Despite a legal ban on selling alcohol to those under 18, beer is the most commonly consumed alcoholic beverage among Polish minors, with 78 percent of underage drinkers admitting to trying it, often with parental permission, according to the report by the Warsaw-based NGO Conscious Human Institute.
In 2022, nearly 3,000 hours of beer advertisements were aired on Polish television, equivalent to broadcasting nonstop for four months, the study found.
Marek Krzystanek, a professor specializing in health sciences and a contributor to the report, explained that this level of exposure normalizes beer consumption, particularly among young people.
He said that beer advertisements, often tied to cultural and sports sponsorship, portray a lifestyle that resonates with teenagers, making it difficult to shield minors from their influence.
“Teenage brains are especially sensitive to contextual cues like music, sounds, and images,” Krzystanek said. “The lifestyle shown in beer ads is what attracts young people, not the product itself. These ads condition positive attitudes toward drinking.”
The report also identified adult permissiveness and peer pressure as significant factors in underage drinking.
Sixty-six percent of respondents said beer is the easiest alcoholic drink to access due to its low price and widespread availability. Nearly one-third of minors admitted to successfully purchasing beer themselves, often encountering little resistance from store employees.
The study criticizes Poland’s inconsistent alcohol policies. While the government recently banned "alcotubes" — alcohol products packaged like children's fruit purees — it allows widespread advertising of beer, even during televised events that minors watch.
Krzystanek argued that this undermines efforts to delay alcohol initiation, a critical factor in reducing the risk of future addiction.
“Every year we delay underage drinking reduces the risk of alcohol dependence in adulthood by 14 percent,” he said.
Janusz Krupa, head of the Conscious Human Institute, called for stricter regulations on beer advertising, equating its impact to the dangers posed by alcotubes.
“If alcotubes were rightly banned for targeting minors, the same outrage should apply to beer advertising,” he said.
The Conscious Human Institute NGO, founded in 2017, focuses on public health issues such as alcohol misuse, smoking and chronic diseases.
It advocates for policy changes to address key health risks in the country.
(rt/gs)
Source: pap-mediaroom.pl