Drinks+and+Gen+Y?+-+Bloody+Idiots

Jordan Alexander N8354081 media type="youtube" key="dLhFDYQHDQY" height="315" width="560"

= = **Artefact**

This song was released in late 2011 and is performed by Taio Cruz. The theme behind the song is that of alcohol consumption and party fever. The storyline is similar to that of the movie “the Hangover” whereby a group of friends have a huge night partying and drinking and then wake up in the morning to go through the path of discovery to uncover everything that happened the previous night. The lyrics of the song tell the listener that the effects of alcohol can give the drinker a sickening feeling, however urges them to continue drinking until a state of utter paralysis. The lryics from the chorus are as follows:

//"i got a hangover, wo-oh!// //i’ve been drinking too much for sure// //i got a hangover, wo-oh!// //i got an empty cup, pour me some more"//

//"so i can go until i blow up, eh// //and i can drink until i throw up, eh// //and i don’t ever ever want to grow up, eh// //i want to keep it going, keep keep it going, going, going, going…"//

**Public Health Issue**

The overconsumption of alcohol and the constant rebellious party attitudes displayed by Generation Y today. The abusing of the human bodies physical capabilities and the bad examples set to younger generations. There are far too many deaths caused by the alcohol related incidences, and the promotion from media such as songs only fuels the fire. Resources in medical facilities are being taken up by third party and self-inflicted injuries sustained as a result of drinking, and the widespread thought of invincibility felt throughout young drinkers.

**Literature Review**

There are so many studies being undertaken in regards to alcohol consumption and most display the same unfavourable trend. Table 1 shows the steady increase in percentage of high risk drinking over a 10 year period.

//Table 1//

According to the 2004-05 National Health Survey, among people aged 18 years and over, 12% of males and 4% of females had consumed alcohol at risky/high risk levels in the short term at least once a week over the previous 12 months. Of these, young people aged 18-24 years were most likely to drink at this risk level. About one in five males (19%) and one in ten females (11%) in this age group had consumed alcohol at risky/high risk levels in the short term at least once a week in the 12 months prior to interview (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2005). These statistics show the problem in its entirety. In recent years, more people are likely to consume high-risk amounts of alcohol in short periods of time; the biggest culprits being the younger generations, more specifically generation Y.

Mason (2009) discusses very interesting statistics when he refers to the World Health Organisation (WHO) that states, approximately 2 billion people around the world consume alcohol on a regular basis. Of those, 76.3 million have been diagnosed with various health issues as a direct result. Consumers who choose to abuse alcohol are faced with many long- term and short-term effects, for those minds and bodies that are still in the developmental process those effects are astronomical. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2011), heavy drinking in childhood and adolescence can have a significant and detrimental effect on brain as it is at its critical maturation stage. It can also increase their alcohol dependency levels later in life, which in turn increase their chances of heart problems, mental health problems and social problems (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). What is often ill defined and unclear to generation Y is what exactly //heavy// or //binge Drinking// is. According to Alagna (2001), binge drinking is the high consumption of alcohol within a very small time frame with the intention of becoming intoxicated and or “drunk”. The outcomes of such risky drinking are recipes for disasters. Paul Manson's book - //The Facts about Drinking// (2009)//,// suggests that people who engage in binge drinking are more likely to be involved in motor vehicle accidents, alcohol poisoning, show dangerous levels of aggression and or considerably increased confidence levels. Their inability to have full control over their mind and body can result in numerous tragedies and they (the intoxicated) may not be the only victim.

Below is the 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council Alcohol Guidelines to move beyond “risky drinking”.

Level of Risk in the Short Term:


 * Males ||  ||
 * || Low Risk: The consumption of up to 6 standard drinks on any one day ||
 * || Risky or high risk: the consumption of 7 or more standard drinks on any one day ||
 * Females ||  ||
 * || Low risk: the consumption of up to 4 standard drinks on any one day ||
 * || Risky or high risk: the consumption of 5 or more standard drinks on any one day ||

Level of risk in the long term
 * Males || Low risk: up to 28 standard drinks per week ||
 * || Risky: 29 – 41 per week ||
 * || High risk: 43 or more per week ||
 * Females || Low risk: up to 14 standard drinks per week ||
 * || Rusjt 15 – 28 per week ||
 * || High risk 29 or more per week ||

With a direct link to over 60 diseases it is evident why overconsumption can be deadly. Table 2 demonstrates this relationship between injuries and alcohol consumption. Adults at high risk of long-term health problems due to alcohol consumption were more than twice as likely as adults who do not consume alcohol to report one or more recent injuries in the four weeks before interview.

