TucTee

I can't help but notice the abject irresponsibiility arising by the projection of alcohol usage these days.

Amidst the inundation inflicted by the more prominent outlets of social thought (tv, print media, radio and Internet advertisement), the prevailing message is that alcohol consumption equals normalcy. You, as a consumer and member of society, are supposed to drink to fit in and avoid ostracism. The only disclaimer: "Drink reponsibiy".

What we then face is endorsement and acceptability of a drug as a primary facet of one's lifestyle. Portrayals of happy hours marked by rounds of drinks and hyperbolic social grace and excitement are designated as a goal. Conversely, not achieving such utopian status implicitly becomes a source of failure.

Why does someone fail to live out the fantasy of pure intoxicated jubilation? Because they've ingested poison. Because their brain chemistry is scrambled and they can't make rational decisions. This happens after even one drink.

But wait! That person couldn't hold their liquor during a night out? That person has becomes addicted to someone inherently addictive? That person is an outlier, not worthy of associating with normal, "functioning" drinkers. Let's develop for that person medical treatment and engender an organization where similarly-flawed persons can admit to shameful drinking behavior in private quarters.

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See what I'm getting at? We have a global milieu--albeit more prominently in the US and parts of Europe--that glorifies excessive drinking and ignores alcohol's intrinsic danger in simultaneously shunning those who have too much. Meanwhile, many of us here continue thinking we're wrong or exceptional because we happened to drink too much. I posit that it's the foregoing mentality toward drinking that casts us into this lot.

It's a shame that our world has selected alcohol as the dangerous drug to endorse. As illustrated above, the practical consequences of doing such can be quite non-sensical.

nomis

Yeah it sucks. I don't worry about it too much for myself, I can't ever drink again, but I do worry about the image that is projected to youth.

Here in Canada, Tobacco is very expensive and all products are labelled with many health warnings including graphic pictures. But we are far, far away from getting the public support needed to get that to apply to the alcohol industry.

I guess it's the lack of awareness, that someone people are much more predisposed to addiction, that is upsetting to me. The alcohol industry tries to promote the idea of "drink responsibly" as if everybody was equally able to do that, when in fact, some people, especially young people, are much more at risk of developing addiction than others.

losteverything

I get what you are saying, and agree. I think normal drinkers dont pull it all apart and investigate every little aspect of the behaviour like Alcoholics do. It simply isn't that important to them. The social aspect is perplexing though. If I were to imagine replacing Alcohol with any of the other intoxicants around, the behaviour certainly does appear outlandish. Could you imagine a Television commercial where a group of people are laughing and socializing, going over to their tray and injecting themselves with a needle? Or some old folks, sitting on the back of a boat, watching the sunset, picking up a straw and snorting a line or two? Alcohol has been proven one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs, yet its so socially acceptable. I also agree that we are encouraged to drink, but if we happen to go too far, get drunk or heaven forbid, get addicted to the addictive Alcohol, suddenly we are pariahs, flawed individuals deserving of scorn, derision and humiliation. Another thing, who decided when it suddenly becomes acceptable to partake in the poison? I dont remember growing up, being sober through my adolescence and formative teenage years, then having something suddenly happen in my brain, an immediate cognitive and behavioural cataclysm where I now could safely imbibe in an intoxicant at 19....

FourSeasons

Interesting Post!

Mentium

I agree with every word - and have often thought it..in shorter and..fewer words.



Just kidding.

dwtbd

In the broadest sense 'society' means people in general. So yeah people in general seem to want to drink , other more specific people engage in business to satisfy that want and market their brand.
The insidious idea I think that needs to be nipped in the bud, especially in our youth, is the idea that' people in general' get to make the 'rules' or somehow just by sheer number know what the hell their talking about it, more of a question everything ethos. A cultural grand shift back to individuality would make mass marketing less effective. We need to teach people to think for themselves , no matter what society seems to promote.
And just to point to the attitude toward one particular substance, Jesus wasn't happy with just water either

MTD

This is something I have discussed before. We know what horrible things happen when people drink. The portrayal of everyone having fun while drinking is so misleading. We as alcoholics know that according to statistics hose people in those commercials having fun while drinking a few are are active alcoholics! So what happens after the party? The fun is over for the alcoholic and it becomes a demon that you have to live with day in and out. I would like to see more commercials with people portraying the reality of after the fun and partying is over and the addiction that takes over. Drink responsibly what the hell does that mean???

caboblanco

You got to remember that it's only really poison in large doses which only us alcoholics take on a regular basis. Just because we can't drink doesn't mean other people can't have a few responsibly

TucTee

Exactly. And that was not meant to be pithy.

TucTee

True, but I was speaking more about the endorsement of heavier drinking. The commercials/ads don't explicitly show someone drinking 5 beers, but I feel that level of consumption is implied within the context of the ad. I mean, why else would they include a disclaimer if it was certain that people would only have one or two (aside from avoiding liability, of course)?

MTD

Yes that is great that people can drink and have fun but the reality is that alcohol kills and tears lives apart so why portray alcohol as something that people drink to have fun? Smoking is not endorsed on commercials anymore because it kills so how in the world does alcohol differ from that???

Joe Nerv

Interesting topic. Having grown up in the 60s and 70s I don't see it in the same way. I think we've in fact come an incredibly long way in changing all that kind of thinking. It still exists, but I constantly see commercials against drinking and driving, and the glamorization of alcohol has almost completely ended in movies and tv. Since the 80s the general population seem to have become concerned with health, physical and mental, than with partying and getting wasted. It's also IMO what we choose to focus on. If alcohol in the media, or any glamorization of it peeves us, it will stand out. If we're focused on other things, it just kinda disolves into the background of life.

I've been watching a lot of Alfred Hitchcock Presents lately, as it helps bore me to sleep. Back then, pretty much every interraction involved a drink and a cigarette. It seems really odd to me in this day and age, but makes me happy that it is indeed changing. For the better.

caboblanco

I understand but I'm not for the government putting all sorts of rules and regulations on what we can advertise. I mean do you expect them to have beer and liquor commercials go the same way those prescription drug commercials go with all the side effects? lol that would be funny actually. It would make a good Saturday night live skit i think.

TucTee

It definitely would, I've thought the same thing. Especially if you harp on death as a side effect matter-of-factly.