Study: Music lyrics could lead to drug use

Drug abuse is the main theme of Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse’s song “Rehab,” in which she sings, “They tried to make me go to rehab but I said ‘no, no, no;’ yes I’ve been black but when I come back you’ll know, know, know.” And it’s not alone.\nOne in three popular songs contains explicit references to drug or alcohol use, according to a new report in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. But students and researchers are divided on how big an impact these references have. \nAccording to the report, the average adolescent listens to 2.5 hours of music every day, and hears approximately 84 references to explicit substance use in popular songs. \nMany aspects of entertainment can affect adolescents’ perceptions of drugs and alcohol, said Dr. Brian Primack, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the head of the study. \n“There have been numerous studies that report that movies are surprisingly very influential on smoking,” Primack said. “This is actually what led us to this study; we figured that music had even more of an exposure than movies.” \nThe idea that music contains many references to drug or alcohol use shouldn’t surprise anyone, junior Joseph Spencer said. \n“Music is very influential,” Spencer said. “Look at the way women are represented in music; children are already imitating that. Now they are trying to ‘pop bottles’ because they think it’s cool.”\nNot all students agree that music has an influence on whether someone uses drugs or alcohol. \n“Drugs and drinking is more of a personal decision,” senior Becky Verstein said. “If the person has already decided not to use drugs then they won’t use drugs and vice versa. Music is not going to affect their decision.”\nBut even if music is proven to have an effect, Primack said it will not be among the most important factors that affects drug or alcohol use. \n“The most important factors such as sensation seeking, rebellious (attitude) and social economic status are going to have the ultimate influence of whether the person uses or not,” Primack said.\nMusic can make some behaviors seem like the norm, said Bloomington resident Tracy Staples.\n“If music contains this many references, then it is normalizing and removing the stigma that drugs and alcohol should have,” Staples said. “It makes it seem like an acceptable behavior.” \nIf certain exposures carry risks for substance use, the answer isn’t to get rid of the lyrics, Primack said. \n“It is not feasible to get rid of the music now wanted in a democratic society,” he said. “The answer is to educate through media literacy, showing that there is a big difference between what you hear and reality.”\nThis study does not necessarily mean that music is the only influence, Primack said.\n“This study was only the first step, showing that music contains plenty of references to drug and alcohol use,” Primack said. “The next step is to figure out if these references are influential.”