Binge drinking among girls has risen even as rates have declined among boys, and the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) says alcohol advertising is partly to blame, the Chicago Tribune reported March 30.

The CAMY report also said that more girls are drinking hard liquor, which the authors linked to the increased popularity of liquor-branded "alcopops."

"People expect teenage boys to drink," said CAMY executive director David Jernigan. "They have not historically expected girls to. Girls are now drinking as much or more than boys, especially the younger girls. They are drinking liquor. The boys are still drinking beer."

Jernigan said that research has established a link between exposure to alcohol advertising and youth drinking, and said that youths are now exposed to more alcohol ads than ever before.

Anheuser-Busch spokesperson Francine Katz cited federal research in saying that binge drinking is declining among males and females. "Simply put, the facts don't match CAMY's scaremongering," she said.