www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Active criticizes alcohol industry’s distorting picture of women.
Andrea Lavesson, Active President, explains that “the alcohol industry objectifies girls and women in two ways: since in most countries the alcohol use of girls and women used to be lower than of men, especially girls and women have been identified as new market. Girls and women became the new target group for increasing profits. The second form of objectification can be seen in the commercials: women are displayed as sexual objects.”
In fact, to seduce girls and women to start drinking and increase their use of alcohol, the alcohol industry does not consider ethics: tapping into gender stereotypes is their strategy. Therefore they designed “diet” alcoholic beverages, developed a variety of fruit flavoured beer that soon was called “chick beer” and promote these products in connection with items, like handbags, high heels, make-up, that are highly associated with women. (Source: Active press release, 03/08/11) Comment: Not to forget that is was the protest of women, the „Suffragettes“, against the alcohol industry, which brought in several countries the right of vote to women.

Eastern European teenagers, particularly girls, are closing the drinking gap with their Western European and American counterparts, Reuters Health reported Oct. 4. According to a new study, the number of adolescents in Eastern Europe who reported getting drunk rose by 40 percent between 1998 and 2006. Although the increase was seen in both genders, the rate was higher among girls. (Source: Join Together, 10/12/10) with our online-comment: J.P. tells us the arguments of the alcohol industry. They won’t become better by reproducing them always again. Alcohol taxes on alcopops have dropped the sales in Switzerland by 75%. Binge drinking is still rising. The effect of advertising is clearly shown by recent research. You can hardly find any government in Western Europe which started new alcohol taxes or has risen existing ones. The pressure of the industry is just too strong.

Report shows Girls drink to relieve stress and worries, while boys look for fun.
New data released today from the Partnership for a Drug Free America suggest that not only are girls now drinking more than boys, they turn to drugs and alcohol for more serious reasons as well. The report, which analyzed results from the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), a survey of teen attitudes and behaviors, shows that the number of middle- and high-school girls who say they drink has increased by 11 percent in the past year, from 53 percent to 59 percent. Boys have stayed at about the same level, hovering around 52 percent. (Source: Harvard World Health News, 7/2/10) newsweek.com, 6/29/10

Before Spring Break: Explain The Science Of Why Girls Can’t Drink Alcohol Like Boys.
Spring break is here and many teenage girls may be tempted to take their first drink. The Science Inside Alcohol Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science suggests that parents, teachers and caregivers help girls delay that first drink by telling them what scientific research shows regarding their ability to handle alcohol compared to boys.
There’s reason to worry. The number of teens who use alcohol rose 11% from 2008 to 2009, according to a new report from the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Teens are drinking younger and more often. In the 1960s, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only 7% of girls reported having their first drink between the ages of 10 and 14. Now, 31% try alcohol before high school. (Source: Medical News Today, 3/19/10)

More than one in four girls ages 12-17 was involved in fighting within the past year, according to new survey data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
HealthDay News reported Jan. 15 that a SAMHSA survey of more than 33,000 adolescents found that 19 percent of the girls surveyed reported involvement in a serious fight at school or work, 14 percent took part in group fights, and about 6 percent said they attacked someone else intending to cause serious injury.
Girls who avoided alcohol or other drug use, got good grades and came from higher-income families were at the least risk of involvement in violence, researchers found. (Source: Join Together, 1/21/10)