Cekic urges Danes to rethink alcohol gifts

Özlem Cekic, a former member of parliament for SF and now an author and social commentator, is urging people to reconsider giving alcohol as a gift, DR reports. She suggests books, flowers or chocolate instead.

Wine is often a quick choice when people are invited to dinner, and bottles are also commonly given as host gifts, anniversary presents and company Christmas gifts.

In an appearance on P1 Morgen, Cekic said individuals did not necessarily have to stop bringing wine, but argued that public authorities and companies should no longer give alcohol as presents.

She said both giving wine and drinking alcohol in social situations could become automatic reactions. Rethinking the tradition, she argued, could help reduce the central role alcohol plays in social life.

“It is actually a way of training ourselves so that alcohol does not occupy such a central place,” Cekic said.

A Voxmeter survey for Alcohol and Society found that more than one in three respondents had experienced social, psychological or physical consequences of the way someone they knew drank. The Danish Health Authority estimates that about 500,000 people in Denmark have a moderate to severe alcohol problem.

Asked what people should bring to an uncle’s 70th birthday, Cekic replied: “Books, books, books. That would be good. Give flowers, give chocolate, give him a hug.”

Opposing views on alcohol culture

More than 3,000 comments have been posted on Cekic’s appeal, which she shared on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Joachim B. Olsen, debate editor at B.T., said alcohol was part of Danish culture because most people could consume it responsibly. He argued that people should consider whether a gift is something the recipient actually wants, but said it would be unfortunate if those who cannot drink responsibly determined how the majority lives.

Olsen acknowledged that some people develop alcohol problems, but said freedom in a free society also came with responsibility. He also argued that alcohol culture had already changed, pointing to generally declining alcohol sales since the 1980s and less drinking in workplaces compared with that decade.

Cekic said other figures showed that more needed to be done. She referred to what she described as young Danes’ European record for drinking and to a Voxmeter survey for Blå Kors, in which 63 per cent of respondents said they experienced, to a high or some degree, an expectation to drink alcohol in social situations. Among people aged 18 to 34, the figure was nearly 75 per cent.

She said there was broad agreement that young people should be regulated, but that agreement ended when adults, as role models, were discussed. Cekic stressed that she was not calling for a ban or a major restriction on people’s freedom, but was instead asking workplaces, public authorities and individuals to look at their own choices.

Olsen said the focus should remain on people with alcohol problems rather than on the majority who do not have them.