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I think this is a very complex issue, far more than just the advertising aspect but something has to be done to change the current culture of drinking to excess. Maybe banning advertising is a drastic step, perhaps more control over the type of advertising might be better.
I saw countless lives ruined by alcohol during my 21 years in the AFP with the very obvious common theme being 'people trying to fit in'. The problem was just as evident in affluent households as it was in the 'battler' homes.
Peer pressure is an enormous burden, not just with young people but in most age groups and occupations, even in the Police Force there was an expectation to have a drink or ten with your mates. In the building industry it is the same thing, with some of the people I worked with consuming at least a dozen cans a day after work.
Most people are naturally shy in groups and use alcoholic drinks to overcome their shyness. Unfortunately the youth today cannot be told by their elders, especially when the elders haven't been the greatest role models. (Apples don't fall far from the tree)
Will a ban on advertising reduce the chance of a young person taking up drinking? I think it will certainly help but I think the real solution is for parents to get their kids interested in something else.
These days, with both parents working in most households out of a perceived need, the kids are really left to grow up on their own and to do that they have fit in with the crowd.
I decided long ago to spend time with my kids, we have sailed, swum, jet-skied, kayaked and snow skied as a family for 25 years. My son and I have a beer or two every now and then, my daughter and I share a red wine but neither has ever come home drunk nor have they ever seen me drunk.
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