Bob Condor’s concern regarding underage drinking echoes the longstanding concern of the Distilled Spirits Council and its members (“Alcohol ads spill a message all over kids,” Q, Dec. 15).
America’s leading distillers have spent more than $120 million in the last decade on programs to combat underage drinking. Working together with communities, our efforts are making a difference.
Unfortunately Condor and his story’s subject, David Jernigan, of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, focus on the wrong solution–curbing alcohol advertising. Study after study has shown that advertising does not cause underage drinking. Rather, parents and peers are the primary influence over a youth’s decision to drink.
Even the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, a longtime critic of the industry, found in its survey that advertising has less than a 1 percent influence on underage drinking.
The nation’s distillers remain committed to responsible advertising. The distillers try to ensure that spirits advertising is responsible and intended for adults. We will continue to uphold these principles.
At the same time, however, let’s not lose sight of what has proven to be most effective in combating underage drinking–playing an active role in your children’s lives and talking with them regularly about making responsible decisions.
