As you media watchers out there may know, actress Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail Tuesday for her failure to attend alcohol education classes after a series of drunk driving charges dating back to 2007.

I realize that the starlet has a reputation as an out-of-control wild child who thinks she’s immune to the law, but I can’t help feeling sad when I think of the talented young actress from The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Mean Girls. My daughters and I have watched and enjoyed all these movies, and it’s a shame to see so much talent and vivacity go down the drain because of alcohol and drug abuse.

I’ve cringed these past few years as my daughters bore witness to Ms. Lohan’s very public downfall, and I found myself hoping she’d turn herself around. I cringe now at the idea of her public “hanging.”

Yes, she should pay the price for driving under the influence, but that doesn’t mean we have to revel in her downfall.

In an article on Forbes online, Kiri Blakeley points to the discrepancy between the media frenzy over Lindsay Lohan’s drunk driving arrests and the relative indifference to male celebrities who behave badly.

One of the reasons for the discrepancy, she writes, has to do with economics—more women than men buy tabloids and magazines, and women supposedly like to read about other women who have it all being taken down a peg or two. It’s a case of give the people what they want.

But is that really what we want? I, for one, would love to see a picture of a clear-eyed, radiant Lindsay Lohan. Then, instead of clicking my tongue and saying to my daughters, “Did you see what happened to Lindsay Lohan?” I could point to her and say, “Look. Anything’s possible. She turned her life around.”

Some people never pull themselves out of the pit of addiction. But there are so many who do. Here’s hoping Lindsay Lohan–and all the others who have to hit rock bottom before they change–can beat their addiction.

Photo Source young Lindsay Lohan

What do American Idol and drinking have in common? Besides being potentially addictive, they’re both ubiquitous. So what could be more fitting than American Idol drinking games?

Yes, while Simon, Ellen, Kara and Randy sip from their plastic tumblers of Coke, you could be having a party–drinking beer, wine, Jack Daniels, or what-have-you–creatively combining two passions.

Here, courtesy of BJ Abel of Associated Content, are a few drinking games. Not that you’d be playing them, of course, but for American Idol fans, they’re kind of amusing:

Game Number One:

The rules are simple. When a Judge says one of their stock phrases, drink. You can assign a specific judge to each contestant or everyone can drink on every Judge.

Here are the most common phrases or actions used by the Idol Judges:

Randy

“It was just alright for me, dude”

“You made it your own”

“I wasn’t feelin’ it”

“That song was too big for you”

“Dawg” or “dude” to female, “baby” to male

“Keeping it real” or “good lookin’ out”

Simon

“It was a complete and utter mess”

Talks about being honest (example. “If I’m going to be honest”)

Asks if the contestant knows that “this is a SINGING competition”

Uses the word “karaoke” or “cabaret”

Uses the word “Horrible” or any variation of the word (i.e. horrific, horrendous, etc)

Kara

Demonstrates how she could have sung it better

“Pitchy” is used

Talks about how she would sign the person today

Calls a contestant “sweetheart” or “sweetie”

Ellen

Says “I like you. I really like you”

Calls a contestant “adorable”

Game Number Two:

Create an action that players have to do every time a contestant or judge says a key word.

Every time an American Idol contestant says “I am the next American Idol,” the  last person to stand up has to drink

If an American Idol contestant claims they are sick, the first person to say “BS” gets to give a drink to someone.

Every time one of the judges uses a key word or phrase, the last person to stand up has to drink. Some examples are:

“Pitchy”

“That was a perfect song”

“This is what the competition is all about”

Be creative and be sure to use your favorite American Idol Phrases to have more fun.

ANY WORDS OR PHRASES WE MISSED?

Photo Source

Alcoholics Anonymous used to be the great equalizer: Rich or poor, famous or unknown, everyone was an addict, and everyone sat on the same hard chairs, in the same church basement, drinking the same bad coffee. My mom used to tell me about all the politicians and other muckety-mucks in her Washington-area AA meetings (never naming names, of course, but just mentioning that this or that famous person was there, as if to prove she was in good company). And that was a good thing, especially for celebrities and other narcissists, who needed the humbling.

Then along came fancy rehab centers (yes, there’s always been Betty Ford, but usually after rehab, those people went straight to AA), Celebrity Rehab with Doctor Drew, and now–sober coaches–a sort of first-class airplane ticket to sobriety.

Maybe I’m out of the loop, but I learned about sober coaches for the first time, recently, when I happened to be reading about Brooke Mueller & Charlie Sheen’s early-morning knife fight (yes, I admit, I was kind of fascinated). Since both celebs apparently have a history of alcoholism and addiction, they had their Sober coaches on hand that morning. So what is a sober coach? Basically, it’s a person you pay to help you stay sober, after you leave rehab. Apparently, if you don’t feel like going to AA and hanging around those icky basements, the one-person AA meeting will come to you. How’s that working for you, Charlie Sheen?

