In Poland, influencer and activist Olga Legosz (known online as nomadmum81) has launched a new stage of her social campaign #PiwoToTeżAlkohol (Beer is also alcohol), aiming to eliminate alcohol advertising from public spaces. The campaign challenges the normalization of beer, especially non-alcoholic beer, as harmless, and criticizes how such messaging blurs the lines between soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. According to research from the Conscious Human Institute, 8 out of 10 minors in Poland have already had their first experience with alcohol, and 78% of them choose beer. Most started drinking at ages 10–12, often with encouragement or approval from their parents.

The data is striking. Seventy-seven percent of youth report seeing beer ads that associate drinking with positive emotions and lifestyle. More than three-quarters tried beer with parental approval. And 64% say access to alcohol, especially beer, is easy due to its low price and availability. Experts warn that earlier alcohol initiation significantly increases the risk of later addiction. The campaign argues that pushing back the age of first use by even one year reduces the risk of alcohol dependence by 14%.

Beyond reducing alcohol-related harm, Legosz proposes that increased taxes on beer could fund meaningful social programs, such as personal assistance services for people with disabilities—a model already standard in many countries. She draws a comparison to tobacco policy: once cigarettes were banned from public ads, smoking rates dropped. The same, she believes, can happen with alcohol if society recognizes that beer is also alcohol—and not something to be advertised on every street corner.

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