Just like cigarette ads that ended in 1971, it has become normal that every few mins on your local tv channel there is an advertisement for alcohol. At some gas stations, the stores are covered in advertisement for beer and cigarettes. Now imagine how an alcoholic, reformed alcoholic, teenager, or young child feels. We arent just advertising for current adults, we are advertising to the future of young adults. If you are continuously subject to the material, or have parents that abuse alcohol, theres a higher chance of becoming an alcoholic. The saying goes "Out of sight, Out of mind". Although we cannot control everything that the youth sees or hears today, we could recognize this "norm" for advertisement of alcohol and tobacco is not for a healthier America. A single "BEER SOLD HERE" sign would suffice for advertisement. The NIAAA states that although youths from ages 12-20 drink only 11% of alcohol,
90% of youth drinking is consumed by binge drinking. While a typical adult may have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner, the youth are using alcohol just to get drunk. Liquor stores would be the exception of course, where you're not stopping for gas or food daily. Alcohol and tobacco should be taken out of mainstream poster adverstising at all gas stations. While the stores are using these posters for competion of sales, what are the youth thinking? What about the newly reformed alcoholic, who has to look at the picture of a beer everytime he gets gas? Some gas stations have turned into trash stations, full of litter and garbage!