For $40-$100 per hour, companies like Sober Champion will appoint someone to be your “sober escort” (to take you from point A to point B, such as on an airplane) or your “sober coach” (your companion for a finite number of hours). If you’re willing to shell out up to $1800 a day, you too can have a “sober companion,” who will go through all your stuff to make sure you’re not hiding booze or drugs, and basically follow you around, coaching you, praying with you, and helping you find ingenious alternatives to boozing (i.e. meditating, taking a bath, exercising). Sorry, but sober coaches are not generally covered by insurance, so you’ll have to shell out all the dough yourself. The maximum suggested time for the 24/7 sober coach is 90 days. Celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Owen Wilson, Robert Downey, Jr., Lindsay Lohan and Mary-Kate Olsen have used sober coaches.

Frankly, not that I’m his mother or anything, but what Charlie Sheen needs is a bad cup of coffee and a basement full of regular people calling him on his shit, not a suck-up sober handler who charges him $650-1800 day. Ditto Lindsay Lohan et al. The cure for narcissism is a dose of reality. One of the most helpful cures for addiction is to find a community of people who can bolster and support you, and who you in turn can bolster and support. Sober coaches offer a community of one–a one-sided arrangement.

I’m sure there are cases where sober coaches have saved peoples’ lives, and that’s nothing to sneeze at. They have testimonials out the wazoo from grateful celebs, I’m sure. But still…

What I don’t get is that AA has always offered sober coaches–for free! They’re called “sponsors,” and they are AA veterans with years of sobriety under their belts. If it’s hard for celebrities to attend public meetings, couldn’t they have celebrity AA meetings or something? And get this–one of the sober coaching companies is called “Hired Power.” A sellout G-d. How ironic.

Think 20-somethings are the biggest boozers? Think again. A new study of Danish and English women found that women with high incomes and good jobs drink more often and more heavily than almost any other group of women. According to the researchers, society’s preoccupation with teen and college-age drinking has led them to overlook another group of heavy drinkers: professional, middle-aged women.

Why the discrepancy? Researchers says it’s because middle-aged drinking is seen as civilized, compared to the drinking-fueled antics of 20-somethings. Middle-aged drinking is simply not as sexy and visible (Is there a “Gossip Girl” or “Sex in the City” for 40 and 50-somethings?) Picture a 20-something drinker and you picture a gaggle of women hitting the bars, socializing. Older women, with serious jobs, relationships and perhaps, families, tend to do more of their drinking in private, at home. But just because they’re not jumping up on bars or hooking up with random men doesn’t mean they’re consuming less.

Over the holidays, I couldn’t resist going to the latest chick flick, IT’S COMPLICATED, a middle-aged woman’s wet dream, whereby Meryl Streep looks amazing and gets romanced by not one, but two, suitors. I don’t know about you, but most of my friends’ moms who were divorced waited years till they found someone else, while their exes seemed to hook up right away. I’m sure that’s not always the case, but let’s face it: IT’S COMPLICATED is total fantasy-land, people, including the drinking.

Oh, the drinking. IT’S COMPLICATED literally made me want to drink. Everyone had such a rosy glow, and when Meryl throws back a few, then a few more, at the bar with Alec Baldwin, she laughs! She dances! She glows! And she has the time of her life. Sure–things do get “complicated,” but if complicated means great sex and lots of admirers, what’s so bad about that? Yes, Meryl Streep’s character does get sick from all the booze. But still–even the scene of her barfing into her nightstand drawer is cute and funny, rather than sad. It’s all in the lighting. Plus, in the movie, she has a fabulous career as the owner of a high-end bakery, a beautiful house, three gorgeous, well-adjusted kids, and an ex-husband who still carries a torch. Oh yeah, and a killer wardrobe.

Meryl Streep drinks with her warm and witty group of girlfriends. She drinks with her ex. She drinks with her kids, and has a ball. She even smokes pot, and makes it look fun (you’ll have to see the movie for yourself to see the Steven Martin/Meryl Streep pot-smoking party scene–hilarious).

All this is to say that the middle-aged, highly educated professional played by Meryl Streep–and all the other middle-aged and above characters in the film who have great wardrobes, big smiles and great jobs–make the twenty-somethings look tame by comparison. So what gives? Is this another part of the IT’S COMPLICATED fantasy-land, or is there some truth to the thought that established women drink just as much as twenty-somethings?

