Jean Kilbourne

To prevent the problems associated with alcohol abuse, alcohol advertising must be regulated, argues Jean Kilbourne in the following viewpoint. In order to appeal to their best customers—alcoholics—beverage companies promote alcohol abuse by creating myths that alcohol improves life when in fact alcohol addiction destroys lives, she contends. The alcohol industry, Kilbourne maintains, should not be allowed to make alcohol use appear harmless because such myth-making impedes efforts to educate the public about the real dangers of alcohol abuse. Jean Kilbourne, EdD, is the author of Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel (Simon & Schuster, 2000) and the creator of several award-winning films, including the “Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women” series.

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