Table 2 demonstrates this relationship between injuries and alcohol consumption. Adults at high risk of long-term health problems due to alcohol consumption were more than twice as likely as adults who do not consume alcohol to report one or more recent injuries in the four weeks before interview.

RECENTLY INJURED PERSONS(a), Alcohol risk level(b) - 200 This statistic is shocking on it's own, but what makes it even more confronting is the evidence the Australian Beurea of Statistics (2005) confirmed. It stated that “in 1998, over 2,000 deaths of the total 7,000 deaths of persons under 65 years, were related to alcohol" (Ridolfo and Stevenson, in Australian Beurea of Statistics, 2005). This suggests that Alcohol is the leading cause of deaths on Australian roads.The resolution to this problem and closely related social issues with alcohol do not lie within the statistics.

Coleman & Cater (2007) states that many adolescents do not classify themselves as binge drinkers. It is proposed then, that a heavier influence on this definition and classification is needed in addition to increasing their ability to recognise the signs and symptoms of such behaviour to then address it. However, in a different article by ANNALS from The New York Academy of Sciences (2011), makes the claim that there is already a clear-cut definition of //binge drinking// that “ provides researchers and treatment professionals a route to approximately quantify this type of drinking.” From this contrasting evidence it can be said that there is not a clear-cut definition that is global and well understood or advertised.

There are also suggestions that youth-culture interventions are going to be more beneficial to solving the problem (Coleman & Cater, 2007). This can be related back to the public health issue whereby the media is the one causing the ‘fuel for the fire’, and really, it could be the one solving it. With the vast majority of songs, television shows, and movies now being dominated by Generation Y consumers, it is obvious who is the target market. The constant feeding of ideas by adolescents off these media sources causes the problem to grow enormously. However this issue can also be reversed proving to be in many ways, a social parody. Does society copy what is portrayed in the media, or does the media actually just portray what society is participating in? The line is blurred. Each feeds off the other creating a constant circle that will inevitably get worse. What needs to happen is the coming together of society and the media, in order to distinguish between these socially constructed views. What really should be happening to help counteract this problem is the higher representation of the minority, whereby the people who don’t drink are advertised as ‘cool’ and ‘better off’. If celebrities or organisations supported the minority then there may be followers who decide to change their habits because of who they idolise. Generations would be forced to think critically about social choices and the social scene because they are presented with "two sides" of the "story".

**Social Theory**

//"Addictive behaviour does not take place in a social vacuum"// (Elster, Skog, & Jorgen, 1999)

The increase in teenage consumption and abuse of alcohol is not just because the next generations are more rebellious and less disciplined, it has a lot to do with the increase of social media. Culture is established through the scaffolding of social interactions, and this ‘drinking’ culture is built up from social interactions such as the media, friends, family, celebrities, etc. With the introduction of social media in the last few years it has become easy to have a thriving social life from wherever you are in the world. Drinking among youths is almost always part of a social occasion. The unfortunate idea of peer pressure has been around for a long time and it can easily be found in social drinking events. When a group of friends have had too many drinks unwanted pressure could lead to regretful events such as violence, drug-use, and sexual activity. It is also part of Youth Culture in today’s society, that if you are between the ages of 18-21 then you ‘need’ to be clubbing every weekend and getting ‘smashed’, and that it is very ‘cool’ to do so. There are many organisations out that encourage and support the notion of ‘drinking is cool’. Organisations such as ‘Get a night life’ and Contiki tours are based around drinking and partying, and give participants opportunities to ‘show off’ to friends and family through social media.

It seems that society is virtually obsessed with the idea of being ‘cool’ and keeping up with the latest from ‘Hollywood’ culture. Fans feed off celebrities and will do almost anything to have a part of their lives. They believe exactly what they see in the media with the ‘glitz’ and ‘glam’ and the constant ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll’ attitudes, and crave this life that is ‘better than their own’. Celebrities play off these people and basically ‘show off’ to everyone they can (Marshall, 1997). In terms of this music video by Taio Cruz, Why not make it look fun? The lyrics in the song depict the attitude towards drinking excessively and this is reflected in the statistics presented before whereby 18-24 year olds are more likely to drink in that manner. Generation Y are the ones who ‘crave’ this lifestyle the most and it seems they are playing right into celebrities hands.

This concept leads into a factor spoken about earlier; the need for minority support. If celebrities used what power society has given them, then they could almost abolish most of the problems thriving in Generation Y (Marshall, 1997). For example, if someone like Taio Cruz wrote a song with accompanying video that showcased them partying safe and having fun without alcohol, it sends the message to listen ers that it is ‘cool’ and naturally, fans will change. It has been shown in many previous ‘crisis’ where celebrity endorsement has done wonders for raising awareness and support, such as live8 and Oxfam etc (Live 8, 2005).