If you’re 40- 50 or 60-something plus and you’re reading this–do you drink more, less, or the same as you did in your twenties?

Right now, while raising three kids, I definitely drink less, mostly because I’m too tired at night, and I’d rather take a bath or read. But I can envision a time, down the road, when the kids are away at college (like Meryl Streep’s kids in IT’S COMPLICATED) and I start traveling, hanging out more with friends, and yes–sharing bottles of wine…Wow–that sounds like fun. (Not to be a downer, but for some women, who have struggled with alcohol-related issues, the drinking in IT’S COMPLICATED must seem like a sugar-coated fantasy–like Russian roulette, because you never know who’s going to be adversely effected).

When I reached legal drinking age in the early 1980s, I was 18 and just entering my freshman year in college. Being legal wasn’t nearly the big monumental moment it seems it is today. I mean, we could already drive, and now we could officially drink, vote, and for some, join the army.

In the mid-80s, in response to increasing numbers of drinking-related highway driving fatalities, and with birth and work of MADD (Mothers Agains Drunk Driving), the drinking age was changed to 21.

Perhaps there are less highway accidents since the legal age has changed, but there are a growing number of deaths from alcohol poisoning, and certainly many college kids who are binge drinking and pounding the “forbidden fruit” like there is no tomorrow.

Last winter, 60 Minutes aired an episode about the drinking age controversy, which has provoked great debate since more than 100 college presidents (including those from Dartmouth and Duke) formed a movement to reduce the legal drinking age to 18. Extreme drinking has become increasingly common on college campuses, and students are often consulting You Tube videos which basically instruct underage kids how to concoct potent combinations of alcohol, such as in the “Irish Car Bomb,” where you mix Guiness beer, whiskey and Bailey’s and drink it all at once.

It is unlikely that the drinking age will change, based on the amount of government agencies that are in favor of keeping it at 21. But at least there’s a debate about it, which, I think, is a good thing.

What do you think the legal drinking age should be?

Move over, men, there’s a new face in drunk driving: the sensible everywoman.

Remember “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk?” and how you couldn’t get that phrase out of your head? Well, the Ad Council, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), has come up with an equally unforgettable public service announcement: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

At first glance, the video on You Tube, made to support the latest anti- drunk-driving campaign, looks like business as usual. The camera focuses in on a very drunk blonde, maniacally laughing, clutching her beer bottle.

Then things go all wrong, and she knocks her front teeth out with the beer bottle. Does she get upset? No. As she continues laughing, her missing front teeth prominently displayed, the camera pans over to her friend, who is way more sober, only politely laughing, and is putting on her jacket, ready to leave and, presumably, drive home.

And this is where the twist comes in: Instead of panning back to the smashed woman, the camera pans over to her friend, the sensible-looking brunette (natch), as if to say, Not So Fast! The camera then freezes on the sensible brunette and a voiceover says: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. Sobering? I think so. We can laugh at the overly drunk woman, but the buzzed woman–well, the buzzed woman could be anyone you know. It could be you.

If the slogan, “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving,” sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it is. The PSA, first released in 2005, was originally targeted at men, ages 21-34. So why the re-release? And why the focus on women, not men? According to the NHTSA, the number of women DUIs rose 30% in the 10 years between 1998 and 2007, while DUIs by men went down.

Television spots are set to air just in time for the winter holidays, but the Ad Council is also betting on social media sites, like Facebook, to spread the message. A visit to the site’s fan page, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving, turned up 574 fans. The Twitter page has 552 and counting. So far, the You Tube video (described above) has had over 10,000 hits. And there are other videos on You Tube as well.

Seems there was a big flap over School Library Journal’s November cover. (at left). A handful of readers wrote angry letters taking issue with the cover photograph, which showed several notable children’s literature bloggers, some of whom happen to be librarians, holding alcoholic beverages (pink, Mad Men-esque cocktails). I had to admit I got a little nervous reading this snippet from one of the letters: “It certainly doesn’t fit to combine blogging with drinking.” Hmmmm.

I say: Most, if not all, readers of School Library Journal are adults, and kids viewing the cover know that many adults (legally) drink, so what’s the problem here?

I think the real issue is the coexistence of three things: Drinking, School & Library. As one letter-writer wrote: “The cover of the November issue is offensive. It does not portray an image of a school librarian with which I want to be associated.” Yikes!

For some reason, I thought of the scene in School of Rock where Jack Black takes the principal (played by nerd-girl extraordinaire Joan Cusack) out to a bar to butter her up. I remembered how squeamy it made me feel to see Cusack in her prissy teacher persona knock back a few beers and start moving and grooving to Stevie Nicks. Just like we all have to face the fact that yes, our parents have had sex, we also have to accept the reality that the people who work with our children are humans, not saints, and that some of them might occasionally enjoy a cocktail. Is that really so taboo?

