Lately, there has been a meteoric rise in beauty pageants, talent shows and themed parties. Although based on different ideas, there seems to be one particular aspect vibrant at all these events--the indirect advertisement of liquors and smoke.[break]
With Christmas and New Year round the corner, the print media is awash in advertisements of alcoholic beverages. No parties resembling festivities, and to which the youth is the biggest part, are spared by these commercials. Newspaper and magazine ads along with numerous hoarding boards around the city stand as a tall proof to massive alcohol promotion.
What is even more astounding is the fact that these alcoholic drinks have been advertised through cinema tickets as the industries expand its niche marketing targeting the youth. Though the advertising agencies were not immediately available for comments, there are clear indications that the move is likely to increase the alcohol consumption level among the youth and underage adolescents.
“This is absolutely irresponsible on the part of the organizers to ignore the situation and is a pity that the government has not been able to ban these excessive commercials,” bemoans Dr Sharad Man Tamrakar, neuropsychiatrist and psychotherapist at Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu.
Although the government has put a ban on such ads on electronic media, the promotion of alcohol, albeit indirectly, by print media is yet to be halted. And these ads are especially harmful to teenagers because they are in ´transition phase´ of their lives.
Tamrakar explains that during teenage, experimentation, peer influence and stress levels are high. Also, there are a lot of hormonal changes which collectively contribute to encouraging the youngsters to develop habits like smoking and drinking. Also, because youth drink more heavily than adults, they are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of alcohol.
“I don´t know if I will hold the advertisements responsible but I did begin drinking at a very young age,” confides Rajesh Khatiwada, 22. He confesses that he and his friends never have a party without drinks. “My favorite actor does prefer a brand of vodka,” he giggles.
Rajesh Shrestha, proprietor of Gopal and Sons, a liquor shop at Gaushala, asserts that Khatiwada is not an isolated case of an early age drinker. He claims that, if not all, a large number of his customers are teenagers.
Film stars are celebrities who through the use of alcohol exert a strong influence on the youth to get into the habit of drinking. “There are a lot of youngsters who are drinking inspired by ads,” says Tamrakar.
One of the special attributes about these alcohol advertisements is that they are appealing to youth, who are particularly motivated in making friendship and earning prestige. These ads also have sexual appeal and are fun. Consequentially, these compelling ads become the new teachers for the youth.
Roshni Pokharel, 24, argues that the ´good-looking actors´ contribute to encouraging drinking. “There are many instances when we tend to try brands due to the celebrity associated with them.”
The advertisement of any product including alcohol cannot be halted but there are definitely certain measures that can be adopted to contain the trend. The first has to be parents and peers, to communicate regularly, for they are partly responsible for the habits youngsters develop.
Ramita Bhandari, mother of a ten-year-old, believes that since youngsters are ´hardly at home´ and always updated with the media, it is the media who can play the part of a crusader.
As Bhandari rightly points out, a more effective and less onerous way of reducing adolescent drinking could be to limit the number of alcohol advertisements in media that are eye-catching for the youth. “Companies can always make socially responsible advertisements, portraying the adverse affects of alcohol,” points out Gaurav Hamal, a member of Thompson Nepal, a leading ad agency in the country.
Counter-advertising can be another option. Companies can illustrate the immediate negative consequences of drinking that are of particular concern to young rather than ads that rely on warning of long-term dangers.
“If you see any foreign cigarette packet, the hazards are printed in large block letters almost covering the whole pack unlike ours where the warning is almost invisible,” says Tamrakar. He puts forth another option whereby companies should advertise the benefits of responsible drinking, like social interaction and simple pleasure, and avoid depictions of rough binge drinking.
On the government´s part, it needs to enact better laws and enforce them to stop under-age drinking/selling. As for now, the selling is allowed for people above 18 years of age but there is no age bar for drinking. Under-age people should not be allowed in pubs and restaurants selling alcohol and their national identity cards should be checked strictly as is the case in other countries.
While alcohol consumption cannot be completely avoided on various religious and cultural grounds, the youth´s indulgence in excessive drinking inspired through impressive ads can nevertheless be avoided.
Tamrakar points out that a certain amount of alcohol consumption can be considered healthy. He points out “14 units per week for female and 21 units for males can be considered harmless medically.” A single unit will be equivalent to 10 grams of absolute alcohol and these figures apply for the youth.
Dude, that´s not cool!
A research conducted among higher secondary (HS) students in Kathmandu by Martin Chautari, Nepal - a research and policy institute–earlier this year showed that a total of 32 percent agreed to have smoked a cigarette and 45 percent agreed on alcoholic consumption.
Some 45 percent of the smokers were male students while 18 percent of them were female students. The average age to start smoking was 14.1 years.
The same research showed that 45 percent of the students had consumed alcohol–defined as a whole drink and not just a sip. Of them, around 60 percent were male students and 34 percent females. Average age for intake of alcohol was 14.3 years.
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