Restrict Alcohol Advertising and Marketing

The messages adolescents receive about alcohol come from all directions, but no one spends more money to get through to teens about drinking than the alcohol industry itself.

Alcohol companies encourage youth to drink by using kid-friendly content in their advertisements, such as cartoons, humor, or music, and by implying that having fun and being attractive means drinking alcohol. In fact, the industry targets teens so aggressively that underage children see more alcohol ads in magazines than adults do.

More difficult to monitor than advertising, however, is the unmeasured multi-billion dollar a year practice of alcohol promotion. Companies design promotions to expose underage children to positive messages about alcohol, by means of trendy logo apparel, discounts to appeal to price-sensitive youth, and sponsorship of youth culture activities such as concerts and sporting events.

Alcohol industry advertising and promotions have an impact on adolescents' beliefs about alcohol, drinking practices, and drinking problems. Restrictions must be placed on alcohol promotions so that the alcohol industry is unable to influence underage consumers with such ease and force.

There is strong evidence that the earlier in life that a person starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he or she is to have alcohol related problems throughout life, including repeated episodes of alcohol dependence, higher rates of injuries and lower levels of academic and job achievement.

There is also new research indicating that alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs act differently on adolescent brains as they are growing than they do on fully mature brains. For some, early use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs may actually change brain development in long-lasting and detrimental ways.