An Introduction

The goal of this blog is to establish the fact that the amount of alcohol-related images that are viewed by today’s youth in the media are sending bad messages to them. In music, television, movies, advertisements and more, they are constantly being told how fun alcohol is, that it is imperative to their having a good time, and that it is the “cool” thing to do.

This notion of “cool” seems to be the driving point of everything though. The cool people at the parties are drinking alcohol. The cool celebrities talk and sing about how much fun they have with alcohol. During breaks between sports games (where alcohol ads are most prevalent), teens see that if they were drinking while watching these sporting events, they would feel cooler and have a better time.

The 10 posts below are just a few examples of how the media is having a lasting impression on the youth’s view of alcohol. There are hundreds more in all kinds of mediums. Surely, if you are reading this right now you can think of a few examples yourself. Undoubtedly you have a memory of a funny alcohol commercial, or a party scene from one of your favorite movies, not to mention the countless ads peppered into the magazines and billboards kids surely see each and every day.

“Every year kids and teens see close to 20,000 commercials. Of these, approximately 2,000 are for alcoholic beverages. Add to these other forms of advertising (magazine ads, billboards, Web sites and brand-related clothing and products), signage at sporting events, sponsorship of professional and college teams and sports TV and radio programs, and most young people will have seen approximately 100,000 alcohol ads by the time they turn 18,” (Media Awareness Network, Alcohol Advertising and Kids).

All of these things affect the viewers’ perceptions of drinking. This makes it especially dangerous when being viewed by kids who do not even fully understand the effects alcohol can have.

For those who don’t believe that today’s youth is being intentionally exposed to these images of alcohol, look a little harder, and you’ll be surprised. Many colleges, specifically the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University, are doing comprehensive studies that prove otherwise.

“Coupled with lax age verification, many alcohol companies have designed their Web sites in a way that appeals to youth. Budlight.com, for example, is full of interactive features that have a broad appeal to teens. Visitors can play games, listen to music, watch and rate Bud Light ads, and send Bud Light emails to friends. There are also a number of items that can be downloaded, including alcohol branded desktop wallpaper, instant messaging icons, and screensavers,” (freebowl.com/alcohol_industry, Booze In Cyberspace).

So feel free to browse the blog for yourself, comment on the posts that seem to have a lasting impression. Feel free to mention anything you feel is worth adding to the site. A works cited for the research done for this site can be seen as the final post on the site and I would recommend reading some of those articles mentioned if you want to learn more about the effects of alcohol in the media on today’s youth.

LMFAO - Shots ft. Lil Jon

There really isn't much to say about this song that can't be understood from the title, or the just-as-obvious song lyrics. LMFAO, a band very popular with the 21 and under crowd, likes to pepper their songs with references to aggressive drinking. None of these songs are nearly as in-your-face about it as "Shots" though.

This song can be found at any number of college or high school parties, but has also featured on ESPN during college basketball games this past year. The song has gained prominence with a young audience that does not need to be told to take shots while still underage.

The song's chorus is literally the singers just screaming shots over and over. It's a no-so-subliminal message that tells kids that they should be drinking. The lyrics of the song are all about the "great" things that happen when everybody drinks. Again, not exactly the best message for teenagers.

Captain Morgan Four Guys

For as long as I can remember, I have been seeing ads for Captain Morgan, a spiced rum liquor. This started when I was extremely young, with a billboard that was very close to my house that held an ad for them for years. Following that, the ads began to appear of TV. It wasn't until a few years ago, likely a decade after I first started seeing these ads, that I even realized that what they were advertising was alcohol.

It is scary to think that kids are seeing and encoding these images and ads into their minds, not even knowing what they were for until years later. Once I discovered that Captain Morgan was a type of alcohol, all of the ads I had seen over the years came rushing back to me. It was almost as if I was being sold a product years in advance so I would want it in the future.

The following is a recent ad for Captain Morgan. I wonder if years later kids will remember this ad and what it will mean to them.

