1950's Alcohol Awareness

I came across this 1950s alcohol awareness advertisement which surprisingly highlights the same problems we are experiencing today. I found this a little uncanny - it's as if we've been living in a time warp over the last 50 years! The ad reminded me of the Britney Spears fiasco (see embedded video below) currently on the news where young rich people are often involved with alcohol/drugs and how this infiltrates into their peer group resulting in risky behaviour such as drunk-driving etc.

You'll notice that the main message of this 1950s ad is about not selling liquor to minors - in this case under 21 years since it's in the US. This is similar to our laws here except that for us the age limit is three years younger. I'm not sure how others feel about these restrictions but it's interesting coming from a culture that is quite relaxed about alcohol - it's never locked up, always offered at special occasions (and often at not so special occasions!), and children are able to have a sip of alcohol virtually anytime. This is, of course, provided in a controlled and supportive environment with family and friends overseeing and guiding consumption. In fact, there is mounting evidence showing that this type of supportive environment actually counters alcohol abuse in the longterm.

I think labelling alcohol as 'tabu' from a young age actually increases interest - the more you can't have something, the more you want it! It would be interesting to hear about other peoples thoughts about absolute prohibition of alcohol among minors, or whether a supportive, controlled environment to consume alcohol is the way to go?????

Karen