Ad Campaign Urges British Women to Reduce Drinking

An advertising campaign in Britain is using a cosmetics-ad spoof to educate women on how binge drinking can damage their looks, the BBC reported Aug. 26.

The campaign is being launched in September by the Portman Group, an industry-affiliated group that promotes responsible alcohol consumption.

Posters and postcards with spoof cosmetic images will be displayed in pubs and coffee shops to bring awareness to the growing problem of binge drinking among women in Britain.

The campaign warns women that binge drinking can lead to weight gain, broken veins under the skin's surface, bloodshot eyes, and injuries.

"The facts speak for themselves: among young women aged 16 to 24, the proportion drinking more than 35 units per week has more than tripled, rising from 3 percent in 1998 to 10 percent in 2002," said Jean Coussins, chief executive of the Portman Group. "Binge-drinking plays havoc with your skin as it dehydrates. Drinking too much also interrupts your beauty sleep, which means you may not look your best the next day."

The group Alcohol Concern applauded the Portman Group's effort, but said more needs to be done to prevent binge drinking among women.

"The Portman Group's campaign is clearly a good idea and more public awareness needs raising. But it is not enough on its own," said Geethika Jayatilaka, director of policy and public affairs at Alcohol Concern. "Women are being targeted by retailers and alcohol producers more than ever before, in specific ways -- be it by targeting their appearance or image. If the industry wants to be serious about making women drink at less-harmful levels, they need to embrace that problem too and not just launch this campaign."