It appears that the government will not officially support the January Challenge this month ” Non-alcoholic “ supported by prevention associations. The debate was reignited with the questioning of the Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau by around fifty academics and addictionology teachers. In a letter dated November 21st of which The Parisian repeated himselfOn Tuesday, December 12, this collective of scientists and doctors called on the state to support this “positive company that exists for everyone.” (…) to question the place that alcohol occupies in one’s life and to face the challenge of not consuming it during this time, on a voluntary basis that is neither normative nor moral.”. They are still waiting for an answer.

This campaign, which became popular in the United Kingdom under the name “Dry January” and has had some resonance in society, has long been a sensitive issue for health authorities. “step back” denounced by associations. While the French National Health Agency had prepared a first variant of this operation at the end of 2019, the government had reversed course and left the implementation of the system solely to the associative actors. “We found out about this at the last moment from the head of the winemakers’ union, who, after a meeting with the President of the Republic, said that there would be no “dry January”. , Emmanuel Macron », recalls Bernard Basset, president of the Addictions France association. For addiction researchers, an illustration of the influence of “Alcohol lobby”.

In their letter, the scientists speak out again: “It appears that confidence in the government to pursue coherent and decisive policies has been seriously compromised.”they emphasize and demand “A strong gesture”. Especially since the Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau seemed to open a door by calling out the need “Make a plan too [sur l’alcool] »when he announced on November 28th that Anti-tobacco strategy.

“We are below everything”

During a visit to a Paris pharmacy on Wednesday, December 13, Aurélien Rousseau was questioned several times on the subject during a tense microphone and did a pirouette. “I personally will start he answered. And in order not to be like everyone else, I started in “December”. » While he defends his “Line” : “Public health is not about telling people, ‘There is a way of life that is good and a way of life that is not good.’ (…) However, be transparent about the risks associated with certain behaviors. »

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