributable to HIV/AIDS are the fourth highest cause (12%) of mortality in South Africa.
The above statistics, coupled with the fact that South Africa has the highest rates of HIV/AIDS and per capita rate of alcohol consumption in the world, should galvanise us all into action. The link between alcohol consumption and a range of increased HIV risk and negative impacts on treatment will continue to undermine the work being done in responding to the challenge of HIV and AIDS in South Africa. Targeted and specific interventions that impact on levels of alcohol consumption, especially among young people and risky populations, are necessary to break the link.
The money paid
According to advertising expenditure estimates conducted by Nielsen Media, which monitors advertising activity, the annual advertising spend by the alcohol industry in 2009 exceeded R422.1 million (excluding spend by supermarkets and independent alcohol producers).
A research study undertaken by Debbie Budlender from Soul City in 2009 – The direct costs of alcohol-related harm –showed that government departments spent R17 billion on addressing alcohol-related harm. A study by the DTI in 2010 found this cost to be closer to R38 billion, while research indicates that the intangible costs could be as high as R240 billion.
How you and your organisation can ensure that the draft bill becomes law
The alcohol industry has been lobbying against the proposed bill and has gathered the support of the advertising industry, the hospitality industry, the sports industry, wine writers and business organisations, to name just a few. It is critical that policy makers hear different views on the bill and are exposed to the many different sectors whose daily work is made more challenging because of the impact of alcohol consumption. At SANAC’s most recent programme review committee (PRC) meeting it was agreed that since it is a core responsibility of SANAC and its partners to protect the health and wellbeing of all South Africans, SANAC will be making a submission into the draft bill. There will be a window of just four weeks to make input into the bill, so SANAC would like to call on you, as an individual and/or as a partner to get ready and be prepared to make your submissions:
- Start preparing your draft submissions NOW.
- Include information about the organisation that is sending in the submission.
- State why you are interested in the bill.
- Include how alcohol is affecting you or your own constituency – use personal stories and anecdotes.
Soul City has kindly agreed to share their research and a format for a submission.
Contact Savera at savera@soulcity.org.za