Alcohol-related problems, such as bingeing and drink-driving, are best tackled by addressing the culture behind them rather than preaching abstinence, according to a German sociologist.
Good prevention, in the case of young people, had to delve into youth culture by addressing the reasons that led young people to drink, for instance, Stephen Quensel said.
"Drinking is a genuine social-cultural activity... Alcohol prevention measures that preach abstinence to young people are like trying to teach youngsters Mozart instead of techno or house music," he stressed.
Dr Quensel was speaking at a business breakfast by The Sense Group (TSG), the Maltese alcohol industry's sensible drinking lobby.
He said that, although positive, prohibitive measures such as raising the drinking age could serve to push young people outside controlled environments.
The comment comes in the wake of a suggestion by the Maltese health authorities to raise the drinking age from 17 to 18 and barring people under 21 from drinking any alcohol if they drive.
In fact, the Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, launched last week, recommended cutting the alcohol limit for driving for adults from 80 milligrams of alcohol to 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.
The European Commissioner for Health, John Dalli said easing the burden of alcohol-related harm was one of the toughest health challenges for the EU.
About 23 million Europeans were dependent on alcohol and statistics showed alcohol-related ill health cost the EU 1.3 per cent of its GDP, he said. Moreover, the World Health Organisation had also established that a quarter of deaths among young people were connected to alcohol consumption.
"We have a responsibility to take stronger measures to protect the most vulnerable," he said, adding this was not only up to governments and health professions. The industry also had a part to play.
And Europeans wanted more control on alcohol, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, he pointed out.
According to the survey published last month, the overwhelming majority of Maltese consume some type of alcoholic beverage on a regular basis and 38 per cent admitted to binge drink at least once a month.
About 93 per cent of those interviewed said they agreed with measures banning the sale of alcoholic drinks to people under 18. The majority, 73 per cent, also wanted the level of blood alcohol to be decreased for young and novice drivers.
The TSG has launched a new website aimed at helping people understand the consequences of one drink too many. The site, www.drinkawaremalta.com, contains information to help alcohol consumers understand their limits and how alcohol works on the body.
It also provides tips on how to drink sensibly by, for example, avoiding drink-driving by allocating a designated driver for the night.
TSG chief executive Joseph Farrugia said the website would eventually be translated into Maltese. He added that the TSG planned to continue with its sensible drinking campaigns and, later this year, would release a code of practice for the industry that would include points on advertising and packaging.