torquemax777

Kboys: I TOTALLY agree about the country music. In fact, when AH turns it to country on the radio, I do this, SIGH! and say, "why are we listening to this?" Sometimes he will say it's because the other station had too many commercials or news or whatever; but my stomach turns too. Sometimes I say "oh, cuz I hate country now, it just reminds me of your hardcore drinking days....." sometimes I say something to the effect of "ARGH!!! this just means you want to drink huh???" I still like certain country songs/singers, but I usually have an emotional connection to the song that was separate from his drinking; and the songs I like do not mention drinking!!! I like some Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire and that's just about it. A topic for another thread I suppose, but it would be interesting to start a thread about what sorts of sights, smells, sounds, places do people find repulsive now because it reminds them of their A and their drinking. ;-)

Hawks

I'm not sure why but there are TV shows now and in the past that are essentially based in bars.

Cheers
How i met your mother

Other shows, they are always on it, Two and a half men would be an example

Like you say, they get legless drunk but it's always funny.

No one gets killed in a car wreck, no one beats someone half to death with a barstool, no one punches their girlfriend,

Lack of imagination from script writers I guess.

The most realistic portrayals are homer Simpson and peter griffin

oldsoul1122

How about on t.v. show when a talk show host or guest for one reason or another takes a drink and the audience whistles, hoots and hollers? What's that about?

littlesister1

Well this is ENTERTAINMENT.
You want serious you watch a documentary
There are no comedies about rape or incest either

Methinks some folks are WAY oversensitized due to their life experience

IT ISN'T PERSONAL

IT'S MONEY

torquemax777

To old soul: exactly! Ellen does this all the time And she would be just as funny and... ENTERTAINING without it! Honestly, I don't like how TV is over sexualized either. So, littlesister, I'm gonna have to beg to differ with ya, sorry. TV was even more funny and ENTERTAING in decades past BEFORE it became popular to make the immoral and lewed the standard for all comedy.

littlefish

Alcohol in itself, as a beverage is not really the problem. The problem is that around 7-10% of the population will become addicted to it and cannot assimilate alcohol as a normal person. All those ads are more or less directed to the normal person, who can "have fun" with alcohol.

I am absolutely convinced that the large liquor companies knowingly produce the bulk of their product for the 10% of the population that is addicted to their product, because that 10% consumes somewhere around 60% of the product.

Having said that, though, advertising and glorification is not going to inspire an alcoholic to drink. Once an alcoholic is in the addicted or chronic phase, advertising and glorification is not needed. The big liquor companies know that. Which is why I often find their ads ludicrous. Anyone else think liquor ads are strangely psychedelic?

Alcoholism is everywhere, even in countries where wine is served with meals and drunk in moderation, for example. But, there is the theory that makes a lot of sense to me and that is the genetic predisposition for alcohol addiction or alcohol tolerance.

One study compared genetic groups with low levels of alcoholism with genetic groups that have higher levels. Groups that have a long exposure to alcohol had lower alcoholism rates, (such as 7 - 10,000 years ago). Goups that are newer to alcohol, (such as around 500 years ago), had very high rates. In my way of thinking, in light of this kind of information, I would like to see the labels on liquor bottles changed from "alcohol can be addictive" to "Alcohol can be addictive to 7-10% of the population".

torquemax777

It's not really that I'm afraid that it will encourage, inspire, or motivate non drinkers to drink or alcoholics to continue, though I do believe that the media does have a huge influence on the public's opinion; look at how do many teenage girls have eating disorders just from "seeing" not even hearing a whole dialog about it? That being said, it's more about how it just plain disgusts me how they make it all look so " normal/fun" it is much like my other thread about how certain sights, sounds, tastes, disgust us after having it remind us of something an alcoholic did. - the shows "feel" like they are mocking our pain and sorrow ON top of subconsciously influencing people that drinking is just one big party that everyone who doesn't join its a big fat loser. Did you know that movies used to "flash' for a milasecond stuff at the snack bar; candy, soda etc.. To " inspire " us to go buy their stuff? And in smart recovery they teach alcoholics that even driving past a billboard ad promoting booze or a bar can " trigger" a craving. That being said, my focus on this thread, was more that those shows induce a nausea in me that is much like when you see an ex out with their new love being all love struck and romantic.... Just " yuck " on so many levels.

peaceofpi

The heavy advertising/culture of drinking aids and abets the alcoholics' "everyone does it" and "I can drink like everyone else" quackery.

Littlefish, I agree with your statement: "I am absolutely convinced that the large liquor companies knowingly produce the bulk of their product for the 10% of the population that is addicted to their product, because that 10% consumes somewhere around 60% of the product."

Exactly. Hard liquor in particular is attractive to alcoholics, because they think you can't smell it (ha!) and it's about $1,000 per year cheaper. I know alcoholics (mine included) who purchased about 72 vodka bottles per year, or one every 5 days. With about 40 1.5 ounce drinks in a $20 1.75 liter bottle, that's about $.50 per shot - a lot cheaper than $.83 per 12 oz. beer (equivalent amount of alcohol).

