Cuz we got that dough...

The commotion sounded like an intense radio contest with free giveaways. “Gin and Juice, In Da Club, Lil Wayne, Make ‘Em Say Ahh, that song with Gucci Mane…ahh what’s that one called, Drake, Jamie Foxx,” the teens shouted with enthusiasm. One adolescent bobbed his head and tapped his pencil with rhythmic acuity trying to re-create the beat to a popular hip-hop song. A simple task was asked of them: to write down every song, lyric or artist they could think of that’s central message is about using drugs or alcohol. They had 90 seconds. Easy assignment. They scribbled with diligence, and their papers became reminiscent of a Top 40s list.

Turn on the radio and the messages are ubiquitous. Drink up.

“We pop champagne cuz we got that dough.”

“Fill up my cup (drink)”

“Can’t stop now more shots lets go”

“Time and time again while I’m sipping on this gin”

“Let’s just stay in the moment, smoke some weed, drink some wine”

“Blame it on the vodka.”

The messages are clear. Drinking and using drugs is the formula to have fun.

The forces are pervasive, and the kids will tell you firsthand pop-culture is a difficult influence to go up against. These kinds of discussions are part of an approach I’ve found myself using in my work with teens. They are often adolescents who may have veered off track, were caught red-handed, and could be at risk for falling victim to the afflictions of substance abuse. Allow them a chance to talk about drugs and alcohol in a real context, where they can confront the reality head on, and a lively discussion ensues. I love these conversations because they are genuine. They talked about a world wihout drugs. "Half the jails would be empty." "There'd be less violence." "Less killing." "People would be able to reach their potential." "There would be less people who are homeless."

Clearly, they get it. Drugs and alcohol are bad. And to be honest, many of them have most likely been exposed to the stuff, especially by their senior year of high school. But we still need to exert our energy towards these teens. They are a vital ally in the fight against substance abuse.

It’s one thing to be able to educate kids about the effects of drug abuse and addiction, but it’s a whole other beast to tackle when you are talking about competing with the multi-billion dollar industry of media. While it may seem difficult to broach these topics and offer viable alternatives, it’s important to put the realities on the table. We can talk about stuff all day long, but if we can’t be honest with kids about the availability, accessibility, and prevalence of drugs and alcohol use, then who are we kidding?

Inundated by course media messages and pop-culture, how do we get through to them? In a world ridden with anything but subtle innuendos, sometimes it’s more than worthwhile to sit back and encourage kids to pick apart those messages, or even to just acknowledge what the message is and its far-reaching implications.

While still impressionable teens, many of the teens worry about the ramifications music has on younger generations. These same songs filling our airways are also reaching the youngest of listeners. We are talking about kindergarten-age children singing along to, “Blame it on the Goose, gotcha feeling Loose.” That’s where the teens come in. In a way, it’s out of our hands as adults, because those youngsters look up to teenagers. Big brothers. Older sisters. Cool cousins. When I asked the room full of teens if they would allow their younger brother or sister to listen to the music the enjoy, I got blank stares. It was a difficult question to answer, but of course they wouldn’t let them listen to it. But how do you do that?

Ultimately, we have to propel our youth to become role models for the next generation of kids. A competing message has to come from somewhere cool.