Health Articles And Advice

There are a large number of mixed messages that we receive in our society today. Everything from what we eat, even to what we should wear changes from day to day in what is considered right or wrong. So why is it when a message giving warning of something being harmful, unhealthy and even illegal is not only dismissed, but the opposite message is promoted? The message in question is that of drinking alcohol and the issues that it creates.

The Accessibility and Acceptability of Alcohol. On the one hand, consider the thousands upon thousands of bars and taverns in the United States. Now add to this list the restaurants, night clubs, sporting events, festivals, state fairs, hotels, casinos, carnivals, etc. where alcoholic beverages are regularly served. Moreover, add the grocery stores, liquor stores, beverage stores, the Convenient Food Marts, the 7/11 stores, and the state stores where an adult can legally purchase as many bottles, cans, and/or cases of alcoholic beverages as he or she desires.

Alcohol exists in many places throughout our advertisements today and they all help to reinforce the concept that alcohol is both acceptable and “cool”. These ideas combined with accessibility can be confusing. From glitzy and sophisticated magazine advertisements to some of our funniest, and most memorable television commercials, alcohol is advertised for no other purpose than to get the product sold. We look forward to our favorite band’s tour that’s sponsored by a liquor label, or watching during Super Bowl halftime to see which beer commercial makes us laugh the hardest, never thinking that the promotional product could be harmful. People we look up to such as professional athletes and movie stars who affiliate themselves with alcohol either by their actions or advertisements can also send the message that alcohol is “cool.”

Alcohol is even present in ways and forms that we might not even realize or think of, Consider the religious rituals that make use of alcohol, cultural traditions that encourage drinking alcohol, special events and holidays that are associated with drinking alcohol, and the recipes calling for alcohol to enhanced flavor…when all of these are factored into the equation, it becomes obvious that alcohol is deeply woven into our society. The point is that when a person has alcohol constantly around them through events, traditions, holidays and advertisements, they become desensitized to the harmful effects alcohol carries. Instead alcohol becomes part of normal everyday life and alcohol can even be a means to “fit in” with peers.

If we are tolerant of alcohol by allowing its prevalence, acceptability, and accessibility, What is the flip side of the message? By the opposite viewpoint, alcohol is dangerous, unhealthy and illegal if consumed at or slightly above moderate levels. Take into consideration the numerous negative and harmful messages and statistics associated with alcohol abuse and drinking while driving that we have heard from the medical community, federal government, police, politicians, organizations such as MADD, and school and college administrators. It would make anyone ask why our society would be so accepting of the potential outcomes alcohol can bring.

Mixed Messages and Their Consequences. When something like alcohol use is so intimately ingrained in the fabric of our society, it becomes extremely difficult to significantly alter its use and abuse in a comprehensive and beneficial manner. I assert that one of the consequences of the mixed messages about alcohol use and abuse in our society it that it becomes extremely difficult for many individuals, especially our youth, to realistically see the destructive, unhealthy, and sometimes fatal aspects of alcohol abuse.

The Influence of the Judicial System. Unfortunately, the judicial system and the ways in which it has dealt with alcohol-related offenses is another example of the mixed messages in our society about alcohol. For instance, until very recently, people who have received multiple DUIs have, in many instances, simply received a “slap on the wrist” for their alcohol-related behavior.

Now however, some states are becoming more reality and accountability based in regards to these offenses. Laws have been passed making it a felony when a person receives his or her 4th DUI within a ten-year period. This sentence also carries time served in prison and hefty fines of thousands of dollars.

Jail time itself is not the only solution to those with alcohol issues. Unless the underlying need for drinking is discovered and dealt with while being incarcerated, many will return to the same self destructive habits once they are released. With alcohol intervention and treatment in jail, the individual is in a stable and environment with a positive success rate. Those who have participated in a alcohol treatment program are more likely to return to society as a productive and responsible person, ending their drinking and driving and therefore avoiding becoming a repeat offender in the system.

I am not necessarily disagreeing with those who preach “responsible behavior” regarding drinking. The bottom line, however, is one’s definition of “responsible behavior.” Let me explain. Let’s say that I have a lake that is used for swimming and that for whatever reason, hundreds of snapping turtles have populated this lake. Some people may say that “responsible behavior” in this example consists of warning all swimmers about the turtles and telling them to “be careful” while swimming. Others with a different point of view, however, might say that “responsible behavior” in this instance means warning the swimmers about the turtles, telling them to be careful while swimming, AND, at the same time, significantly reducing the turtle population so that there is less chance that the swimmers will get bit.

The education of our society on the health hazards, deaths and negative consequences of alcohol abuse are there but why don’t they work? To make it work, we need to practice more “responsible behavior” by ending the ways in which alcohol is made “cool” from our media, available in so many places and ingrained into our lifestyles. We should in turn, place more emphasize on increasing the advertisements, commercials, and public service messages that support healthy and safe alcohol-free activities and lifestyles.