Gucci Mane - Wasted ft. Plies

Ha, rock star lifestyle might don't make it
Living life high everyday click wasted
Sipping on purple stuff rolling up stanky
Wake up in the morning 10 clock dranking

Party, party, party, let's all get wasted
Shake it for me baby girl, do it butt naked
I'm so wasted, she so wasted shout the bartender
Send 20 more cases

I could write down a few more lyrics from Gucci Mane's "Wasted", but I think the first two verses drive the point home. The rest of the song is exactly the same. Not only is it promoting binge drinking at all hours of the day, but also drugs and sex along with it.

Now this song never saw the amount of popularity that "Tik Tok" or "Say Aah" did, but this song undoubtably reached a number of teens. The message of this song could not be simpler: It's cool to get wasted. Getting drunk is the hip thing to do. With songs like this clogging up the airwaves it's not wonder that underage drinking is so prevalent.

Quick Facts About Alcohol Ads and Youth

The following are a list of facts gathered by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University:

Alcohol advertisers spent $2 billion on alcohol advertising in measured media (television, radio, print, outdoor, major newspapers and Sunday supplements) in 2005.

A national study published in January 2006 concluded that greater exposure to alcohol advertising contributes to an increase in drinking among underage youth. Specifically, for each additional ad a young person saw (above the monthly youth average of 23), he or she drank 1% more. For each additional dollar per capita spent on alcohol advertising in a local market (above the national average of $6.80 per capita), young people drank 3% more.

Researchers followed 3,111 students in South Dakota from seventh to ninth grade, and found that exposure to in-store beer displays in grade 7 predicted onset of drinking by grade 9, and exposure to magazine advertising for alcohol and to beer concessions at sports or music events predicted frequency of drinking in grade 9.

An econometric analysis using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 estimated that a 28% reduction in alcohol advertising would reduce adolescent monthly alcohol participation from 25% to between 24% and 21%, and would reduce adolescent participation in binge drinking from 12% to between 11% and 8%.

^{An effort to estimate the likely effects of several alcohol policies on youth drinking behavior in the U.S. population concluded that a complete ban on alcohol advertising would be the most effective, resulting in 7,609 fewer deaths from harmful drinking and a 16.4% drop in alcohol-related life-years lost.}

^{If young people like alcohol ads, they are more likely to have positive expectancies about alcohol use and to intend to drink or to drink.}

A USA Today survey found that teens say ads have a greater influence on their desire to drink in general than on their desire to buy a particular brand of alcohol

View the full list at http://www.camy.org/factsheets/index.php?FactsheetID=1

Super Bowl Ads: House of Bud Light

Many teenagers watch sports, and parents rarely have a problem with this. Why should they? Of all the programs featuring drugs, sex, and violence, sports sounds like a great alternative. Except for one thing. Many if not all sporting events feature advertising for alcohol. Most of these ads are funny too. Since I can remember, I have been watching the Super Bowl, and always love the funny beer commercials. At a young age it is being imprinted into the minds of these kids that alcohol is fun and funny. It's an all around good time. This not only helps the kid associate good feelings with alcohol, but also peak their interest.

Below is a recent ad for Bud Light. This is one of hundreds of alcohol ads children have beed subjected to over the years.

Superbad Party Scene

The classic high school party. It's been done for decades. For my generation growing up I recall "Can't Hardly Wait," "10 Things I hate About You," and "American Pie" all glorifying these fantastic parties that awaited me when I got a little bit older, and at the center of every party was copious amounts of alcohol. I remember thinking to myself at the time, "I have friends who want to do this, all we need to do it get this alcohol and have a great time, just like in all the movies."

The following clip is an extended version of the party scene at the end of "Superbad," a recent successful film that was widely praised for creating a realistic image of high school. Again everything is surrounding the drinking, telling children that the party doesn't exist without alcohol.

Now I'm sure many might say that since the film is rated R younger children shouldn't be watching this, but let's be realistic. Most children above 13 that wanted to see this movie likely have. Plus, it's on basic cable now. Also, just because you're old enough to get into an R-rated movie does not necessarily mean that you are 21, the legal drinking age.