Intoxicants

It is no secret to anyone, American or otherwise, that America has a sort of binge drinking, partying, drug-taking culture. This facet of American permeates so deeply into American life that one's 21st birthday is essentially the biggest and most celebrated birthday of their entire life. It floods our televisions, internet, media, pop culture, etc. Over the course of time, however, some intoxicants have become more acceptable and prevalent, while others have more or less become taboo. Tobacco is more than a solid example of such an intoxicant. Once permitted almost everywhere, smoking is now banned in most establishments all across the country. In fact, smoking has become so taboo that cigarette companies (often the same companies that make smokeless tobacco) are barely even allowed to advertise anymore. With smoking rates on the decline, the act of smoking itself is becoming quite the taboo among younger and older generations alike. This, of course, reflects the dangers of tobacco as more and more evidence emerges of its nasty side effects.  All in all, the decline of smoking and the ever increasing tax on tobacco reflects an America where being healthy (at least to some degree) has become the norm
Now, tobacco is only one example. Alcohol, on the other hand, is still quite prevalent. Reality tv shows such as the Jersey Shore and Buckwild regularly portray alcohol. It's not just that they portray cast members drinking, it's that they show these people drinking to the point of drunkenness in party-like environments. Now, of course, this seems like an obvious sign that Americans just like getting drunk. However, alcohol is prevalent in other areas of American life as well. One of these areas is America's new favorite pastime, football. It absolutely impossible to watch a game and not see at least one advertisement for beer. In fact, many sporting teams are even sponsored by beer companies. Drinking can be found at sporting events themselves, as well as in the parking lot during tailgates. This, at least to me, suggests that America has a big need for relaxation and a way to escape the busyness of everyday life. Alcohol is found in sitcoms too. The show Cheers was set in everyone's favorite neighborhood bar. The movie the Hangover was based around an alcohol-induced blackout. Again, to me, this suggests the need for American's to escape everyday life and just simply relax a little.
Marijuana might be the most interesting intoxicant. Popularized by the hippie movement, marijuana is something that has long been taboo, but made it's way into pop culture regardless. "Stoner movies" such as Cheech and Chong are a good example of this. However, since then, marijuana has seen a rise in acceptance in use and popularity. So much so that individual states have either made it permissible for medical use and/or decriminalized the possession of small amounts. Even more recently two states, Colorado and Washington, have flat out legalized marijuana for all uses. In recent years, marijuana has become more and more prevalent in pop culture. The tv show That 70's Show and the Harold and Kumar movie series speaks to this. Sitcoms such as Mike and Molly and Workaholics portray its use frequently. Again, this display of marijuana in pop culture further reflects the fact that American's want to relax. The fact that the laws have been changing, much like many Americans banding together to make tobacco a taboo, suggests something else. It suggests that Americans actively seek to right what they deem wrong.

Anti-Depressants, Erectile Dysfunction, and Allergies; Oh my!

I've long been skeptical of Big Pharma and it's intentions. Simply put, at least in my opinion, it is apparent that these massive pharmaceutical companies care far more about money than legitimately helping people. Ever notice how many pens at the doctor's office have the name of some brand of medicine on it, one that no one can even pronounce? That's no accident. These companies want doctors to prescribe their brand of medication. One might speculate that it leads to over-prescription. Consequently, one may even argue over-prescription creates an underground black market and abuse potential for medications such as Adderall, or even worse, opioids. Now those are extreme examples. The real issue here, is how pervasive medication has become in American culture on a day to day basis. Check out this commercial for Allegra:  If you pay attention then you'll notice that the commercials barely even attempts to sell you Allegra at all. Instead, the commercials send the message that if you have allergies and you take Allegra, then you'll be able to drive your beautiful car (complete with beautiful girl and dog) into a beautiful sunset on a beautiful winding valley road. When I'm not driving my beautiful car I can enjoy all of my daughter's biggest life moments thanks to Allegra. Obviously being able to do all those things has nothing to do with have allergies, or taking Allegra. The point I'm trying to make here is that this commercial is trying to sell you an experience, rather than a well-working, low-risk medication. Conversely, some medications are about the experience. For example, sleep medication is, indeed, used to attain better sleep and therefore, provide the user with a better day when he or she awakens. On the other hand, a quick look at this Lunesta commercial speaks to other aspects of American culture: One these aspects, and probably the most obvious, is that America is sleep deprived. This is no secret. Americans all over the place commonly use alcohol, melatonin, NyQuil, and various other substances just for a chance to sleep better. There's even a variety of herbal teas which seek to do just that. This aspect speaks to the increasing pressure to succeed in American culture, as well as Americans being so constantly busy that they are simply just worn out. Another, perhaps less obvious aspect of American culture, is the need to have a quick fix. Instead of taking the time to regulate one's sleep schedule, cut out caffeine from one's diet, and/or simply accept that you can only accomplish so much in one day, American's are reaching for the pill bottle and looking for a quick, instant fix, even when it means possibly becoming reliant on that medication or a slew of other nasty side effects. Of course, the idea of a quick fix is not found only in sleep medication, but in many other types of medication as well. Take this diet pill for example: Now if I hadn't heard the commercial mention that Xenadrine is a weight-loss pill, then I would think that Xenadrine was some sort of synthetic ecstasy judging by the electronic music and rave going on in the commercial. That, however, is besides the point. The point is America wants to look "good" and look good now. The description of the video itself speaks to this stating, "If you're a busy, always-on-the-go individual, then Xenadrine™ is for you!" The ironic part of the video is that it recommends proper diet and exercise when using the pill. If one exercised and ate properly to begin with, then there would be no need for using a diet pill in the first place. This commercial is a solid example of how American medications and the media in general reinforce norms. The norm being reinforced here is the women have to be slim, fit, and sexy. On a similar note, guys also have to be skinny, ripped, and muscular. Diet pills aren't the only ones reinforcing norms too. There's a slew of anti-depressants being prescribed because Americans have this strange inclination that it's not okay to upset and unhappy. Now, one could easily make many other inferences about American culture as I have only made a few. To summarize, the aspects of American culture reflected in medication advertisements are that American's are seeking a quick fix from their medication, as well as seeking out an experience completely unrelated to the medication itself. These advertisements and the medications themselves even reflect our norms. This, or course, raises a sort of chicken and egg question; is the media causing these issues and norms, or simply reflecting the culture? My guess would be a little bit of both.