Pgh. Councilman Pushes Responsible Drinking Ads

Nighttime partiers in Oakland and the South Side might soon be seeing reminders of the effects of too much drinking.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus wants to initiate a “responsible hospitality” advertising campaign using billboards designed by the University of Florida. The ads show young men and women in embarrassing positions because of excessive alcohol consumption.

Kraus says one ad shows a young lady bent over a toilet, warning the reader to not “be that girl.” Another depicts a rather flaccid beer bottle, with text reading “drinking too much may disappoint you and your partner.”

Kraus says the billboard campaign would be part of a larger effort to increase civility amongst young partygoers. He says to that end, Pittsburgh will host a Sociable City Network conference on June 8 to increase dialogue on responsible hospitality.

The billboards would be implemented through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Kraus says informing revelers before citing them is key to successfully “remediating the problem.”