Mick75

Hi all,
Not too long ago 68 days to be exact, I always drank while watching sports, and if I was playing golf or bowling I drank.
The NFL has a tie in with Budweiser beer, the cans now come with team logos and in team colors. What really makes me mad now, is in 3rd quarter of a game they run this ad about which can will win. I just hate it, my kids watch football with me and the NFL is making the game about beer cans. I know I'm newly sober and probably hyper sensitive to alcohol ads, but come on make it about football, not beer sales.

CAPTAINZING2000

I can think of very few professional sports that don't use alcohol sponsors to some degree.

If it bothers you that much, go do things in the house until the game starts again.
I don't even pay attention any more.

PurpleKnight

Seems to be ingrained in sport these days, adverts, sponsorships, it's hard to get away from it, but it can be done.

I don't think we get bombarded as much with the NFL adverts over here, but I do see an increase when it comes to the Super Bowl, it's the world we live in I guess.

When I was newly Sober, I would get up and do something in the ad breaks, usually refilling my kettle for more tea, and then only tune in just before the games started to miss all the pre game adverts.

After a while you'll stop noticing it all!!

Mick75

Well that's good to hear and good advice, thank you.

tnman1967

The whole alcohol culture in mostly the western world is very prevalent, to the point that just about everything centers around alcohol. Most people can handle it or so they say. No one really takes a hard look at how many that really can't handle it. I think we are sold the idea that alcohol is something positive in small amounts. I'm not so sure anymore. I have a lot of friends who are so called social drinkers, but I think they are really victim of the alcohol society. It really isn't healthy and I guess I am on a high horse because I quit drinking. The alcohol lobby is very powerful and many are getting rich on people's desire for drink. I'm no fan of any mind altering substances but you'll see the same thing with pot here in the states soon. Once it gets culturally acceptable in about another generation or so. You will see ads for how cool it is to smoke weed. No one ever spend any money or thinks about the underlying reason for our desire to flee reality. I guess, I'm just tired of it since most of my life up until 3.5 years ago was a mess due to addiction. Heck, you can't even plan a cruise vacation without being bombarded with how much you can save on alcohol by buying the ultimate drink package, and make sure you mingle with the captain on the sail away party with a frozen drink in hand. All set up to make the masses think that you can't enjoy anything without drinking alcohol. I'm as fed up as you are with this glamorization of drink. The only way to survive is to learn how to tune it out. I'm successful for the most part but it's really hard around the holidays.

entropy1964

Booze is a 200 billion dollar biz here in the US. And the tax dollars? Huge. It is woven into absolutely everything, and available everywhere. I watch this goofy show called the Originals (don't judge me ) and they are downing scotch like its water. And this is a show geared toward teens.

Soooooo, I truly believe that kids don't do what their parents say cause they are too busy doing what we do. The best example I can set (and it's been **** poor thus far) is to not drink and teach my kid how dangerous booze can be if abused. She already knows this, unfortunately because of my actions. I'm not an alcoholic because of what I saw on TV. I believe what I saw at home contributed way more.

Hevyn

I know it's rough, Mick. I was very resentful for a while - but once I was more secure in my sobriety, it didn't bother me anymore. I don't want that lifestyle ever again - and I'm happy to be free.

Austin4Wyo

And while we're at it, let's stop soft drink ads out of deference to diabetics, anything with fat, salt, cholesterol, caffeine...

Makes me think of the dinner scene in Demolition Man.

My recovery depends on me. Booze ads are well beyond my sphere of influence. My recovery, as it's an inside job, is not.

Mick75

Was that the movie when Taco Bell won the fast food war? Sandra Bullock was so cute.

thomas11

Mick, as hard as it is, you have to let it go. Months from now, it will make no difference. It'll be like advertising Coca Cola with McDonalds.

RedAndy

Got to agree with everyone here Mick - early on / this time last year I thought of and saw nothing else - especially around the holiday season which was only a few weeks away and of course what we're entering now, every single advert seemed to be for the stuff, any programme would be centred around a pub - just try to blank it out or do something else / turn it off - don't drive yourself daft with it - seems that its absolutely everywhere you turn in the early days but believe me that really does fade and you rarely notice it after a while.

One thin I have noticed lately is I've found my interest in the sport (soccer) has wained somewhat too nowadays - the drinking culture totally encompassed any sporting event whether at home or attending, something I did for many years all over the country but you know what I can't remember half of them that I went to and in truth it became more about the day out and getting hammered than the sport in the end - ended up having to watch the game again the following day to try and see what I'd missed.

A million and one other things to do too and none of it is boring.