Working Thesis: Alcohol and prescription drug advertisements contribute to underage drinking and drug use because they increase familiarity with the substances and promote a deadly curiosity.
Alcoholism in adults and underage drinking have been an issue in the United States for many years. The number of youth arrested for alcohol related charges has increased as advertising has become more common. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 5,000 underage people die each year from alcohol related causes. Along with the large amounts of death, 50,000 college students experience date rape due to alcohol and 43,000 students are injured by others influenced by alcohol. Recently, studies have been conducted in many different
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It is self-regulating and has few requirements for the types of advertisements it is allowed to broadcast. The few regulations that are self-imposed are put in place to attempt to protect certain parts of the population such as children and teenagers. These regulations have recently been put aside and focus has been turned to marketing each product. The companies advertising these products have spent an overwhelming amount of money on their marketing campaigns. In the study by Ross et al. (2016) research was conducted from 2005 to 2012, an alarming $7.5 billion was spent on advertisements. Over 2,461,999 advertisements have been created in just a seven year period. A large amount of these advertisements have been broadcast on television programs intended for the youth population (Babor 5). The advertisements shown on the youth programs break the regulations put in place to protect this part of the population. The types of advertisements are the main cause of the issue of underage drinking. The portrayal of a potentially deadly substance as something positive, fun, and engaging product may be acceptable when it is marketed towards adults but is unacceptable to target the nation’s youth. Adults above the age of 21 have the cognitive ability to make their own decisions about the advertisements while children and teens are heavily influenced by what they see on television. “Alcohol advertising …show more content…
According to the Center of Disease Control, in 2014, 47,000 deaths were attributed to prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. There have been about 500,000 deaths since 2000. The Center of Disease Control monitors reports of deaths due to prescription drugs each year. The amount of deaths recorded increases every year by an alarming amount. The CDC reported from 2013 to 2014 a 14% rise in the number of deaths. One of the most prominent reasons for the continual increase is direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. The regulations for this industry are similar to the alcohol industry; both are self-regulating. The marketing campaigns for pharmaceutical drugs must have stronger regulations or be banned from broadcasting entirely. The CDC has provided data showing alarming numbers of deaths with a gradual increase each year. This can be drastically reduced if direct-to-consumer drug advertisements are banned. These advertisements do not promote a healthy lifestyle. Instead, they are promoting a harmful legal substance that kills more people than most illegal substances each year. The advertisements use many different tactics to create the desire needed to sell their product. Many of the marketing tactics include the use of emotional appeals. Advertisements show portrayals of people in pain or dealing with sadness before taking the drug and then show the effects of no pain, happiness, and smiles. These
Almasi, EA. “What are the Public Health Effects of Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising?”.PLoS Med. 2006 Mar. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1656304. Web. 5 April 2014.
Direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads are dangerous and can have serious effects on the health of the general public. In the article “Pros & Cons Arguments: ‘Should prescription drugs be advertised directly to consumers?’”, the pros and cons of the advertising of prescription drugs are compared. The negative aspects of these ads outweigh that of the positives. DTC prescription drug ads misinform patients, promote over-usage, and pressure medical providers. The counter side argues that these ads inform patients, create a positive impact on patient compliance with medication, and cause patients to confront their doctors.
In 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed a ruling to allow direct marketing to consumers as long as the pharmaceutical companies included warnings about possible side effects and other dangers. This change allowed for print-based marketing such as magazines, but in 1997, the FDA lessened the requirement for detailed warnings. Furthermore, the FDA ruled that TV ads containing only the main dangers of the drug were permissible, and this resulted in an inundation of the direct-to-consumer advertising on television. “One study showed that for each dollar of direct-to-consumer advertising on TV by the pharmaceutical company during 1999-2000 resulted in a return of $4.20 for each dollar spent. By 2005, the pharmaceutical industry spent over one billion on TV ads” (DeGeorge 319). Based on these facts, the advertising is paying off for these large pharmaceutical companies.
What is a depressant? Many individuals would give an answer such as a substance that depresses one’s mood. Although on the right path, depressants reduce functional or nervous activity; an example is alcohol. Alcohol, when excessively consumed, will result “in slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions, and an inability to react quickly” (What is Alcohol, 2014, para.1). In other words, the beverage totally recalibrates a human’s judgment of his actions and thought processes. Because of the knowledge about alcohol, states throughout the country construct federal laws mandating the consumption or sale of liquor. These requirements protect people from hazardous activities and health concerns. Unfortunately, by regulating legislative
About 1.3 million adults received treatment for an alcohol use disorder at a specialized facility just in 2013. According to the Proquest database, alcoholism is commonly referred to as the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. The world health organization estimates there are 140 million alcoholics worldwide. Alcoholism can lead to ca crashes, crimes, violence, abuse, reduced workplace activity and illness. Also according to centers for disease control and prevention, excessive alcohol use is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death in America. This paper will examine the pro, con, and my viewpoint on whether or not alcoholism is caused by a lack of willpower or not.
