Attitudes about drinking are shaped by friends, family, and our expectations. Many of our expectations come from how the media portrays drinking.

The alcohol industry aggressively targets young people because that's where the money is. MTV and other popular media outlets promote alcohol consumption at every level. The alcohol industry spends more than $1 billion a year in advertising. A national study published in January 2006 concluded that greater exposure to alcohol advertising contributes to an increase in drinking among underage youth. Specifically, for each additional ad a young person saw (above the monthly youth average of 23), he or she drinks 1% more.

Don’t be sucked in by TV ads that show all the beautiful people drinking alcohol. For underage drinkers, it means breaking the law, dealing with vomiting, hangovers, and lying to parents. For some teens the consequences are lethal. There are millions of healthy, socially active young people who don’t drink and have fun doing other things.