Unfortunately, said Yoast, the alcoholic-beverage industry actively works against some of the key facets of environmental prevention, including price controls, enforcement of liquor laws, and curbs on availability. By and large, the information people get about alcohol is through alcohol advertising. The challenge of delaying first use of alcohol and preventing underage drinking is especially acute at America's colleges, where Yoast says an increasing number of freshmen are showing up with established alcohol problems. Youth don't control prices, taxes, or distribution laws. When the beverage industry says it is targeting moderate drinkers, that's nonsense.
Bingers is where the sales are.
Local action on college alcohol problems often is stymied because state laws trump local action, and the alcohol industry influences the creation and enforcement of state laws, said Yoast. Despite such obstacles, a number of partnerships between colleges and communities have sprung up nationally to deal with the issue of underage drinking. Such efforts have helped to break down hostility between schools and their communities, and resulted in some changes, such as the University of Florida banning bars from handing out promotional leaflets on campus. Other schools have put parental-notification policies in place or banned alcohol at certain sports and social events, while college towns have moved to boost enforcement and ban drink specials, Yoast said. Negative news coverage of these issues is pervasive and may serve to reinforce exaggerated misperceptions of actual substance use norms.