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In today’s world, overlooked minority groups, formerly hidden societal issues and other social concerns are rightly given more representation and attention than they were in the past.
But sometimes, issues can be portrayed in a way that glorifies them rather than spreading awareness of their harmful nature. One such example of this is the way that drugs and addiction are represented in popular music.
Investigators from Dartmouth Medical School and the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion of the Veterans Administration studied 279 popular songs, 116 of which contained some sort of reference to substance use.
The type of messages about substance use found in these songs were generally harmful ones.
“Of the 93 songs with explicit reference to substance use, 68% were more likely to portray positive consequences than negative ones,” the researchers reported. “In 45 (48%) songs, the social consequences were positive, compared with only 7 (8%) in which social consequences were negative.”
These numbers are concerning considering music is both very impactful on and integrated in people’s everyday lives. Most of the popular music that contains references to substance abuse glorifies and makes substance abuse sound fun or uplifting rather than dangerous. This makes the public much more likely to view substance abuse in a positive light.
Adolescents especially are more susceptible to these harmful messages, as they often garner their understanding of different topics from the type of media they most frequently consume. According to a study published in the Journal of Health Communication, teenagers who frequently listen to music with drug references are 40% more likely to use substances compared to those who don’t.
Yet while portraying these dangerous substances positively is harmful to the public and especially to youth, it is also dangerous not to speak of them at all. Problems like addiction, relapse, and stories of recovery are still important to hear and can be very positively impactful when spreading the right message.
An example of a song that portrays addiction and substances in a more realistic light—as a struggle, something harmful, and something to avoid—is “Coffee” by Jack Stauber.
The song portrays the thoughts of a man who is considering whether or not to buy coffee due to caffeine being a substance he deems harmful and addictive. His thoughts are pitted against each other, one side tempting him with how good it can make him feel with the other expressing worries about losing control and being unable to escape the substance. In the end, the man buys decaffeinated coffee.
In order to demonstrate the positive impact music that portrays addiction negatively can have on the youth, I showed peers at my high school the song and asked them questions about it and how they felt about its message.
Junior, he/him:
One of the most insightful interviews I got to conduct was of a peer of mine who has struggled with addiction.
Q: So the song I just showed you is about addiction, probably not as severe as you experienced it considering it’s about coffee. Do you think that the song and the video, meaning the imagery, was an accurate portrayal of addiction?
A: 100%, 100%. I believe that when I was going through my drugs — whenever I saw someone with it or I saw my own — I felt like it was genuinely calling me. I felt like it was calling me. And in my head, like the song says, “just one more.” Just one more hit, just one more sip, let’s just take it, why not?
Q: How did watching that make you feel, like what was going through your mind?
A: It felt relatable. It felt understanding, I felt like I really understood where the guy was coming from, and I felt like it’s what a lot of people go through in day-to-day life.
Q: Do you think that representation of problems like addiction like I showed you in music are important or not?
A: 100% because visual or audible representations are good to the people so they can see how their addiction is actually affecting them in real life. Because it’s one thing to go through it, but it’s another thing to see it and see how it’s going on in your life.
Q: How do you think it’s important to people who haven’t struggled with addiction?
A: It’s important to people who haven’t struggled with addiction because it gives the people an understanding of where other people are at and how it feels for them. And it makes it so it’s like they can’t judge.
Q: Was there any part of the lyrics, or the music, or the video that stood out to you specifically?
A: “Just one more sip.” Because it’s always in my head. “Let me take just one more,” you know, “it’s never gonna be that bad.” A lot of people going through addiction try to quit, but what stops them is saying “let me just take one more [pill]”. And it leads to more, and it leads to more, and it’s just a never-ending cycle after that.
This student’s perspective on the song is a testimony to the positive impact music like “Coffee” can have on youth. Not only is it relatable to those who have experienced addiction, it provides a new and raw perspective to those who might not understand it.
Music that makes light of the never-ending cycle of temptation and relapse found in addiction completely misses how harmful these substances are.
Other interviews
The next three peers I interviewed have not experienced addiction before, but still recognize the importance of proper representation of the problem in music. All three were shown the same song as the interviewee above and interpreted its themes as including addiction.
They were then asked their opinion on whether or not it is important to portray themes of addiction in music.
Manny, junior, he/him:
“Yeah, because that can reach people and I think more importantly it can reach people to not do that. Cause I feel like if you’re addicted already, I’m not saying you’re long gone, but it’s hard to get out, and it’s better to stop people from getting into it.”
Lilian, junior, she/her:
“I think so, for sure. Just because representation of problems in general is really important. I haven’t really been aware of this problem in my life in general, so I don’t think it’s very applicable to my life. But I know some other problems that I’ve had that I’ve never seen representation of, and when I do see representation of, it really helps me understand what I’m dealing with. So I think that could be this for other people.”
As exemplified by Lilian’s perspective, not everybody is fully aware of what addiction is truly like. Music that portrays it accurately can be crucial in spreading the truth and educating the public about these dangerous substances.
Carmel, sophomore, she/her:
On the other hand, songs like “Coffee” can help those who already understand the struggle feel understood and stronger in the face of their struggle.
“It can (let them know) that they’re not alone. It can also let them bring those feelings out and realize, ‘Hey, I’m not the only one who’s dealing with this — there’s a lot of people that will get me.’ That ‘I’m gonna be okay.’ When people bottle up their feelings, when they listen to music and they relate to it, it’s like their breaking point to just let it out.”
When done correctly, music dealing with the topic of addiction can prevent people from falling into addiction, spread awareness about its dangers, and help those who are going through it. When done correctly, music like this could be a very powerful tool.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
