Banning alcohol ads is right step

TACKLING the epidemic of binge drinking among young people represents one of the biggest challenges facing Irish society.

Thus, radical plans to lessen their exposure to alcohol advertising will be loudly applauded by parents and voluntary groups engaged in youth activities.

Hardly a weekend passes without headline incidents involving teenagers who go on drinking benders for kicks and end up in violent scenarios brought on by alcohol abuse. Similarly, a high percentage of sexual promiscuity among young Irish people is also attributed to alcohol.

While experts agree the most effective way of addressing this crisis is through education, the dilemma is how to combat the powerful message of advertising.

In a dramatic attempt to tackle this problem, legislation is being drawn up by the Department of Health aimed at banning alcohol advertising from sites beside schools and playgrounds. Drink adverts would also be restricted on radio and television broadcasts.

The drinks industry splashes out €38 million annually on advertising. Few will reject the argument that anything that reduces the insidious appeal of alcohol to young people would be a step in the right direction.

In national terms, the economic damage caused by alcohol runs to over €2.3 billion a year not counting the physical, emotional and social repercussions.

Where young people are concerned, the statistics are frightening. One in every three 16-year-olds is a regular binge-drinker, while almost one in five boys between nine and 11 years of age is classed as a "current drinker".

Overall, one in four accident and emergency cases is alcohol-related, while drink is also a factor in 30% of road accidents and 40% of fatal accidents.

Attempting to ban alcohol adverts before the nine o'clock TV watershed would be unrealistic. It may be more feasible to profile audiences to ensure programmes that are popular among teenagers or younger children will not carry alcohol advertising.

How this measure would be policed and whether it would apply to satellite stations are major questions.

A complete ban on sponsorship by the drinks industry of leisure time activities involving children and teenagers has been recommended.

Inevitably, that would hit events such as the Guinness Hurling Championship, a controversial sponsorship deal that opens the GAA, the country's biggest sports organisation for young people, to a charge of hypocrisy.

While the drinks industry may deny it, alcohol advertising is widely blamed for the sharp rise in underage and excessive drinking. Young people in Ireland have the unenviable reputation of being among Europe's biggest boozers.

The sooner this crisis is tackled the better.