Television Productions are Normalizing Substance Use Amongst its Viewers, and Here's Why

Television and our surrounding media promote and normalize the idea of addictive substances. Their portrayals of substance use on television create images that many viewers are provided with and can be heavily influenced by these scenes. Coming to the understanding that without change, substance use will continue to grow in society, and so will addictions and overdoses. After exploring substance use in television, there is an increased risk of the use of smoking, alcohol, and drugs in adolescents, since television has negatively influenced the audience into personalizing and falsely relating these substances to current reality. The commonality of substances has compromised many situations in television. It’s important to acknowledge that substance use in these networks are used for the purpose of entertainment and has extensively grown throughout the years. The audience can often be influenced by the good and bad circumstances they observe and are exposed to when watching television. A...

Producers glamorize these addictions which disassociate the difference between the illusion of substance use through television compared to how critical its use can be in reality. Television productions falsely and illogically create representations of substances that greatly affect younger viewers, teenagers, and adults. With this, addiction is not only displayed but in fact, glorified at such standards. Referring back to American Addiction Centers , the average teenager is exposed to almost 85 drug references a day in popular music. Even with role models like people’s favorite celebrities, individuals are brought a visible example of what they are encouraged to engage in. This affects our behavior, relationships, and decision-making, and can interrupt our personal thought processes. More specifically, substance use in television being used by well-known celebrities, music artists, and social media influencers can create the example that viewers (and fans) so often look up to. “It is ...

The danger of these substances being used and shown through films can standardize the audience into the belief that they can be used for mental health problems, even though that isn’t the case. Lots of times, drugs are seen being associated with the character when introduced to scenarios with mental health.  ScienceDirect , a platform based on scientific and health publications, goes into depth about the idea of drug and alcohol dependence in the popular TV show, Euphoria . “There is a clear need to address these issues within this population given the striking burden of substance use and mental health challenges among young people in the U.S.,” ( ScienceDirect ). This article’s use of words, such as “clear,” and the “striking burden,” emphasize the urgency of the change needed when viewers are influenced by the substances they see on their screens. This passage mainly refers to the article’s study and their objective to examine Reddit posts about Euphoria to understand different ...

After expanding on substance use in television, there is an escalated risk of adolescents using alcohol, drugs, and tobacco because television has influenced the audience into personalizing and falsely relating these substances to current reality. The amount of substance use promoted in varieties of television shows and movies is often dismissed, even though they have been proven to increase amongst the audience with younger viewers mainly being the target. Producers glamorize these addictions which can be dangerous because the illusion in virtual reality compared to current reality can be easily disassociated. Not only are these substances glorified in all kinds of entertainment, but they are normalized to support mental health issues. Without any change to this situation, substance use among teenagers and adults will continue to grow, and so will addictions and overdoses.

NIDA. "Addiction and Health." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 22 Mar. 2022, https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/addiction-health Accessed 20 Apr. 2023. Osbourne, Nitara. “How Does The Media and Television Influence Drug Use?” American Addiction Centers, February 28, 2023. https://projectknow.com/explore/exploring-drug-talk-on-tv/ (Accessed: April 18, 2023).  Osbourne, Nitara. “Impact of Substance Misuse in TV & Film.” American Addiction Centers , March 10, 2022. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/impact-of-substance-misuse-in-tv-film (Accessed: April 18, 2023).  Kaufman, Michelle R. et al. “‘This Show Hits Really Close to Home on so Many Levels’: An Analysis of Reddit Comments About HBO’s Euphoria to Understand Viewers’ Experiences of and Reactions to Substance Use and Mental Illness.” Drug and alcohol dependence (2021) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871620306335. (Accessed: April 18, 2023).  K...