Wine, "an alcohol not like the others": the Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume raises an outcry among doctors

A statement by the Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume, saying the wine was "not an alcohol like any other," triggered Wednesday the indignation of many doctors specializing in addictions. "I do not believe that wine is an alcohol like the others," said Didier Guillaume Wednesday on the set of BFMTV. "Alcohol addiction is dramatic, especially in youth, with binge drinking, etc. It is dramatic, but I have never seen, to my knowledge, unfortunately perhaps, a young person who goes out nightclub, and who is drunk, because he drank Côtes-du-Rhône ", added the minister, saying that young people drank rather" mixtures "or" strong alcohol ".

Didier Guillaume: "young people coming out of a nightclub are not drunk because they drank Côtes-du-Rhône" pic.twitter.com/UCyduq8oA1

"There are daily alcohol comas in wine". These statements all the more set fire to the powders they come a week after the presentation of a government plan against addiction already much criticized by the experts about its alcohol component. "What blindness! Mr. Guillaume, all the doctors invite you to take a turn in the emergency room one evening of feria or Beaujolais again. To be more precise, there are daily comas ethylic wine", reacted on Twitter the Professor Michel Reynaud, addictologist and chairman of the fund actions addictions.

What blindness! Mr @ dguillaume26, all the doctors invite you to make a turn to the urgencies one evening of feria or beaujolais again. To be more precise, there are daily alcoholic comas in wine. Prabenyamina @ @ @ JJBourdin_RMC anpaa_asso @ FedeAddictionhttps: //t.co/oZ5EwSezBR

"Contrary to the claims of the Minister of Agriculture, studies show that young people get drunk with wine (18%) or champagne (25%) according to the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT). Wine is also an alcohol like the others to get drunk, "said his side Bernard Basset, vice president of the National Association of prevention in alcoholism and addiction (ANPAA).

A wine lobby in the government? This minister's speech "places France especially in an untenable and lamentable position as to the influence of the lobby on our policies," said Professor Amine Benyamina, psychiatrist specializing in addictions. Stakeholders in the fight against alcoholism had denounced in recent months the presence of Audrey Bourolleau at the post of adviser Agriculture of the Elysee. She was general delegate of the wine lobby before joining Emmanuel Macron.

"Educate to drink wine," according to the minister. "We must fight against all addictions, but we must educate the French and the French and the youth to good, to beautiful," added the minister on BFMTV, before driving the point: "We must educate to drink a drink of wine, to know what it is ". Statements that contrast with one of the studies that underpin the government's plan, that "tasting a child with alcohol could have the effect of increasing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the late teens".