Margaux Tavernier Professor Innes Mitchell COMM 2307.

01 05/04/2012

Media Research Paper: The effect of alcohol in the young in France via the media:

France is well known for lots of things such as his gastronomy, history, architecture, landscapes, cheese, baguettes, especially its wines and champagne. Indeed our wine and champagne are really well known across the globe. Even some people are coming from overseas to take some of our grapes seeds to replant them in their home countries, like California. Frances wine and champagne are very well appreciating in France and overseas that is the reason why. Wine, champagne in other words, alcohol is part of our culture. As French people we do know from our education that our country is the home of wine and champagne. However, the French people, especially the young people tend to forget that alcohol is harmful for their health and could be very dangerous. In fact, the French people know what alcohol is since a young age because their parents have told them about it. Many families during lunch and dinner have a bottle of wine on their table French people learn about alcohol while drinking in an familial environment first before doing it with friends later. It is very common. Lately the French society has noticed that

young people, mostly teenagers are abusing alcohol because it a form of escape to feel good, and allows them to be like everyone else of that age. It is becoming a controversial issue nowadays. Indeed the young people drink more and more even if they are under the legal drinking age of eighteen. Throughout this media research paper I will demonstrate that under are drinking in France is becoming a serious controversial issue with a lack of attention of underage drinking and alcohol abuse in the French media. Then I will show my opinion on the subject.

The Yes Side: In France we have noticed that teenagers are starting to drink alcohol younger and also are now drinking strong alcohol such as beer, vodka or even whisky. According to a French documentary on the subject by Envoye Special, countries from Northern Europe like Finland or England have influenced the consummation of alcohol in the French youth. From 2004 to 2007, the hospitalization to the emergency room for the under age drinking under fifteen years old has increased by 50% in France. It says that 16% for the young who are 16 years old and 41% for the ones who are 15 has been already drunk. 26% aged of 17 have been drunk three times in the last twelve months. No matter the social class every young people without exception are experiencing the alcohol. Todays society pushes the young to drink more just because they want to be like everybody else. It a fashion phenomena for the most part. Most of the young drink at parties and are playing game the binge drinking, beer pong which is increasing the consummation of alcohol, but what it is more shocking is that they drink in between school times

with their friends or even alone. The school staffs are really worried about this fashionable phenomenon. The sad thing about it is that it seems that young people are being dependent of alcohol and have no control over it. It seems that they are not enough aware of what alcohol can really do on them and in a very bad way. To them, they believe that drinking is fun they are being blind by not see what are the real consequences are even if they are aware of what alcohol can do. They deny it. According to this blog: http://alcoolescence.jimdo.com/i-la-consommation-d-alcoolchez-les-jeunes-de-15-21-ans/ Teens boys are drinking more than teens girls. In fact 62% of teen boys has been drunk between 15/21 years verses 31% of teens girls who have declared to be at least once drunk. We can say that the consummation is stronger to boys than girls. Also according to the Espad in 2007, (The European School Survey on alcohol and other drugs) revealed that young people of 16 has drunk more than 6 glasses on the same night. In other words it is 4 young French people over 10. France Soir Magazine who wrote about the topic last November in 2011 on which it said if compare to what it was in the previous generation, this is nothing like that 15 years or 20 years ago. They concluded that teenagers nowadays, drink younger, unfortunately the risk of being dependent of alcohol at that age is even bigger. This is what it is saying on this following quotation said by En tout cas cette consommation dbute de plus en plus tt, or on sait que plus on consomme jeune, plus le risque de tomber dans laddiction augmente. Les alco ols consomms deviennent par ailleurs de plus en plus forts. Ils sont attnus grce un mlange avec des sodas ou des jus de fruits, mais cela ne change rien au taux dalcool. Enfin, le mode de consommation devient de plus en plus excessif, ce qui na ri en voir

