Talk to your Kids
about Alcohol--Info from the NIAAA


Drinking by college students contributes to 500,000 injuries annually.
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, April 9, 2002, Task Force on College Drinking

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Fact Sheet on Alcohol Ads-from our friends at CSPI.


Underage and Problemdrinkers best customers..
Economic Report-Problem Drinkers, Underage consumption---Good customers for the Alcohol Industry!

Children of Parents with Alcohol& Drug  Addiction

GET UPDATED FACT SHEETS-Alcohol & Addiction


 

Coors Sued for Heavy Promotions of
Beer and Non-disclosure of risks after the death of one woman's son.
 
The lawsuit, filed last Wednesday in Washoe County District Court, seeks unspecified damages. It accused Coors of "glorifying a culture of youth, sex and glamour while hiding the dangers of alcohol abuse and addiction."

Big Alcohol (Coors Beer) is facing yet another legal action.
It is so surprising that these are "just now" being filed.  It also is not surprising that alcohol companies are placing the blame onto "parents", who clearly cannot compete with billions spent in marketing by alcohol companies. More money is being spent by big alcohol marketing, and it is reaching young people according this recent report by CAMY.

 One Peter Heart Study for CAMY reveals a strong concern by parents on the negative effect alcohol advertising brings to their kids.  Perhaps the 18 million American's currently in need of Alco
hol treatment or their family members have finally said "enough is enough". 
Regardless, it is time for this industry to "get responsible". Predatory marketing to vulnerable populations may be good for business, but is tragic to the 100,000 people who die each year as a result of consuming their product. 

Coors  spends about $180 million annually on ads, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
It is quite amazing to see the denial of this industry.  To continue to claim that they are "appalled" at the idea that anyone would accuse them of marketing to youth reminds of Tobacco and the the continued claims that nicotine was not addictive.  Alcohol use is socially acceptable, as most who drink do so "responsibly".  However most of alcohol consumed is done by a small portion of people, sick people, who produce fantastic spread sheets no doubt in board rooms across the country.  The strategy of this industry is clearly directed to sustain and blame.  To date the strategy is working, or so it seems.

Mr. Mckennan, of Nevada, the attorney for the Pisco family,  is stepping out into the 'forbidden" truth, we hear, yet rarely see action taken on. One truth that millions know all to well are the predatory like practices of the alcohol industry for revenues and profits, in trade for human life.  The right to advertise is surely valid, however the right to place certain populations (those consuming the most alcohol) in a "golden egg" direct line of fire is cruel, deadly, and deceitful.

$184.6 billion in costs to the U.S. due to alcohol consumption in the U.S
according to this report from NIAAA
Corporate shareholders, expect nothing less from the alcohol industry, profits.  The marketing campaigns are the result of employees "doing their jobs" to make money for companies like Coors.  The Alcohol industry reaps $23 Billion a year in sales to those under 21. The costs of alcohol consumption are the burden of the tax payers (regardless of their drinking on non drinking of this product)  and are estimated at 185 The Sexy ads, and Half truths, mask the truth, and the  Addictive and often fatal properties of alcohol.  So if Coors has not noticed their marketing targeting youth, then surely they have recognized the ever growing profits their company receives.


Please remember, alcohol is a drug.  Alcoholics and Underage drinkers are vital customers. 


What do you do to maintain a valued customer base, while protecting your "Lilly White" corporate image?  You tell Half Truths, and disregard 100,000 Alcohol related deaths each year.  You blame parents for not having the power or "know how" to ward off Billions spent to command deadly behaviors.  You blame the kids, the schools, the alcoholics.  Blame anyone, but never ever accept your role in these injuries and deaths. 

Can you imagine if another legal drug, had this same ability?  Throw in the control and political strong arm those billions in profits have given them with our law makers, and you have one hell of a cocktail for consumers honestly working to stop these tragedies with research based policy.

Don't Believe the "Hype"  and "Half Truths"  "Drink Responsibly" are the orders of the $130 Billion a year in profit Industries selling and marketing alcoholic beverages in the U.S.  What is not so surprising, to many of us, but startling to others, is the fact that more than 10% of America can't "Drink Responsibly".  They have no capacity to consume alcohol and remain healthy and engaged in life.  They are people who have a disease, as declared by the AMA in 1956.  Alcoholism (Now often called Alcohol Dependence) is not a "choice" but an illness.  This illness is remarkably receptive to recovery programs.  The problem?  Funding for the marketing, promotion, and political power this industry needs supercedes the health and safety of American's today.

