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Anyone else feel this way? I am so sick and tired of how they portray beer in commercials (even the Whiskey ones with Mila Kunis now! Like its all sexy for your man to be downing a few) In a new Light one they are obviously targeting 20 somethings, showing happy, super fit girls in bikinis holding a beer and fit guys jumping into a pool and everyone laughing and the slogan is basically live life and have fun. WTF. I cringe when I see this crap. Maybe they should show 20 years down the line when the men/women look like crap from drinking every day, and the heartache and pain it brings the families and children. When I am sitting with my trying to be sober bf and those commercials come on, showing a fresh cold beer I just wanna cry. That's like dangling heroin in front of a user. Sickens me. And BEER and ALCOHOL being promoted at sports events. UGGGG this is even what our children see watching a football game. GRRRRRRRR needed to vent on this one.
-- Edited by Aerin on Wednesday 1st of June 2016 08:34:15 AM
Hi Aerin, No I do not hate beer commercials I am an ex smoker and understand your concern about drinking commercials Our society has recognized the dangers of smoking and have reduced, if not eliminated the commercials. When I pass someone who is smoking on the street, I immediately go back to the joy of smoking even 6 years after I stopped. I still do not pick up because I understand that I am addicted and one cigarette will lead me right back to 3 packs a day. My sister on the other hand can smoke one cig. today and then smoke another in 3 months without a problem. We are different!!!
Our society has still not accepted that alcoholism is dreadful disease that causes untold heartache and severe illness. Until they do we will have to understand that for many drinking is harmless and enjoyable and for those who have the disease they need to find AA and use those tools.
Aerin - I too am not affected by beer or alcohol commercials. It took me a long time in recovery to understand that people with addictive brains do not consume substances responsibly.....others do, and in spite of what I have experienced, seen, witnessed and felt, there are many more without substance addiction that there are with. As one with addictive tendencies, it used to humor me that one would order a drink - just one - and nurse it all evening long. Then when I got sober, and was around others consuming alcohol, I realized that more in the room were social drinkers than I ever expected/assumed/thought. My crazy brain had every other person at the party, at the bar and/or in the room drinking like I did - non-stop, to black-out stage. I seriously believed in my warped brain that was the way it should be and was.
So - realizing my own issues, accepting that others are different and knowing my own powerless over so many things, they do not bother me. I am far more annoyed by the pharma commercials at this point in my thinking. Not exactly sure why - but that's where my head is, just for today!
(((Hugs)))
__________________
Practice the PAUSE...Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you are about to react harshly and you will avoid doing and saying things you will later regret. ~~~~ Lori Deschene
Aerin, I hear you! At one time I felt the same anger. It was triggered even by seeing a wine label or the logo of a beer company. I remember the time I walked into the supermarket and saw -- right at the entrance -- a big display of wine bottles, the very same brand that I'd just discovered my AH had been hiding in the trunk of his car. Talk about being powerless over alcohol. ! Now it no longer bothers me to see these things... which is good, because I do have to go to the supermarket to buy food. It's taken me at least a year in Alanon to get to this point. Keep coming back!
When I feel like I can't wrap my head around my AH's addiction.....I think about my smoking days. Talk about addiction. Although my cravings are very far and few anymore, I sometimes still mourn smoking. The summer triggers those fond memories of enjoying a smoke on the deck or while on vacation. So, our brain never really forgets......and the average # of relapses for tobacco is about 7. It helps to understand alcohol relapses and how difficult it is to retrain the brain to cope without it.
I am not wild about beer commercials, but it is a big industry and they will be here forever. Just like fast food that has led to the obesity epidemic.....we all know they images they portray are just not real!
I know how you feel. Mine is vodka commercials, since that is my wife's blackout drink of choice. I don't know why celebrities have to start putting out vodkas and other liquors. And when I hear people talking about it at work, like their big discovery the other night was a new brand of boutique liquor, in general I start to lose a lot of respect for the person, as if they must just be so bored that that is the most interesting thing they are doing with their life. Got to work on that... At least I don't get angry about it anymore.
I do realize that others can drink it without problems, in fact I have hung out with some friends in my earlier years where we would just shoot vodka. But I could stop. For my wife, as she says, she has no problem drinking, it's the stopping that's the problem. As you said, if they can make warnings on cigarette packs, they should be able to put pictures of old alcoholics and drunk-driving wrecks on the bottles.
The ads about alcohol and smoking and such only reveal the attitudes of the manufacturers, distributors and the sales people. They are free to care less or not at all about the consequences. My concerns are about the continued bending and supply to people who are known to have problems while still being able to purchase. Even local legislators tell me that they feel like they cannot or ought not or should not consider or approve legislation which requires that change. When I hear that or see it I go back to the 1st step..."We admitted we were powerless...." The ads are shallow and dishonest and in the face of the problems we are handed, even the vendors admit the problem but don't go after their incomes. Use the steps 1 - 2 - 3. Good post (((hugs)))
I too am an ex-smoker, but only for 10 months now. I go crazy when I see someone smoking in person or on TV. The worst part is that my AH was supposed to quit with me, but didn't and continues to smoke. I know how easy it would be to start again and be smoking 3 packs a day again, so I struggle every day with this.
As a teenager, I subscribed to the messages. Alcohol was fun, should be consumed on a beach, everyone would be revelling in the joy of togetherness! Nevermind beaches in new zealand are pretty much freezing, rugged and palm trees don't grow there. And in the islands, beach gatherings with alcohol are banned. I also used to feel obligated to like rubgy and rugby league as if they were incredible accomplishments. Now after living a bit I simply don't understand the glorification of rugby. At all. It truly boggles my mind to think about sport worship. And alcohol ads are the same. I see the picture media presents and I don't understand it because from all the information I have it simply can not make sense. So now it just gets dismissed.
Ooh though I do have to add, theres one ad down under that struck me as unintentionally honest. Its for a rum. It has a bunch of guys drinking it and singing like pirates as their ship sinks. Yes. The ship sinks. And the catch phrase for this ad is " at least we tried". I saw that and went wth? Buy my product and you too can board a sinking ship? Who's the target audience there? End stage alcoholics? Strange world.
A4I... lol so true! Life is over may as well drink on the way down! great message.. just give on up right? i know some advertisers think its funny but you get alot of targeted young men who now feel pressure to drink n party more than ever and then it runs over into marriages n before you know it its a full time alcoholic nightmare. its a business that doesnt care about what happens to people who drnk. the violence it starts, drunk driving accidentsw, abuse, the fights of drunk neighbors who end up shooting each other. Its all about money. And thats sad.
! Now it no longer bothers me to see these things... which is good, because I do have to go to the supermarket to buy food. It's taken me at least a year in Alanon to get to this point. Keep coming back!
