Doctors and Supersized Drinks

The Royal College of physicians is treading into the murky waters of politics – as opposed to the area with which they should be concerning themselves; health. Of course, they will doubtless argue that this is about health.

Increasingly large pub measures are pushing customers towards unsafe levels of drinking, the Royal College of Physicians has warned.

RCP president Ian Gilmore accused the pub industry of acting irresponsibly and urged it to put its house in order.

I’m inclined to suggest the the RCP practises what it preaches and puts its own house in order before criticising others.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers hit back that it was in the business of offering customers choice.

Well, yes, quite. We are all big boys and girls; we can make up our own minds about the amount we drink – or not as the case may be. If the RCP wants to provide accurate information about the effects of alcohol consumption, then so be it. Then, on the basis of accurate information, we can make our own decisions and live with the consequences of those decisions, can’t we? What we don’t need is nanny telling us what to do.

BBC correspondent Keith Doyle said there was even anecdotal evidence that some pub staff were under pressure to maximise profits by encouraging customers to opt for larger drinks.

Quite possibly. That is what businesses do – seek to maximise profits and encourage the customer to buy products that do just that. Standard business practice. So what? Being adults, we can either resist or go along with it according to our own preferences – it’s called making an informed choice. Making informed choices is what adults do.

Jeremy Beadles, Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: “Our view is that customers should be offered a choice of different wine glass sizes when they are drinking in a pub or restaurant.”

Jeremy Beadles is quite right. As a non-drinker, I use the tongue in my head to utter the words “no, thank-you”. It really isn’t too difficult. We can all do it – and we likely have do so often enough in our lives. What we do not need is the RCP doing it for us. I am not an infant and deeply resent the inference that I am.

However, as fears about a binge drinking epidemic mount, the trend has triggered a backlash from senior doctors and politicians.

Frankly, binge drinking is a piece of hyperbole on a par with climate change. Sure, there are people with drink problems, sure some people can’t handle it. It has always been thus. It is nothing to do with the RCP, though – and certainly there is no evidence to suggest that the vast majority of social drinkers are “problem” drinkers.

Professor Gilmore warned: “There is no doubt at all that many people are drinking significantly more than they realise.”

Because they are stupid little proles, presumably…

“People are aware of units, they want to stay within safe limits, but they are being pushed up way over those limits by just not realising what they are drinking.”

Ah, yes, the good old units – the figures that doctors plucked out of their collective arses. And the stupid little proles just don’t realise how much they are drinking without nanny to tell them. Jesus, what arrogant bastards these people are.

“I think the industry is being irresponsible and needs to put its house in order.”

No, professor Gilmore, it is the RCP that needs to put its house in order and keep out of peoples’ private affairs. This, though is a peach:

Greg Mulholland, a Liberal Democrat health spokesman, has introduced a bill in the House of Commons to amend weights and measures legislation to force all bars, pubs, clubs and licensed restaurants offer the 125ml measure.

This tells us two things; firstly, that the Liberal Democrats are nothing of the sort, and that politicians have way too much time on their hands.

“Quite simply it’s profiteering,” he said.

“It’s getting people to trade up, calling a 175ml measure – which is really a large – a standard glass, and calling a 250ml a large – when in fact it is a third of a bottle of wine, nearly half a pint.”

“All I’m saying really is people should have a choice. If they want a smaller measure they should get it.”

Why, thank-you for that, Greg. Being adults with tongues in our heads, we are perfectly capable of exercising choice without politicians making it for us with new regulations. We can ask for a smaller measure should we want one – however, it seems that the industry has already responded to what the customer wants and that is the larger measure. After all, none of these buffoons appears to have considered the alternative possibility that people might just drink fewer large measures in preference to more smaller ones – they presume that people will buy the same amount of drinks and get unintentionally pissed because they are stupid little proles.

If a pub does not serve the smaller measure, and we really, really, want that small measure, we can take our trade elsewhere – that is what choice means, not using the power of legislation to restrict peoples’ choices and calling it choice.