As students prepare to go back to school this month, they will undoubtedly recycle their summer reading, lighter material such as magazines. In these magazines, they probably saw alcohol ads. On their summer vacation, students were also exposed to ads at concession stands, grocery stores, and on TV and radio.

Youth are bombarded with daily messages from the alcohol industry to "drink responsibly." While many adults older than 21 can drink responsibly, young people typically do not. Too many young people binge-drink, and the alcohol advertising saturating their environment contributes to this problem.

Our youth are drinking too much, too soon -- and this shouldn't be the norm. Alcohol is the drug most abused by young people. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at 21. The 2003 Institute of Medicine's report, "Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility," estimates the social cost of underage drinking at $53 billion, including $19 billion from traffic crashes and $29 billion from violent crime.

No matter how well North County parents and educators raise our children, there will still be beer billboards on a weekend drive, ads for the latest "alcopops" (carbonated alcoholic drinks) in popular magazines, digitalized sales pitches for booze in sports venues, clever cardboard cutouts at our neighborhood supermarket, and bikini-clad babes filling airspace between PG-13 made-for-TV flicks.

The North Coastal Prevention Coalition took a small step towards countering the messages of the alcohol industry by posting its own advertising: a billboard at Highway 78 and Emerald during July. The billboard reminded us all of "social host" ordinances. When people allow underage drinking in their home or at their party, they risk receiving a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail.

Oceanside recently amended its social host ordinance, and officers are receiving training to make sure it's enforced. You can still check out the billboard in an animated version before all movies at the Vista Krikorian theater through the end of next month.

But one billboard and ad are not enough to counter the influence of alcohol advertising. We can attempt to divert our kids' attention from all of these influences that absorb into their minds, to avoid an "alcohallucination," but it is difficult to compete with more than a billion dollars being spent on alcohol marketing, advertising and promotion.

But we don't have to be passive targets of the alcohol industry. The Marin Institute, a Northern California-based alcohol industry watchdog, says the industry shouldn't have a one-way conversation with our youth, with us, through advertising. We can "Talk Back" to Big Alcohol by visiting their Web site at www.marininstitute.org/talkback.

With the Institute's easy, three-step system, you can identify ads, what alcohol product it promotes, and why you feel the ad is irresponsible. You print and mail the complaint to the appropriate alcohol trade organization and the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees advertising. Marin even gives you the address.

Parents, don't let your teens suffer from an alcohallucination this school year. Alcohol marketing is everywhere. Acknowledge and discuss it with your family before the industry hooks our teens for life.

Victoria Carlborg is the media/prevention specialist with the Tri-City Prevention Collaborative at the Vista Community Clinic. She can be reached at 760-407-1220, Ext. 143 or victoria@vistacommunityclinic.org.