The world’s biggest spirit companies this week gathered in London to help launch The Alcohol Information Partnership (AIP), whose aim is to ensure the debate around alcohol and its misuse remains balanced.

The AIP, an independent non-profit group is funded by the eight biggest alcohol spirits companies – Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Beam Suntory, Remy-Cointreau, Gruppo-Campari, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, and Moet-Hennessy.

The group says that continuing decline in alcohol abuse shows that the current initiatives with government, industry, local authorities and NGOs is producing the desired results and more of it should be encouraged.

The group notes that such partnerships focus on education, enforcement and targeted initiatives.

The new initiative is chaired by Dave Roberts, a former Chief Executive of the British National Clinical Homecare Association and previously head of Communications at Wiiltshire Health Authority, all in the UK.

Roberts said that alcohol abuse is serious issue and society needs to continue to debate how best to address and reduce its use.

However, he believes the debate has become increasingly skewed and marked by misrepresentation of facts and says that heavy drinking of alcohol is in decline in the UK and the vast majority of people drink responsibly.

“The AIP is here to bring balance back to the debate and remind the public that having a drink at home or in the pub can still be a part of a balanced lifestyle as long as it is drunk in moderation,” he said.