The head of Great Britain's Royal College of Physicians is calling for a complete ban on alcohol advertising to stem a rising tide of alcohol problems in the country, the BBC reported Feb. 23.

"I think it would be hard to move to a total advertising ban straight away, but we can work towards it," said Ian Gilmore. "Most urgently we should look at introducing a watershed, with a move towards a complete ban."

"I'm not teetotal and we are not calling for prohibition," he added. "But we want to see some evidence-based strategies to see a reduction in the alcohol-related harm which we see in our hospitals."

Gilmore noted that alcohol-related deaths in the U.K. have doubled over the last 15 years.

The ad ban would, among other things, prevent young people from being influenced by alcohol-related sports sponsorships, he said. Gilmore also called for higher taxes on alcohol.