“Drink, but do not get drunk”

The Swiss Institute for Alcohol and Drug Prevention Thursday staged a national day of alcohol awareness, urging people to drink in a responsible manner and be aware of the dangers of excessive alcohol use.

The Swiss Institute for Alcohol and Drug Prevention Thursday staged a national day of alcohol awareness, urging people to drink in a responsible manner and be aware of the dangers of excessive alcohol use.

With the millennium celebrations only a few weeks away, the institute warned consumers that New Year’s Eve celebrations can only too easily end in alcohol-related traffic accidents, acts of violence and other tragedies.

Drinking is generally considered a sociable activity and often associated with having a good time among friends and family. Whether and how much a person drinks should be a personal decision and should not be influenced by group or peer pressure, the experts warn.

To mark this third national anti-alcoholism day, the institute launched an information campaign and prevention activities in 35 towns and cities throughout the country.

More than 140 paintings created by alcoholics undergoing therapy will be exhibited in the towns and cities of Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne and Nyon.

Organisers say the idea is to give a voice to alcoholics trying to go clean, and to break the silence over the often profound suffering caused by alcoholism in Switzerland.

According to statistics provided by the institute, 33,000 people are undergoing treatment and therapy for alcohol abuse each year. About one in five consumers cannot control their drinking, leaving 912,000 people drinking too much on certain occasions.

From staff and wire reports.