Having grown up in the entertainment field, I have been influenced by the media in many ways, but one of the primary ways the media has influenced me is by making drugs and alcohol attractive to me in movies. I'm not blaming movies and actors for making me an alcoholic and addict, but I do have to confess that films over the years played a significant role in influencing me to try drugs for the first time and alcohol for the first time. I remember the first night I drank. I was 12 years old. My father was producing the Love Boat at the time and had gone away with my mother on a cruise to film one of the Love Boat's special episodes where they actually shot the show on a real cruise ship. It was the first time I had been left alone for any length of time by myself. I remember the first thing I wanted to do while my parents were away was watch the cable channel movies I wasn't allowed to watch. My grandmother was the only one watching over me and she went to bed early, so as soon as she went to sleep, I turned on the t.v. and searched for rated R movies. I found the movie Porky's. As I watched Porky's I noticed how fun getting drunk looked in the movie. The characters in the movie seemed to get drunk and loose all their inhibitions, fears, and have lots of sex. It appealed to me. So towards the end of the movie I snuck downstairs into the kitchen and grabbed one of the three Coor's beers that were in the fridge, the only alcohol in the house. I went back upstairs and drank my Coors beer while I watched the end of the movie. After the first beer I didn't feel anything. All my fears, cares, and worries didn't go away like I thought they would, so I figured I needed more. I went downstairs and got another beer. I drank it down, but again I felt nothing. I snuck back downstairs again and grabbed the last beer out of the fridge, knowing that my parents would find them missing when they returned, but I didn't care. I drank the third beer and finally, after a few minutes I began to feel dissy. I felt happier and more carefree, but that was all I remember. I didn't drink again for a long time after that, but the stage was set. Looking back on it I can't blame a movie for making me drink that first time, but it certainly influenced me. The same thing eventually happened with drugs, but that's another story. Sincerely, A Former Hollywood Actor

Labels: Media Alcohol Abuse, Media and Alcohol