Drink Responsibly?

Have you ever noticed those little words on alcohol adverts or printed on bottles?

“Be Drink Aware.”

“Drink Responsibly.”

They slip past almost unnoticed, don’t they? A neat little slogan at the end of a glossy advert, tucked onto a label where your eye barely lingers. On the surface, it sounds like a sensible reminder. But the message hiding underneath is pretty straightforward: if you drink too much, it’s your fault.

No wonder so many of us wake up the morning after feeling ashamed.

This slogan places the responsibility firmly on you, the consumer, while ignoring the bigger picture. You’re made to feel like the problem, even though alcohol is a product designed, packaged and relentlessly marketed to keep you coming back for more.

The fact is, alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties. It causes harm to physical and mental health, disrupts sleep, worsens anxiety and depression, and can lead to serious problems in daily life. It’s linked to countless broken relationships, missed opportunities and lives cut short.

But none of that makes it into the adverts. Instead, you’re shown glamorous parties, people laughing together, couples looking effortlessly happy. What you don’t see is the shame, the pounding headaches, the 3 am wake-ups, the regret, or the years spent quietly struggling.

From the industry’s point of view, if you’re struggling, you should simply “control yourself.” If you can’t, that’s on you.

But let’s pause here. It isn’t your fault.

The reality is, we’ve all been set up to fail. Between clever marketing, TV culture, and the beliefs passed down through generations, such as “It’s normal,” “It’s what everyone does,” “You just need to know your limit, " it’s no surprise that so many people find themselves caught in the cycle.

But you do have a choice. You don’t have to keep living the story that alcohol has written for you. By even stopping to question those slogans, you’ve already stepped onto a different path. And I can promise you, life on the other side really is so much better.