Alcohol on TV
 

Is is just me being more sensitive to it, or does it seem like in just about every show a deal is sealed, sorrows are drowned, events are celebrated, all with a drink? Perhaps it is just the fact that TV shows are representative of our society in general, or maybe just that I am in the early stages of trying to seperate myself from alcohol, and it is more noticable to me, or maybe it's just the shows I happen to watch. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Hope everyone is well today. Take care all.

I was just talking about that with my wife. I think we are more aware, sensitive to it, tuned into it and we live in an addicted society that promotes it on every level. I'm just happy as a sober clown that I'm not watching that stuff with a drink in my hand.

During the first 3 weeks after I quit drinking I noticed every bar I passed, I noticed the beer aisle in every store I went into, every neon beer sign inside a restaurant window. As far as TV, I dont watch alot but I imagine it is the same thing. It is heavily advertised. But I did feel like it was 'everywhere I went'. I still notice it now, but my reaction is a lil less strong than it used to be.

You are probably more sensitized to it now but it is true that our culture is one where alcohol is pretty front and center.

The messages are pretty clear:

Wine is pretty much synonymous with romance in movies and television. Hot date=fire and a nice bottle of red. You wouldn't want to be watching sports without beer in hand. What commercials are you looking forward to most during the Super Bowl? Budweiser probably. Binging on alcohol is a rite of passage from teenage years to early adulthood around 21 years old. A kegger, walks of shame, beer bongs, all make up a "typical" collegiate experience if you go by media standards. Sophisticated city folk drink cocktails after work à la Sex in the City. You are single and free and meeting men. I don't know— I am almost hard pressed to find "fun" situations presented by the media that are alcohol free. Weddings? God, that would be a boring wedding. Parties? Nope. Alcohol is extremely accepted in our society. It is interesting to think about what that means.

I disagree. BUT there was a TON of alcohol on TV a little over a year ago, when I got sober.
But today, everyone, everywhere is SMOKING! WTH??? Why when I quit smoking does everyone smoke?
hehe. Yup, I think it is us being more sensitive to it.

I remember when I was watching I used to think "see, everyone drinks, not just me." I think I'm the opposite. I still laugh at some of the beer commercials, however during the holidays??? Jeez!!! Yeah, then there are TONS of "drinking" commercials. Tis the Season. ;)

Well about the most popular TV programme in U.K is the soap opera Eastenders which for the information of anyone not in the UK is all about the life of a community based around a pub.

it's on 4 times a week andwe see all the characters coming in and out of this pub and getting regularly "wasted"!
Like for vegibean watching Eastenders made me feel normal-they drink every single day in that programme yet apparently according to statistics in real life "normal" people don't.

These programmes make us feel that it is normal to be drinking all the time and at the slightest problem they get a drink(and it often magically solves the problem too).
If those characters were drinking in real life as much as they are seen to in the programme they certainly would not look like they do-they would be fat, have red blotchy faces and big bags under their eyes. Apparenly this has been pointed out to the makers of the programme and their response was that "it's just television" and they expect people to make the difference between fiction and reality.

Personally I think that's a bit of a weak excuse!

I'm not partial to country music, anyway, but wow there are a lot of songs that glorify drinking.

I watch the Weather Channel, Nat Geo, History, Discovery, TLC...stuff like that...and there is very little alcohol to be found amongst that selection.

One of my favorite TV shows is (okay, this is a little embarrassing) "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette." On every single date on the show, there is alcohol involved. The couples always have a glass of red or a glass of white in their hands. They never seem to show the effects of alcohol -- never sleepy, never hungover. It's very strange. Totally glorified.

Not even just tv, I read a lot and I swear in every book the characters are meeting for a drink, having a beer at home, having wine over dinner.... am I just hypersensitive? :wtf2

So true! I love those shows too. Jillian admitted that she drinks blanks during the rose ceremony. Why does it have to look like wine then???

I am partial to country music and when I was drinking I could not have agreed with you more, but now that I have been sober a while I have found that about half of the drinking songs sing the woes of drinking and the other half glorify it.

There are some awesome recovery songs in country music, I guess I just ignored them when I was drinking.