Alcohol in Pop Culture

Click here to read more about how young adults are being exposed to more alcohol advertisements on television than adults are.   

The first lines of this song are, "teen drinking is very bad. yo i got a fake ID though." The second part of that statement counteract the first part. Instead of sending a message that underage drinking is wrong, it actually promotes it. It sends a message that having a fake ID to acquire alcohol and to get into clubs is the cool thing to do, and that everybody is doing it, so you should too. Songs like these promote unhealthy behaviors for teens. 

Click here to read more about drinking on television shows. 

Amos Barshad, vulture.com

Is it acceptable for alcohol companies to create ads targeting underage drinkers?

Alcohol advertisers using social media to target teens.Teens don’t have to buy magazines or watch tv to see ads commending the supposed glamor of drinking. Teens are being overexposed to ads that send the message that drinking is cool and glamorous, and it is causing them to engage in underage drinking. Check it out in the link above. 

Bruce Lee Livingston, Alcohol Justice’s Executive Director and CEO

There's more than a bit of underage boozing in the 2007 film "Superbad". Films like these promote the idea of underage alcohol consumption without showing the negative consequences of this illegal action. It enforces the idea that underage drinking is cool and fun. But it fails to show the reality of the situation - that underage drinking is illegal and there are sever consequences if you are caught. Teens watching movies like this one only get half of the story. 

Young people are exposed to many types of alcohol advertising in spaces that mainly attract their age. This high exposure impacts the decisions and behaviors young people make when it comes to underage drinking. The advertisements are targeted at the wrong age groups. And they are having negative effects on the health and wellbeing of young adults. 

This music video puts it in our heads that it is okay to blame bad behavior on excessive drinking. It tells us that it is excusable to make bad decisions when drinking. It tells us that we should not be held accountable for our actions when we are under the influence, but we most definitely should be. It is sending a bad message to everyone about decision making when under the influence. 

This link features a report on how youths being exposed to more and more alcohol ads has a negative effect on their health. Young adults and teens are being overexposed to alcohol ads which is causing them to start drinking prematurely and causing young adults that already drink to drink at higher levels. This puts young adults more at risk for health problems.