I wish we had much higher taxes on hard liquor. It could help pay for domestic violence hotlines and programs for the many, many spouses and kids who have to escape dangerous situations with abusive alcoholics.

peaceofpi

Also, it would be cool if there was a TV show based on the point of view of a spouse in recovery living with and/or divorcing an alcoholic spouse. It could show the fun and glamour of the alcoholic lifestyle, such as:
* Peeing on the bedroom floor in the middle of the night and then blaming the dog (cue the laugh track)
* Ranting on about nonsense
* Projections, abusive blaming, other NPD behavior, passing out while driving, etc.
Feel free to add to this script. You've lived it.

torquemax777

Pieceofpi; I absolutely love your t. Show idea! :-)

torquemax777

This summer my AH and a friend of ours went camping. My AH spent most of the time not there because he was either rounding up more booze or friends to party with; when he was there, he would pass out, then the partiers would show up to party, and he would be passed out. So we came up with this whole script for the " Sleeping Jeremy Show" we came up with all these episodes based on his drunken antics. Sort of a " dark comedy" of sorts. Funny you mentioned the TV show! What else could we add to your suggestions?? ? ( I like your peeing in the closet then blaming it on the dog) :-) I know, how about an episode where a guest at a neighboring hotel comes to my door to let me know my AH is passed out in the driveway? That actually happened to me awhile back. The guy looked at me like I had two heads or was Satan when I nonchalantly replied, " I know, he's just passed out drunk." The guy told me I better go get him cuz the police have been contacted. I guess he hasn't been informed that retrieving him from the driveway would be a form of " enabling. "

lynx914

You're so right torquemax777 I absolutely HATE how glorified alcohol is. I'm 23 and as a young person feel totally surrounded by it all the time, people bragging about how wasted they got or the things they did when drunk. Even my professors/ teachers/ bosses in the past have made jokes that glorify and condone drinking as though it's something that's cool and surely these people should know better when they're in positions of responsibility/ authority?

I started drinking really young and now at the age of 23 have serious alcohol issues. Now I can see other kids and young people starting out in the ways that I did. I had two 14/15 year old girls ask me to go in to the off license for them last week.

Like you said what happened with cigarettes should happen with alcohol. Movies like the Hangover, songs like Wasted, etc. need to stop!

The sad thing is then when something does go wrong, a person becomes an alcoholic, does something stupuid when drunk, etc. then they are stigmatized and often ridiculed or are social pariahs. What does the world expect to happen when alcohol, an addictive, mind altering substance is consumed in vast quantities throughout society?! For there to be no problems?!?!?

My little brother is 17 and even though he has seen me go through what I am with alcohol he still thinks it's cool to drink... like it will never happen to him or any of his friends... well that's what I used to think too. and look how that turned out.

My gran says Alcohol is the Devil's poison. truer words never spoken.

peaceofpi

Torquemax777, I like "The Sleeping Jeremy Show." Reminds me of the many times he said, "I'll just go run an errand" (and my errand is buying myself more booze) or the times I brought friends with kids to the house, during daylight, and there he was passed out nekkid facedown. Good times.

torquemax777

The sleeping Jeremy show is a coping mechanism to make the horrid entertaining; plus, he sorta has to deal with some humiliation ( even sober) when me and our friend is recapping the latest episode. Opposite of glorifying alcoholism, we are in essence excluding him from our " club" and hopefully, illustrating to him how " un cool" he is to every one around him.

redatlanta

I suppose it can be looked at as glorification - I don't see it that way. Advertising is reflecting the responsible side of alcohol. That one can enjoy an evening that can be enhanced by responsible drinking. Stung mentioned that the rate of alcoholics to responsible drinkers is a wide chasm. So might it be fair to say why should the mass responsible drinkers have to pay the price for the addict? just throwing that out there to ponder I haven't put a lot of thought into that.

I don't think that alcoholism or irresponsible drinking is not addressed in advertising. As I drive home in Atlanta there is a huge billboard on the side of the road that says something along the lines of "was not paying for that $25 cab worth $10k" in reference to the cost of a DUI. Shows like Intervention and the like continue to program yearly. We see commercials nightly for treatment centers. "Don't drink and drive" are shown on lighted billboards throughout the city. No, that is not capturing the full extent of alcoholism but its also not neglecting the dangers of drinking either.

I'd like to be that person that can eat whatever I want and stay thin but I am not. If I blamed advertisers for eating crappy food no one would be on my side I would be told its my problem - and you know what? It is. Yet the effects of obesity are the number 1 health concern and cause for illness in this country from diabetes to heart disease - far beyond alcoholism or even smoking.

I have gotten drunk many times. Getting drunk = feel like sh!t next day. Getting Drunk = eating crap and gaining weight. Getting drunk = spending more money than I intended. Getting drunk = doing things I have regretted later. So when I hear people talking about getting 'trashed" and what a great time they had it may be for them, but for me not so much. So I choose not to.

Should all advertising be stricken because there is someone who is negatively affected by all of it?

Resources for getting help for addictions are plentiful and many are free. Its the choice to get sober that gets people sober.

The moral is we all have our problems. We all do things that aren't good for us. Whether you choose to live healthy is your choice - IMO has zero to do with advertising or tv shows or movies.

fluffyflea

Because it's legal and it makes money.

Also there isn't as bad a stigma attached to being an Alcoholic as there is being
an addict.