Every year, children watch an average of 20,000 commercials, with 2000 of them promoting alcoholic beverages. While many view them as harmless, logic would contend that these advertisements play an important role in influencing the attitudes and ideals that society’s youths relate to alcohol consumption. Many aspects of modern media deliver promises that once one engages in “drinking,” the will merge with a high society way of life where popularity, desirability and ultimately happiness are easily attained. While peers and families, environment and heredity, all contribute to one’s inclination to drink, more so, the messages revealed in TV shows, movies, mainstream music and even everyday commercials are constant and consistent in their encouragement of drinking alcohol.
“According to the U.S Surgeon General, about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking—from crashes, homicides, and suicides” (Bellenir 65). Reducing underage drinking can reduce drinking-related harm, and even though there are programs in place to help prevent these suicides, alcoholism continues to ruin the lives of underage drinkers. Alcoholics in general are walking billboards to major companies that advertise their products—especially underage drinkers that in the process make these companies wealthier. Alcohol abuse gives a false sense of security, self confidence, and maturity to underage drinkers that later commit crimes, violence, and are victims of homicides. Underage drinkers not being able to get back on their feet after falling in so deep into alcoholism, eventually hit rock bottom and wake up to a world they no longer belong to. Underage drinkers realizing that the turning point is far from close commit suicide.
In this paper, I will be discussing the effects of prescription drug advertisements in the United States. Although prescription drug advertisements
Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking, this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning’s. (Statistics as of 2006)
So why the hike in usage over such a short span of time? A few tentative conclusions have surfaced in response to the rapidly growing numbers. Research has shown that the absence of a parental figure within the household has proven to be an effective catalyst in spurring youth to participate in what would otherwise be considered reckless behavior. An additional explanation for the use of alcohol by an underage demographic can be the self-justification, created by youth, based on parental observation. If an adolescent actively participates in the consumption of alcohol, in an attempt to emulate the actions of their parents, then psychologically, that action would warrant that much more credibility.
Today, an average of 4,358 drinkers under the age of twenty-one are diagnosed with alcohol as a factor of their death. Mother Aleae Pennette never would have guessed that July 10, 2011 would be the day that her daughter would add on to that statistic. Fourteen year old Takeimi Rao was found dead that morning after mixing vodka and soda with her friends during a sleepover (Conley). Though extremely tragic, Takeimi was only one of 8.7 million minors and young adults (ages twelve to twenty) that reported having more than “just a few sips” of alcoholic beverages in the past month. Additionally, her age group is responsible for 11% of the alcohol consumed in The United States (“Underage Drinking”). Although the concept may seem implausible to some, the involvement that children had with alcohol nearly one hundred years ago could be an indirect cause of the millions of underage drinkers in The United States
Alcohol abuse is the most common problem, nowadays. In fact, majority of people drink alcohol repeatedly to the point where they have difficulty to stop. Statistics show that, as much as, “40% of college students report drinking five or more drinks in one episode” (Walters & Baer, 2006). Alcohol has become more popular over the years as advertisements, simultaneously with commercials of it, filled the media. It also is easily accessible and cheap in comparison to other psychoactive substances. On the other hand, alcohol safety awareness programs are barely noticeable. My research will present how alcohol and its abuse gets into people’s lives and how it influences their physical and mental health, as well as, social existence.
Should tobacco and alcohol advertising be allowed on television? The ban on advertising tobacco is already in affect, however, alcohol is another harmful substance. Should liquor be allowed to be advertised, if tobacco can not advertise their product? The ban on advertising tobacco products on television and radio, was passed through legislation in 1970 by Richard Nixon. This argument like others out there has two sides, one side in favor these advertisements and the other against these advertisements. Since both of these substances are highly addictive and costly. Would we like to see these advertisements continued? Are these advertisements the hazard they are communicated to be? Through the research of these two important sides, this essay will explore which side has a stronger stance on the topic.
Studies have been shown that underaged adolescents have successfully purchased alcohol at local liquor stores. Underage drinking as many know leads to a selection of crimes, brain damage and deaths. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 4,358 people under age 21 die each year from alcohol-related car crashes, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, and other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning. More than 190,000 people under age 21 visited an emergency room for alcohol-related injuries in 2008 alone (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "Underage Drinking”).
A teen who views these movies frequently is five times more likely to start drinking at a young age than a teen who does not view this material” (Media Influences on Juvenile Delinquency. (n.d.). The advertising industry invests about 1.7 billion dollars to lure in customers. Majority of the shows and commercial are viewed by the teen population. The television and movie industry is a mainstream to entice teens to a lot of unhealthy exposure. Not only does this industry promote underage drinking, but is also promotes the use of illegal drugs. “A teen who views this content is six times more likely to try a drug than a teen who is not exposed to this media. This drug use can also spark violence” (Media Influences of Juvenile Delinquency (n.d.).