What is the Media Influence on Drugs and Alcohol Use?

The media is everywhere you turn in our digital age. We’re bombarded with reality TV shows, tweets, tabloid headlines, Instagram pictures, and more. Our phones have become mini-computers connected to cyberspace constantly. According to Pew Research, in March 2018, 77 percent of Americans go online every single day. But does our society’s reliance on technology play a part in causing addiction? Media has always influenced drugs and alcohol use. At Beaches Recovery, we understand that substance use disorder, addiction to drugs or alcohol, is affected by numerous factors. Understanding how media can affect our knowledge of addiction and how it is treated is useful in finding the addiction treatment necessary to heal.

Negative Media Influence on Drugs and Alcohol

First comes the sad news that the media can sometimes draw younger people into substance abuse. It’s common for TV shows and movies to put recreational drugs in storylines. Commercials advertising alcohol with models make binge drinking seem attractive. Companies try to make cigarettes and marijuana look fun for huge profits. Magazine pictures of celebrities using drugs and alcohol can sway fans to give them a try. From music videos to video games, substances are glamorized without showing their harmful effects.

On social media, teens frequently feel pressured by peers to drink or do drugs. They don’t want to feel left out of their group by staying sober. Today’s teens are intensely concerned with maintaining a “cool” image to remain popular. Also, cyberbullying from classmates lowers self-esteem. This puts young people at risk for mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and anorexia. Therefore, the likelihood of using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate the pain grows.

Positive Media Influence on Drugs and Alcohol

However, the media has been increasingly used for good, too. Recovering addicts can share their real stories online with thousands of followers. Activists often create YouTube videos showing the danger of drugs and alcohol. Entire Facebook pages are devoted to preventing addiction. For example, Above the Influence is an influential blog deterring drug and alcohol use. They’ve run TV ads and started the online #GotYourBack campaign to inspire sober living. Transitional living or sober living is just one program on the continuum of care for addiction. At Beaches Recovery, we offer sober living alongside programs like:

• Resident treatment
• Partial hospitalization program
• Intensive outpatient program
• Outpatient treatment
• Aftercare

The Internet is also a vast encyclopedia for finding information about addiction. Quick Google searches can turn up hundreds of reliable sources on drug and alcohol use, addiction, and treatment. Education is vital to realize your problem and choosing the best treatment option. In fact, the SAMHSA website has created a rehab locator to filter facilities by your zip code. Oddly enough, the media can help defeat any detrimental media influence on drugs and alcohol by aiding sobriety. Online support groups are only one click away during aftercare.

Seek Addiction Help at Beaches Recovery

Do you or your loved one have a problem with substance abuse? Entering rehab now will make overcoming addiction easier. Our affiliate Tides Edge Detox offers medically supervised detox for drug and alcohol addiction for those that require it upon entering rehab. Upon completing detox, individuals can enter into a more comprehensive addiction treatment program. Beaches Recovery is among the premier rehab centers in Florida that concentrate on young adults. We offer a wide range of residential and outpatient programs, such as:

• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Dialectical behavioral therapy
• Group and family counseling
• Music, bowling, and equine therapy
• Eye movement desensitization

The friendly, caring team at Beaches Recovery will address the negative media influence on drugs and alcohol. Call us today at 866.605.0532, or contact us online to find the right path toward healing.