Drink: Under the Influence

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Description: Alcoholisim and it's role in society. A number of people giving their views concerning alcoholism.
Duration: 52 mins 00 secs
Director: Cate Haste
Producer: Cate Haste
Credits: Narrator: Alan Hargreaves Music: Matthew Scott Camera: Steve Albins, Andy Watt, Paul Kirkham, John Hazell. Sound: Doug Urquhart, Ian Bintcliffe, Neil Forsyth. Lighting: Colin Vinter Editor: Rob Wright
Subjects: Alcoholic beverages, Psychological effects, Alcohol education, Alcoholism, Social problems, Youth, Advertising, UK, Behavioural sciences, Cultural life
Segment 1: Introduction. Jancis Robinson author of 'The Demon Drink' talks about how Alcohol plays an important part in our culture. Alcohol has significant symbolism and has been for centuries associated with religious rituals. As society has become less centrally religious alcohol has maintained a central role in our social life. Dr Iain Robertson, Clinical Psychologist, Edinburgh, says the use of alcohol is a fundamental part of our way of life, but what is unrecognised is its potentially harmful side to it as well. Drinking as a pleasurable experience. Dr Douglas Cameron, Leicestershire Alcohol Services says drinking is learned behaviour. Old studies show that people start drinking from a very early age.
Segment 2: Consumption of alcohol has doubled in the last 30 years and so have the problems associated with it. Role of advertising. High proportion of advertising is directed to young people and Women. Teenage girls talking about their experiences with alcohol. Escape from depression. Diane Hayter, Director, Alcohol Concern, says the way to influence young people's drinking is to influence the whole culture and everyone's attitudes to it.
Segment 3: There is a lack of knowledge on the effect of alcohol in our society. People running in the London Marathon, in exercise classes; with more and more people concerned with being fit and healthy, more attention is being paid to the potentially harmful effects of alcohol on the body. It is known that alcohol misuse contributes to heart disease, strokes, and high blood pressure, and can severely damage the liver. It impairs mental abilities and can lead to Depression. The Emphasis now is on safe moderate drinking. There is not much point in eating healthy if you drink too much. Risks of Liver cirrhosis with drinking more than the recommend units per week. Billy Connolly in advert for alcohol free larger. drinks industry now supply alternatives to alcoholic drinks. The Portman group was set up to look into alcohol misuse. Dr John Rae, Director, The Portman Group, talks about the drinks industry and alcohol misuse.
Segment 4: The majority of alcohol related problems are due to car accidents, marriage breakdown, children in care, and violence in the streets. Concern about public disorder, prompted by Police reports and the then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd's comments on the extent of disturbance and the increased violence in the Shires. The reports drew attention to drink as a major factor in late night disorders and the need for more police manpower to control them. We see the Police on the streets and in the police station, dealing with late night drinkers. The press took it up and the 'Lager Lout' appeared in the headlines. Recreational patterns have changed, and public houses are managed differently, more people are out on the streets drunk.
Segment 5: In some areas like Nottingham, young offenders are sent to attendance centres as an alternative to custody. We see the young men doing physical exercise at an attendance centre. Young offenders talking about their experiences with alcohol and their offences. We see outside Wormwood Scrubs. Alcohol is also implicated in adult crime, there are almost 90,000 drunkenness offences each year, and drink plays a part in a high proportion of thefts, assaults, and criminal damage cases and is involved in almost half of fatal road accidents. Inside Wormwood Scrubs. Effects of alcohol on the the frontal lobes of the brain. An 'adult offender' talks about his personal experience with alcohol.
Segment 6: Joyce Ditzler, Co-Director, Farm Place Treatment Centre says Problem drinking is much more extensive than people think. Society's false perception of what an alcoholic is. Problem drinking and the problems with the workforce. Ex alcoholics talking about their past experiences of drink problems and work. Some companies with Government and TUC backing are adopting workplace alcohol policies as part of their health and welfare programs. Drink problems need to be treated as an ill health problem like any other. The company GEC has an alcohol workplace policy has been working for 10 years. It is a cost effective and humanitarian policy. What are the personal costs of problem drinking? End of Part One.
Segment 7: Part Two. An ex drinker talks about her life experiences with alcohol. Problem drinking, the harm that is caused to self, family and work. Chronic alcoholism can occur in teenagers but for the average person it can develop over 15 to 20 years. How do I know if it is becoming a problem? One indicator is if you start to use it as if it were a tranquilliser, needing it to use to calm your nerves, this can set off a new cycle of habits, which can take you in to addiction and dependence. One ex drinker talks about he felt alcohol gave him the power to cope with his problems. Vicious circle common to most problem drinkers.
Segment 8: Another ex problem drinker talks about her personal problem with alcohol and how it has affected her life. An ex problem drinker talks about how he found alcohol his way out from work and life pressures and how this developed into a serious problem. Acceptance and denial in alcohol problems.
Segment 9: Alcohol as a family problem. Problems for families living with a problem drinker. A Child of an alcoholic talks about past experiences. Husband talks about his wife's alcoholism. A Husband and wife talk about their family experience. Alcoholics don't give any emotional support to their families.
Segment 10: Families must learn to 'stop buying into the illness'. Gradually this will make the alcoholic's drinking more uncomfortable, and the one thing alcoholic doesn't like is emotional or physical discomfort. There is support for the children of alcoholics from Al-a-teen. Al-anon support the families of alcoholics. Health problems for long term heavy drinkers. Tolerance. Facing up to Alcoholism.
Segment 11: Homelessness. Ex alcoholic returns to 'under' Festival Hall. Accept Treatment centre, a service available to help problem drinkers. Counselling. Finding new coping skills, finding other ways to deal with problems. Assertion Group. Drink is not the problem, drink is a symptom for other problems. Building confidence and self esteem. Increasing self awareness.
Segment 12: Other treatments, mainly private, see Alcoholism as a treatable illness and use programs incorporating the 12 step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. A simple program for complicated people. If people are prepared to to work hard they can recover. Rebuilding lives.
Persistent URL: http://edina.ac.uk/purl/isan/0006-0000-1110-0000-0-0000-0000-0
Written and compiled by the British Universities Film & Video Council © BUFVC 2005
Subject classification by University of Edinburgh Library © 2006