Alcohol ad crackdown could curb underage drinking, researcher says

A nursing and social work professorwho researches underage drinking, is calling for restrictions on alcoholic beverage advertisements in a bid to reduce underage drinking and binge drinking by teens and young adults.

Esme Fuller-Thomson, of the University of Toronto, estimatesby the time Canadians turn18, they've seen 100,000 positive messages about alcohol and millions of product placements in movies.

"In the advertisements you don't see people talking about, you know, the glories of cirrhosis of the liver,or the guy who's vomiting on his girlfriend some of the real outcomes of heavy drinking," Fuller-Thomson toldCBC'sInformation Morning Fredericton.

"It's really romanticized and young peopleare prettyvulnerable to think that this is a cool and mature thing to do."

Fuller-Thomson's comments come on the heels of the drinking game deathof18-year-oldBrady Grattan, of Fredericton, inGrande Prairie, Alta., and reports of spiked drinks and alcohol poisoning at the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University.

Meanwhile, Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont.,has taken steps to tone down upcoming St. Patrick's Day festivitiesto try to avoidproblems associated with the annual rowdy celebrations. Last year, police laid 269 charges during festivities near the university.

Smoking ad restrictions a success

Fuller-Thomsonsaysit's no wonder young people are measuring the fun in their lives by the amount of booze they can down in one night. They're inundated withpositive messaging and what appears to be targeted marketing through so-called alcopopproducts, such as flavoured vodkacoolers, she said.

She saysrestrictions on smoking ads have proven very effective in reducing youth smoking rates.

Now she would like to see the alcohol industry take some responsibility for the "very significant toll"it'scausing.

Canada spends about $14 billion a year "sopping up the messes," caused by excessive drinking and alcoholism, including policing and health care costs, said Fuller-Thomson.

Those who start drinking before the age of 15are up to four timesmore likely to become addicted, she said.

We need to be harder on big alcohol.- Esme Fuller-Thomson, researcher and professor

Fatty liver disease is affecting younger patients and alcohol is also associated with a "a fairly high percentage" of some cancers, such as bowel.

"We need to be harder on big alcohol."

Fuller-Thomson is also concerned aboutparents who condone underage drinking or even buy alcohol for their teenaged children.

She says parents who think their teens are going to drink anyway because all teens do are mistaken. "The proportionof abstainers has gone up.Among high school students, there's 40 per cent who've never had a drink in the past year," she said.

On the other hand, among those who do drink, about two-thirds tend to drink "excessively and out of control," said Fuller-Thomson. "It's pretty worrisome. That's whenyou start to get sexual violence,fights, accidents and injuries."

If parents choose to allow their underagechildren to drink in their home, Fuller-Thomson says they need to be honest with other parents, who may not want to let their children visit and be exposed to such behaviour.