And isn’t it better for teens to see responsible members of the community modeling responsible drinking, rather than some unattainable idea of Pollyanna perfection?

My favorite response to the letters was the blogger over at “Collecting Children’s Books,“ who suggested that anyone offended by the “liquored-up” cover–“Mormons, teetotalers, AA members, anyone who lives in a “dry country,” as well as old fuddy-duddies”–should send away for a “replacement alcohol-free” cover, which can be pasted over the offending illustration.”  (See below for her GOT MILK? Cover)

Are you willing to suffer for a svelte figure? Or gulp–give up drinking to lose weight, like former party-girl Kate Hudson? Seems actress Elizabeth Hurley has found another way to stay slim: she switched to vodka. Never mind that she hates the taste. In today’s Daily Mail online, Hurley says, “I don’t really like vodka that much but if I’m at a party I have a small one with a lot of fizzy water and a huge squeeze of lime. Initially it’s like medicine but I’ve got used to it now.”

Some would disagree with giving up wine to lose weight.  As Bonnie Graves points out over at her blog, Girl Meets Grape, wine has no sodium, no cholesterol and no fat. In fact, according to an article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, moderate wine drinkers tend to be slimmer than those who drink absolutely no alcohol.

When it comes to your drinking, would you sacrifice taste for fewer calories? As for me–I’d rather drink nothing at all than sip a drink I didn’t like.

To Elizabeth Hurley and all the beauty-obsessed women, I say–all that obsessing over your weight is going to cause more wrinkles than anything else. And it’s a known fact that the more padding you have on your face, the less visible the wrinkles. So what if you have a little bloating! For godssakes, live a little!

Quick! Name a movie for tweens and up that has no drinking in it….If you think it’s tough to do, you’re right. In a 2006 study, a Dartmouth research team found that “92% of the films in a sample of 601 contemporary movies depicted the use of alcohol. Broken down by ratings, they found that alcohol was used in 52% of G-rated films, 89% for PG, 93% for PG-13 and 95% for R.” http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2006_h1/12jan2006_sargent.shtml

Recently, I’ve been thinking about drinking in movies, and how it might look through my tween daughter’s eyes. For her 11th birthday, I took her and a group of friends to see the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was cute and funny, and the girls enjoyed it, but I felt a little uneasy. Not just about the out-of-control spending the movie showed, but also the out-of-control drinking (soft focus, with no real repercussions). As much as I wish my daughter would pick a movie like Whale Rider, she has her own taste.

Many movies for tweens and teens use drinkers as a cautionary tale (The drunk rocker in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen) or as objects of ridicule (the drunk friend in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Or there’s the one drunk night that ends badly (Lindsay Lohan barfing on her crush in Mean Girls).

But by the time women in the movies hit college and beyond, drinking is seen as the ultimate good time (can you think of a wedding-related scene without the obligatory doing-shots or drunk bride scene?), the ultimate cure-all…Much of He’s Just Not That Into You takes place in a bar. Adventureland? 99% drinking. Drinking is a rite of passage; it’s liquid courage (as in Shopaholic); it’s a way to even the score (Remember Karen Allen going head to head with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones?).

My own random sampling of movies my daughter expressed interest in seeing, or has seen, include: Whip It (She’s dying to see it–lots of power-grrls knocking back drinks), 17 Again (party scenes, drinking), 13 Going on 30 (POOF! Jennifer Garner can legally drink!), 27 Dresses (tons of drinking), Bride Wars (brides-to-be knocking back shots of tequila), and on and on.

Through the eyes of a tween or teen going to the movies, it must seem like A) Almost everybody drinks, and B) You’d be a crashing bore not to…Unless you’re a: VAMPIRE or VAMPIRE-WANNABE! Yes, that’s right. I answered the question I asked at the beginning of this post. Twilight is a movie with (almost) no drinking, at least by its main characters. The dad drinks a beer with his friend, and Bella hands him a beer, but that’s about it. And that’s because it was written by a—-Mormon!

P.S. Another Dartmouth study by the same group of researchers (see Link above) found that movie images and scenarios influence teen drinking behavior and attitudes almost as much as drinking by parents and peers.

So-what do you think? I’m not a censorship type. Hey–I let my daughter see lots of the movies I named above. I’m just wondering–do you think all this movie drinking has an effect on kids? And do you think there’s a way to balance some of it out? Because even if you don’t drink, trust me–your kid will be confronting many others who do (either live, or on TV or film).