avec la consommation des jeunes dil y a 15 ou 20 ans, ou de lalcool mondain pratiqu par certains parents We are also noticing that schools organizing each years conferences for students in order to aware them about the effect of alcohol on them. The education and health ministry of the French government has made this decision after noticing the huge national impact that have towards the French teenagers. The French medias has denied the issue in order to sell and push the consumer to drink & buy alcohol via different sources of media but mostly TV commercials. They do it for economy matters. Sadly they dont pay attention or see that it could actually impact the French Youth into drinking (Abuse). Although each of alcohol commercials in France must follow some restrictions established by the French government as those sentences: Alcohols abuse is dangerous for the health. Lacool est dangeureuse pour la sant; Consume with moderation Consommez avec moderation.; Alcohol is forbidden for the under age drinking of age eitheen: Lacool est interdit pour les mineurs de moins de 18 ans . Those messages do not bring impact enough young people to stay away from alcohol but do the opposite. It insisting on underage to drink. Teenagers at that age want to be rebel and break any laws who are forbidden to them. Those messages are not enough putting in evidence in the TV commercials. They should rather air these alcohol at a certain hour for example later at night so that the people they want to aimed at would be probably in front of their TV set and not involving young people instead by airing them multiple times during the day. French medias should have, give an importance to what the society is dealing with. What kind of issues are we facing on. The medias are really important in our society because it is everywhere. Their message really matters to

us and are sometimes the best thing to pass messages on. French medias should focus more on the alcohol abuse the teenagers are facing in order to prevent and aware them of the consequences they might have or get. They should increase their messages everywhere they can so people who are concerned about or others open their eyes on the subject instead of deny it. Alcohol is harmful, dangerous and addictive. People young or older can die from it if they arent paying enough attention. Media are here to pass on messages. They are really significant in our society and should be part of any issue the French society is facing with actually.

Now we have discussed about who stand for the yes side we will now focus on which are the ones who are stand for the yes side.

The No side: When we put this controversial topic on the table, it seems that some parents are not aware of what their children are doing after school because they have been busy and overwhelmed with their jobs. Some of the parents are not paying enough attention of what kind of frequentation their children are hanging out with. In fact lots of children are drinking in friends groups. Their friends can influence them into this and even if parents think they know their kids very well, they will follows their friends because that what it is all about to be exactly like everybody. It have been noticed that teenagers are not enough aware of the alcohol effect. Parents should be responsible, engaged, involved into their lives, make sure that they have a good relationship with them. Have a good communication like on significant issue like

this are really important. Some parents accuse the media to put some much harsh images on their alcohol prevention campaign. They believe those images showing in their campaign are inappropriate. They believe that it would affect too much their children and cause too much shock while watching it. What Parents dont understand is that by showing those strong and harsh images but rather would make actually young people realize that alcohol isnt a cool thing at all. It is a significantly serious thing to deal with. According to Doctor Michel Reynaud, Parents are being blind and think that alcohol is much less harmful than drugs overall. This is making the case even more complicated than it should be. If parents are not more bossy towards their children; then who will. It is not about banning alcohol to them but mostly about prevention. On the other hand teenagers

themselves are claiming that drinking is for fun that there is nothing wrong with this. They are also blind and are putting their life and their future at risk. Some have state that they wanted to be and do like their friends. They wanted to follow because they know they would be more respected if they do like everyone else. Most of the time teenagers are influencing by others. French young people believe that what the prevention and other news are faking on subject regardless on the fact that they are drinking to be drunk. They say that it is not true, sadly they are not or dont want to see the reality and face with it. Dont want to hear the truth too. However we kno w that statistically this influence is increasing the addiction to alcohol and other drugs. They first are starting at parties then at home when their parents must be asleep. Their dependency to alcohol are affecting their surrounding later who are overwhelmed of what is going on. They do have no control over it and sadly when

they do realize that something is going wrong because their parents have noticed it. It is too late. Lots of teenagers sadly die due to their drinking obsession. It is really awful that people at that young age end up their life like this. This is really stupid. It is al right to try experiences because at a certain point teenage phase is all about trying out new things and looking for what identity you are deeply inside of you. Teenage phase is also considering as the rebellion phase where you are not listening to your parents and challenging their authority. They believe that they already know everything about everything in life. Parents & Teenagers are both blind and it should be the time to make their eyes open on what are really the consequences of it. Parents and children must communicate with each other even more at this time of their growth because it is one of the most important step in the growing process.

