Media Representations of Drinking, Drug Use, and Smoking

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The study found that 98 percent of the 200 movies showed or mentioned alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Alcohol appeared most often,followed by tobacco. Illicit drug use appeared in only 22 percent of the movies. Statements suggesting that substance use was wrong or should be avoided were found in 31 percent of the movies in the study. Statements suggesting that substance use was good, or something that the actors wanted, appeared in 29 percent of the movies. Most of these positive statements were about alcohol. The Mediascope group found that most movies did not show the long-term consequences of drinking, smoking, or drug use. In many cases, the movies did not explain why the adult or young adult characters were using these substances.

Alcohol and tobacco were associated with different kinds of situations in the movies. Alcohol often played a part in humorous scenes, party scenes, or scenes associated with wealth and luxury. A smaller percentage of scenes showed alcohol and some sort of risky behavior, such as crime, violence, or driving a car. Nearly 20 percent of the movie scenes with alcohol also involved sexual activity. The study also found that few young adult characters were shown using substances by themselves.

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