The Dangers of Alcohol Advertising
A growing body of literature shows that alcohol advertising is an important factor related to alcohol consumption among youth. Research has now established that alcohol advertisements target youth, result in increased alcohol consumption and add to morbidity and mortality. America's youth are overwhelmed with mass media messages. Today's youth is bombarded by not only apparent advertising but also hidden messages. The fact that the entertainment industry presents alcohol as a glamorization also does not help reduce underage usage. Let's face it, the message is everywhere. The fact that the alcohol industry specifically targets this demographic with enticing fruity and soda-based concoction is appalling. Today the average teen spends too much time exposing themselves to such media instead of other activities such as sports and music. Before graduating high school, students will spend about 18,000 hours in front of the television-more time than they will spend in school (Kaiser Family Foundation 2). Alcohol advertisements reach youth not only through television, but also through other varied media, such as billboards, magazines, and sports stadium signs.
In 2002, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University surveyed youth about drinking and risky sexual behavior. Among 15 to 17-year-olds, "29% of the respondents said alcohol or drugs had influenced their decision to engage in sexual activity" (Kaiser Family Foundation 3). In other words, almost a quarter of the 15- to 17-year-olds reported that they had done more sexually than planned because of alcohol or drug use. Also slightly more than a quarter of this age group reported they were concerned about sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy because of their alcohol or drug use. This mainly due to the fact that such usage can impair the ability to make informed and well-thought out decisions. Adolescents who find themselves drinking at a younger age also find themselves in riskier situations with adolescents older than themselves and in situations involving an automobile. Not only is this alarming but these younger drinkers found in the Columbia University study that there is a "long term danger because people how start using alcohol early become heavy drinkers more frequently than those who try alcohol later ("Underage drinking a startling problem par. 5). These younger users have more of a chance of binge drinking and a higher chance of becoming dependent than those who start drinking at the legal age. aintains that its advertising aims only
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