Free Custom «Alcohol Advertising» Essay Paper

The causes of alcohol consumption among older children, youth, adolescent or young adult are a major concern in public health. Drinking among this young age, results in negative repercussion such as risky sexual activities, poor grades, car crashes and alcohol addiction. Youth drinking is encouraged by several adverts on alcohol beverage that they encounter everyday. When companies advertise everyday, they conduct research on the population most likely to purchase the product. They conduct the research in order to learn as much as possible about them. Adverts are placed everywhere in places where the targeted audience is likely to see. They are placed in magazines, newspapers, between movies, sports and many others so as to expose as many people as possible. Even though advertising is important to the company, when used to promote products that has serious health risks, it results in great controversy and as a result strict laws should be imposed to curb alcohol adverts.

Research done by different organizations have found out that youths who are less than 21 and consume approximately 20% of alcohol drinks, swig more heavily than adults in one drinking episode (Wallack & Grube, 2008). Such youths involve in twice as many fatal car accidents while drunk than adult drinkers. Youth drinking is getting worse since many of them are initiating drinking at an early age than what used to happen in the past. There is much public disagreement about whether alcohol advertising is responsible for increase in consumption levels among the youth.

 

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Alcohol advertising practices has not been subject to federal restrictions but advertising industries have own advertising codes that were created by major alcohol trade groups. Despite adhering to this code that stipulates that at least 70% of the audience for radio, television and print should consist of adults of legal drinking age, it is uncontrollable since many youths are generally exposed to alcohol advertisement. A number of literature shows that alcohol advertising is a factor related to increase in alcohol consumption among the youth. Alcohol advertising targets youth and as a result, there is an increase in alcohol consumption that add to mortality and morbidity.

Research conducted in US by Wallack and Grube, shows that students tend to “spend about 18,000 hours in front of their television sets. This time is more than the time they spend in school work. During the time they spend on TV, they watch about 2,000 alcohol commercials yearly (Wallack & Grube, 2008).” They watch 45% more beer advertisements that people of legal drinking age. Advertising reaches youths not only through television commercials, but also through billboards, sports medium signs, and magazines. It is eminent that alcohol advertising and controversy surrounding alcohol advertising will not end soon. Despite efforts to regulate alcohol advertising such as first amendment cases, alcohol advertising still continues to influence the youth in U.S into alcoholism. Countries with alcohol regulations such as France have indicated a great decline in the rate of alcohol consumption (Wallack & Grube, 2008).

Finally, there is a major public health concern on causes of alcohol consumption among older children, youth, adolescent and young adults. Drinking among the young age is as a result of alcohol adverts the youth encounter everyday. Drinking at this tender age, results in negative repercussion such as risky sexual activities, poor grades, car crashes and alcohol addiction. When companies advertise everyday, there is a research done on the population most likely to purchase the product. They conduct research in order to learn as much as possible about them. Adverts are placed everywhere in places where the targeted audience is likely to see. They are placed on magazines, newspapers, between movies, sports and many others so as to expose as many people as possible. Even though advertising is important to the company, when used to promote products that has serious health risks, it results in great controversy. Additional restrictions should therefore be in place to discourage advertisements on alcoholic beverages.