Alcohol is not sexy for people vulnerable to Alcoholism (Alcohol Dependence) or many placed in "saturated" communities.  Alcohol outlets, heavy promotion, little access to critical health information related to alcohol, and genetics often determine a persons course of life, or death today.

Claim from Pisco Suit Against Coors.

“Coors targets the youth of America with false images of conquest, achievement and success that are reckless, willful and a deliberate disregard for the impact of illegal alcohol consumption by underage youths,”
 

Beer Industry Info:

•  Coors spends $200 million a year on advertising.
7
•  Beer manufacturers spent more than $1 billion on print, broadcast and outdoor advertising in 2001. Spending on other promotions (sponsorship, product placement payment, point-of-sale ads, discounts, and brand-name apparel) is estimated at an additional $2 billion.
8
•  Alcohol industry income from underage drinkers is estimated at $22 billion a year, most of it from beer.
9

Addiction to alcohol and drugs is the number one cause of preventable
illness and death in America


Sadly, more than 9 in 10 physicians fail to
spot a drug or alcohol problem in adults, and more than 4 in 10 miss a problem in teenagers. 

So what gives?  We hear all of this information, and where is the action to reduce these "known harms" to our children? 

I think that is exactly what

Each year $4.5 billion dollars is spent by the alcohol industry to market its products. Minors are exposed heavily to marketing with youthful themes and images, which are often placed in media with a large youth audience.

National Academy of Sciences study on underage drinking, which estimated the social costs at $53 billion a year, urged that the alcohol industry "should refrain from marketing practices that have substantial underage appeal" and that the entertainment industry should not glamorize or promote alcohol consumption in movie, TV show or music that has a large underage audience.

Marin Institute and has info and history of Coors marketing targeted to youth:

The Coors promotion of "Scary Movie 3" shows exactly why those and other recommendations should be followed. Coors officials say their "Scary Movie 3" promotion falls within the FTC's voluntary guidelines. If so, those guidelines are useless. (We'll save Coors' irresponsible selection of rocker Kid Rock, another teen favorite, as its pitchman for a future rant.)

Scary Beer Ads Campaign Fact Sheet

What's so scary about Scary Movie 3? It promotes beer to youth.

Go to www.CoorsTwins.com and send a message to Coors: "Stop Targeting Youth."

Key Facts

Coors/ Scary Movie 3 Co-Promotion

What Coors says:

•  "This October, the Twins will be appearing in Scary Movie 3 and everywhere beer is sold!"

•  "The Twins are so hot, it's scary!"

•  "[This co-promotion] is supported by national media buys: TV and radio"

Coors placed its Coors/ Scary Movie 3 ad on Monday Night Football.

Young People and Movies

"Frequent and young moviegoers are a driving force in ticket sales": 1

•  60% of frequent moviegoers are between the ages of 18 and 20.

•  12 - 17 year olds are almost twice as likely to be frequent moviegoers (at least once per month) as are those 18 and older.

Underage Drinking

•  Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice for youth. 2

•  Beer is the preferred alcoholic beverage among young people. 3

•  The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls. 4

•  Alcohol is a leading cause of death among young people. It contributes to adolescent motor vehicle crashes, suicide, date rape, and family and school problems. 5

•  Costs associated with underage drinking are estimated at $53 billion per year. 6



Notes:

1 Motion Picture Association of America [http://www.mpaa.org]

2National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2003). Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, Richard J. Bonnie and Mary Ellen O'Connell, Editors. Board of Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

3 Eigen, L. D. (1991). Alcohol Practices, Policies, and Potentials of American Colleges and Universities. Office for Substance Abuse Prevention White Paper. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

4 American Academy of Pediatrics (1998)

5 Public Health Service, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (1997)

6 NAS report (2003)

7 Competitive Market Research

8 NAS report, page 135

9 NAS report, 2003.


 Data from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

22 million Americans in 2002 were classified with substance dependence or abuse  (9.4 % of the total population aged 12 or older).
Of these

  • 3.2 million were classified with dependence on or abuse of both alcohol and illicit drugs,
  • 3.9 million were dependent on or abused illicit drugs but not alcohol,
  • 14.9 million were dependent on or abused alcohol but not illicit drugs.

Source: 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
 

 
 
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