//“Live 8 was, and remains a brilliant moment but what is more important is the brilliant movement of which it was a part. This gives the poorest of the poor real political muscle for the first time” - Bono// (Live 8, 2005).

If they came on board it will be a great momentous change to future society.

Apart from celebrity powered culture there is also a huge influence from our own back yard, Australian Culture. From a very young age, the ways in which Aussies celebrate has always involved drinking. For example, if a family were to have a group of friends around for dinner or a BBQ lunch, there would automatically be drinks in most people’s preparations. At weddings, birthdays, even funerals and wakes, there is alcohol involved in post ceremony celebrations. This way of doing things is installed into children’s heads and they learn to associate celebrations with drinks(Holt, 2006). Now that children start drinking at a lower age than ever before (according to stats stated earlier), it makes these events dangerous with more and more unexperienced drinkers out abusing alcohol. The change needs to happen from parents and guardians who should be waiting until the child is of age before exposing them to alcohol, as well as demonstrating a level of self-control themselves.

**Artefact Analysis and Learning Reflections**

‘Hangover’ by Taio Cruz is a song that resonates with me personally. I have watched and been a part of many similar experiences myself in recent years. I agree that it is an accurate depiction of Gen Y culture in current society however I believe it is making matters worse and encouraging the abuse of alcohol in young listeners. The song represents the abuse and mistreatment of the human body in regards to alcohol and the ‘go hard or go home’ attitude towards doing it all again. It also represents the need to address the issue of binge drinking and does provide good evidence that these attitudes are firmly implanted in youth culture.

While investigating and creating this assessment piece I have learnt to take a step back from the society that I am so heavily involved in on a day to day basis and to really look at the ‘corruption’ and influences that are around me. I am able to see what effects these types of behaviours and lifestyles have on an individual as well as the wider community and I will definitely be making more informed decisions in the future, both for myself, and my future family.

**References**


 * Alagna, M. (2001). //Everything you need to know about the dangers of binge drinking.// USA: Rosen Publishing Group, Incorp.
 * ANNALS of the New York Academy of Sciences. (2011). Preclinical studies of alcohol binge drinking. //Addiction Reviews// //, 1216//, 24-40.
 * Australian Beurea of Statistics. (2005). //Australian Beurea of Statistics//. Retrieved October 26th, 2011, from Australian Beurea of Statistics: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/4832.0.55.001/
 * Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2011). Young Australians: THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING 2011 . //Young Australians: THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING 2011//.
 * Coleman, L., & Cater, S. (2007). Changing the culture of young people's binge drinking: From motivations to practical solutions. //Trust for the Study of Adolescence// //, 14// (4), 305-317.
 * Elster, Skog, J., & Jorgen, O. (1999). //Getting Hooked.// Cambridge University Press.
 * Holt, M. (2006). //Alcohol: A Social And Cultural History.// (M. Holt, Ed.) United Kingdom: Berg Publishers.
 * Live 8. (2005). //Live 8//. Retrieved 11 3, 2011, from Live 8: http://www.live8live.com/
 * Manson, P. (2009). //Know the Facts about Drinking and Smoking.// United States: Rosen Central.
 * Marshall, P. (1997). //Celebrity And Power: Fame In Contemporary Culture.// United States: University of Minnesota Press

**Reflections**

Wiki: Jugs and Buns - Sportswomens Representation in the Media

Title: Good Points!

Comments: Well done that showed good depth of research. I found it interesting when you said that Anna had never won a title because as an outsider to tennis I presumed the reason she got all the attention was because of her success in tennis! I wanted to make a point that sport in general is typically a 'battle' and can be traced back to the romans in ancient times where men competed against each other fiercely for stature. I believe that is why todays sports society is how it is because that early formed stereotype as the male hunter and the female beauty just there to provide children. It seems that in sport the men have the most fierce battles and that is more enjoyable to watch! Great read though, well done again!

Wiki: Beyond Blue - Fighting for the promotion and treatment of depression in Men across Australia

Title: Nice

Comments: Well done you showed great knowledge of this topic. I liked how you related it back to yourself and future career. This truly is a worrying topic and having dealt with depression myself I know how difficult it can be to break out of it. I found it interesting when you said that men found/find it difficult to consult specialists about depression. Maybe there needs to be more awareness to somehow create better acceptance of men seeking help. Surely in today’s society we can overlook the idea of masculinity and respect someone in need. There should even be some form of self-examination that men can do by themselves in the form of a questionnaire or something in order to reveal to them what their mental state is. Maybe make this a compulsory test, or just part of the GP’s general check ups? Interesting ideas, and a topic well worth looking into! Well done again.