alcoholists in troubled waters

The fight against alcoholism is not a long calm river. Alcoholics are powerful and benefit from relays within the circles of power. This criticism is at least carried by some who see a bad eye the presence of a former lobbyist of the wine world with Emmanuel Macron. And lobbying, it is about the "contribution" of alcohol to fight against alcoholism. A contribution that does not pbad to experts in public health.

Can one be an alcoholic and at the same time a strong advocate of the fight against alcoholism? The question arises in recent days and the publication of a "contribution" that intends to contribute to the fight against alcoholism in France. A country where alcohol consumption increases as it now ranks among the countries with the highest alcohol consumption (11.6 liters per year per person on average). The stakes of public health are enormous and the alcoholic ones intend to make their voice heard despite the criticisms which it can generate.

But the reactions were particularly vehement in a tribune published in the daily newspaper Le Monde and signed by recognized luminaries notably in the field of addictology. They criticize alcohol lobbying for wanting to take the place of the state to make the prevention of alcoholism an empty shell that will not go against the interests of industrialists.

Concerns concern the presence of Audrey ¬Bourolleau, agriculture consultant to Emmanuel Macron who was the chief lobbyist of the wine producers before his appointment. A presence at the top of the state "a lobby that seeks only to preserve its own interests, whatever the consequences." As a reminder, alcohol causes more than 130 deaths a day in France and is the second leading cause of avoidable death behind tobacco.

The signatories of the tribune note the "cynicism" of a lobby that "tries to pbad a hypothetical financing of the prevention of 5 million euros for a decisive contribution while the cumulated turnover of the sector is counted in billions ". A "stinginess" that pushes the experts to alert the state on the current lack of resources. The creation of a prevention fund against alcoholism led by the Ministry of Health and endowed with the "same endowment as the tobacco fund" – or 100 million euros – is requested by the experts.

doubts that the government will take into account this highly media outlet which exposes it to the issue of conflicts of interest and the effectiveness of public policies to prevent addiction.