Binge drinking on the rise in France and England

The French government is in the process of raising the Minimum Legal Drinking Age from 16 to 18; this would bring French laws into line with most of the rest of Europe.

The bill is part of a larger piece of legislation addressing health, and would not only stop beer and wine sales to youth under 18 (they are already banned from purchasing spirits and liquor), but would also outlaw open bars—which are linked to binge drinking—and outlaw the overnight sales of alcohol at gas stations.

While total alcohol consumption has fallen almost 50% in France over the past fifty years , the amount that young people drink has been steadily increasing.

The number of alcohol-induced hospitalizations for minors under age 15 grew 50 percent between 2004 and 2007

Other changes could be on the way for European drinking habits as well: Britain’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson would like to set a minimum price on alcohol sales in the UK . The proposed price would be £1 for restaurants and pubs (about $1.45) and 50p in stores (about $0.73). Prime Minister Gordon Brown is not enthusiastic about the plan, despite the fact that binge drinking in England is also on the rise.

CBS Drops Ban on Liquor Ads

Since 1996, network television stations have participated in a voluntary ban on liquor advertisements*. But on February 9, CBS effectively dropped its longstanding voluntary ban when CBS-owned stations and affiliates ran a prime-time promotion for Absolut vodka during the Grammy Awards show.

There was certainly a youth audience at this event, since performers at the 2009 Grammys included 16 year old Miley Cyrus, 18 year old Taylor Swift, and teen favorites the Jonas Brothers, who had just headlined the Disney Kids Inaugural Concert.

We are also concerned that, in their search for funding, network stations may continue to turn to liquor advertisements for income.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

• Children and teens already view a disproportionately large number of alcohol ads on broadcast media that glamorizes and encourages drinking. In 2007, 12-20 year-old youths were exposed to 38% more alcohol advertisements than they were 6 years earlier. On average, teens are exposed to 301 television ads for alcohol annually, up from an average of 216 in 2001.
  
  
• Young people’s awareness of alcohol directly translates into stronger intentions to drink as an adult. Studies as early as 1994 showed that alcohol advertising can predispose young people to drink.
  
  
• In 2007, the liquor industry spent over $118 million on television ads, almost a 4,000% increase since 1999.3 Underage drinking increased during that same time period.

Let the local and national CBS stations know about your concern by contacting them. Some talking points are here, and some more background on the issue here .


*Prior to 1996 the ban was legally mandated.

NBA allows liquor advertising

First, it was yet another beer-ad soaked football season. Now the NBA has voted to expand its advertising to hard liquor. For those of you who have tried to watch a sporting event on tv with the kids, you already know most commercials wouldn’t fly on most youth programming. Yet there you are on the couch with your impressionable teen watching the good times to be had with scantily clad women and lots and lots of beer.

What, no cigarette ads? Oh, right, they banned those years ago. How? Because lots and lots of people complained.

Here’s your chance to act against the onslaught of alcohol advertising bombarding our youth. Please pass this along.

http://takeaction.cspinet.org/campaign/nbaliquorads