Doctors have warned that sophisticated advertising of alcohol is having a lethal effect on young Australian women. Glamorous advertisements and television shows such as Sex and the City, which follows four cocktail-swigging single women, were influencing consumption habits of women drinkers, said Margaret Hamilton, director of the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne. Advertising and culture are having an influence which is quite potent. New draft Australian drinking guidelines suggest the occasional consumption of up to four standard drinks for women in one day may be low risk.
Males still consume a lot more, but it seems the girls are catching up.
Dr Bonomo's study, which she began in 1992, involved 2000 young people throughout Victoria, whose alcohol habits were followed between the ages of 13 and 21. In year 9, about 15 per cent of boys and 14 per cent of girls reported they had been binge drinking in the previous fortnight. By year 11, that had risen to 39 per cent of boys and 35 per cent of girls. However, health experts say advertisers are specifically targeting at young women drinks that comprise spirits, fruit juice and sparkling water. She is now 25 and has spent the past 10 months participating in a program run by the Self Help Addiction and Resource Centre.