Darren J. Prior : June 2016

I learned about this in AA. Almost every time you go "out there" on the drink after accepting you have a problem it gets worse. Because you know deep down you have a problem and I think there is spiritual energy at play telling you "This is not the way to go and you will have to learn that and will whatever the cost". AA is about helping- and transforming- the individual drinker to live a happy life free from drink so this below message from Paul would be applicable to everyone in life in general, I think, and not just to people who have a alcohol or drug addiction or other addiction.

I haven't gone to an AA meeting in well over three years but I learned a lot going to those meetings and thanks in very large part to the organisation I haven't drank in well over 5 years! :)

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Letter to The Irish Times

Alcohol companies and motor sports

Sir, – In light of the recent statistics issued by the Road Safety Authority that found that alcohol was a factor in almost 40 per cent of fatal road incidents, it is truly shocking to see Formula 1 agreed a five-year new sponsorship deal with Heineken.

The F1 deal with Heineken, estimated to be worth €133 million, places this alcohol company as one of the main sponsors of the sport, with both trackside billboards and also sponsorship of teams in F1. Alcohol brands are now dominating sponsorship in F1, linking popular motor sport to one of the major killers on our roads, drink-driving.

A report on alcohol brand exposure during the F1 Monaco Grand Prix last year showed there were on average 11 references to alcohol brands per minute, averaging one every five seconds. The Monaco Grand Prix has a worldwide audience of around 500 million people, and with the new deal in addition to the previous sponsorship agreement, F1 is close to becoming more an event for granting the global exposure of alcohol brands than a sporting event.

Between 2008 and 2012, 1,077 lives were lost in in 983 fatal collisions in Ireland alone. Surely Formula 1 has a responsibility to break the link between drinking and driving? – Yours, etc,

Prof FRANK MURRAY,

Chairman,

Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland,

President

Royal College of Physicians of Ireland,

Frederick House,

South Frederick Street,

Dublin 2

15th June 2016