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As the public concern about youth drinking mounts, there has been continuing debate among policy-makers and scholars about the role of alcohol advertising in causing youth to drink alcoholic beverages. To examine the relationship between drinking alcoholic beverages and advertising exposure among youth 15-26 year olds, a large-scale national longitudinal study was conducted. Survey data over four time periods from 1873 individuals living in 24 different media markets was matched with data about the amount of television, radio, and outdoor advertising in their market. The study found that alcohol advertising exposure led to increased youth drinking to a greater extent than drinking led to subsequent alcohol ad exposure. Self-reported advertising exposure accounted for 17 percent of the variance in youth drinking amounts. A test of the reverse causality hypothesis found that prior drinking explained as much as 8 percent of the variance in subsequent ad exposure. Drinking levels were slightly affected by the mere amount of alcohol advertising in the market. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]