My opinion: In my opinion, I am aware of what is going on with my generation. I can notice myself when I go to parties with my friends in Paris France, that lots of people of my age are drinking so much even more than I do expected. Mostly they are drinking strong alcohol like vodka for the most part that they do mixed it up with different juice. Nowadays, in my generation and younger generation point of view, to have a party is all about getting and being drunk. Indeed teenagers of my age and even younger dont seem to quite understand that being drunk isnt funny at all. They could die from it if they really do not pay attention. Being drunk costs so much trouble in so many ways. According to the French News, Emergency room doctors & nurses are really concerned over how much young people has entered the

hospital in the middle of the night due to their drinking. Doctors states that parents should supervised more their childrens life. Sadly for a certain of amount of teenagers it is too late, they consider that drinking alcohol as their drugs. They cant live one day without consuming some. They are becoming so dependent of it that the rate of putting themselves at risk is even higher and higher. Unfortunately it is not only affecting their health but also their social life as well as schools in other words their future. Because of this more and more students skip their classes or even for some they dont go to class anymore. I do remember that once it happened in my class when I was a sophomore in high school. It was after lunch and we were about to have French class. The class has started when a group of people who were in my class arrived in class late. Everyone else had seen that they have been drinking and for some demonstrate that they were drunk. The most shocking part of the story is that my French teacher let them in and didnt say anything. She just let them go like that. I think that the French government should be stricter with their regulations and laws. As well as for the consequences to anyone if law is break. Also I do think that the government should be more involved by putting and doing conferences on the effect of alcohol and others drugs in schools every year and starting to do it from middle school to high school. All the students and parents must be attended because it is affecting them too. Our society have to open their eyes and see that alcohol is not the best solution to have fun as the young French people says or a way to have an escape from your everyday life. Being drunk is a very serious problem that everyone without any exception young or adult should take in consideration. Being drunk cannot only cost your life but others as well. French

driving safety department has declared that most of the car accident serious one or not are caused by drunk drivers. We should be more efficient with our prevention of driving safetys PSA or billboards. We should put more in evidence what we want to communicate to the society to make people open their mind and most importantly their eyes on this very significant topic. People should be more understanding that we only live once. All right it is ok to have fun but in certain context we should be more aware and put more limits in order to be more respectful and responsible for ourselves and for other.

Work Cited: Articles de Journaux: France Soir: Article du 02 juin 2010: :http://www.francesoir.fr/pratique/sante/lalcoolisme-chez-jeunes-devient-unfleau-national-53003.html France Soir: Article du 30 Novembre 2011 Labus dalcool chez les jeunes inquete plus de 8 parents sur 10 http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/sante/l-abus-d-alcoolchez-jeunes-inquiete-plus-8-parents-sur-10-161995.html Groupe Karpa, Sante Magazine: Article du 27 Janvier 2011. Alcoolisme chez les jeunes, Prevention Impossible? http://www.kapasante.com/2011/01/27/alcoolisme-chez-les-jeunes-laprevention-impossible/ 20 Minute.Fr: La consommation dalcool chez les ados inquete de plus en plus les parents: http://www.20minutes.fr/societe/832218-exclusif-consommation-alcoolados-inquiete-plus-plus-parents Roseline Bachelot la campagne Prevention Alcool des jeunes http://www.gouvernement.fr/gouvernement/roselyne-bachelot-lance-lacampagne-prevention-alcool-des-jeunes Website Sources/YouTube Video: French TV channel: M6 News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5z0F2UzX60 French TV channel: France 2 News of the 23 Mars 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAeIZ2LwVY4 Blog entitled Adolescence ou Alcoolescence : http://alcoolescence.jimdo.com/i-laconsommation-d-alcool-chez-les-jeunes-de-15-21-ans/ Lacool chez les jeunes a ladolescence en France en 2012: http://www.dangersante.org/alcool-jeunes-adolescents/ Alcool chez les jeunes: Le role des Parents ? 2 Aout 2010 http://videos.doctissimo.fr/sante/addictions/Alcool-chez-les-jeunes-le-role-desparents.html Lalcool, Quelle prevention? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI_npKszk9g

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Securite Routiere, Prevention Insoutenable pour les jeunes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fogFYzfuVSU Du rire pour prevenir de lalcoolisation des jeunes: http://www.sudouest.fr/2012/04/18/du-rire-pour-prevenir-l-alcoolisation-desjeunes-691369-2966.php Prevenir le bring drinking chez les jeunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoxTd6TgUr8

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