Response Paper: The Health Risks of Alcohol and Women's Empowerment

This response paper, written by a student in Australia, addresses the concerning issue of alcohol consumption and its impact on women's health, particularly the increased risk of breast cancer. Inspired by Jenny Goodare's article from Drink Tank, the paper highlights the alcohol industry's targeting of women, using marketing strategies that link alcohol with female empowerment while downplaying the health risks. The author expresses concern over the lack of awareness regarding alcohol-related cancers and the misleading information provided by the industry. The paper critiques the sponsorships and promotions that exploit events like International Women's Day and Mother's Day, arguing that these practices prioritize profits over women's well-being. The author advocates for greater awareness of the dangers of alcohol and calls for stricter regulation of alcohol advertisements, urging women to reject sponsorships and demand transparency from the industry. The paper also includes a letter to the editor, summarizing the key arguments and advocating for ethical advertising practices to protect women's health.

Running Head: RESPONSE PAPER
RESPONSE PAPER
Name
Professor
Institution
Course
Date

RESPONSE PAPER 2
Introduction
As a student in in one of the busiest colleges in Australia, I have spent a lot of time in
Hospitals in the recent past. This means that I have come across many women visiting hospitals
because of different sicknesses. I have seen women visiting health centers to seek treatment for
cervical cancer, colon cancer, mouth cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer. On the most
memorable of all, I have met women who agitate in pain from breast cancer, which has led to
many deaths in women.
At this stage of life and the studies that I have taken, I do not believe that I am the kind of
a person who will be in a peer and go out clubbing over the weekend , so I was captivated by
Jenny Goodare from Drink Tank news which explains “why we should not celebrate female
empowerment with alcohol” the author explains that alcohol is carcinogenic and that
approximately 830 Australian women are infected with alcohol-related cancer every year. He
points out that out of the 830 women, 144 will die (Jenny, 2019). He surprisingly points out that
only 16% of all Australian women are aware of alcohol-related breast cancer (Jenny, 2019).
Every sip or gulp increases the risk of getting breast cancer! Unfortunately, the alcohol industry
is targeting women as potential customers in the Australian market (Jenny, 2019). The industry
points out that “making your venue female-friendly and ensuring your market programs are
appealing to women will show up in your online reviews, customer loyalty, and bottom line”
Mothers and professional women are potential targets for marketers in social media. The
industries pay women advertisers who influence women about alcohol. The promotion portrays
alcohol as a cure for motherhood stresses and also aligns alcohol with women empowerment.

RESPONSE PAPER 3
The worst impression that the author portrays is that the CEOs of these companies are
men. The CEOs also exploit occasions such as breast cancer awareness month, international
women’s day and mother’s day whereby they view those days as promotion prospects. Diageo is
said to have launched “Jane Walker” which is an imitation of Jonny Walker during 2018
women’s day (Jenny, 2019). The firm also sponsors international women’s day. On the other
hand, Wolf Blass is sponsoring the AFL women’s league. The firm is said to be cashing in on the
success of women while it aims at promoting a good that kills women in the country. The
alignment that alcohol industries do with issues concerning women including breast cancer and
advancement of female workers in the workplace and proficient sport is not real (Jenny, 2019).
The alignment benefits the industries while women end up suffering from the monster disease.
There is a need for women to be aware that there is no amount of cancer alcohol that is risk-free
when the issue of breast cancer is concerned. Every drink that a person takes increases the
person’s chances of getting cancer.
Alcohol industries are misleading the public about breast cancer. Research done on the
information fed to the public concerning cancer showed that the information was not accurate.
Most of the websites that tackled cases concerning cancer excluded significant information
concerning the direct association between alcohol and cancer (Jenny, 2019). The writer points
out that alcohol industries care less about women empowerment but profits. Women need to
wake up and turn down the sponsorships awarded to them and advocate for better regulation in
alcohol advertisements.

RESPONSE PAPER 4
Conclusion
After reading Jenny Goodare’s article on drink tank concerning the reasons why should
not celebrate female empowerment with alcohol, I felt sorry for women. I asked myself many
questions and kept wondering if there is any reason that could make me take any bold step and
join the women team that takes beer . I felt piteous for the women who take alcohol around me. I
am convinced that a woman who takes beer must look at her friends who take beer and she is
convinced that getting drunk is a nice thing mostly for women. Cases of breast cancer have
become part of a life story. I would be glad to help two or three women who would like to listen
to me since I am so curious about alcohol consumption story. If I become brave enough, next
time I will visit a club and I may ask one of those girls to tell me more about breast cancer just to
hear their side of this big story.

RESPONSE PAPER 5
References
Jenny, G. (2019, Feb 23rd). Why we shouldn’t celebrate female empowerment with alcohol.
Retrieved August 22nd, 2019, from DrinkTank: http://drinktank.org.au/2019/02/why-we-
shouldnt-celebrate-female-empowerment-with-alcohol/

RESPONSE PAPER 6
PART TWO
Letter
Name:
Mobile Address:
City:
Street:
Your report on why we should not celebrate women empowerment by alcohol industries
caught my attention. I am overwhelmed by the arguments that you put across and the succinct
education that the article gave to women. It is advisable for the social media to uphold morals
and code of ethics at work when advertising. We are also supposed to come up with a body that
regulates the advertisements aired on social media since they are of great impact to people. Most
of these industries are not after promoting the well-being of people but are after making profits. I
wonder what will happen if at all Australians will raise a single voice that we want morals
upheld in advertisements so that we save the lives. The lives of Australian Women Matter!
Yours faithfully
Name: