From Criminals to Celebrities: Perceptions of “the Addict” in the Print Press from Four European Countries from Nineties to Today

Abstract

The article reviews portrayals of "the addict" in press items from Italy, Finland, Poland, and The Netherlands. The dataset consists of 1,327 items from four national newspapers published in 1991, 1998, 2011. The portrayals varied according to country, period, and type of addiction problem. Results can be read as four cases where different conceptualizations ("the sinner," "the sick," "the social problem," "the criminal," and "the famous") assume diverse importance. These conceptual frames-of-reference are clearly neither unambiguous nor fixed. They are constantly modified and part of different trends.

Adults’ views of young people's drinking in Italy: An explorative qualitative research

“…However, the underlying motives were not clear, with adults barely understanding either ''drinking for fun'' (GR09) or ''drinking to forget'' (GR02), which conversely are recurrent features in young people's discussions (Petrilli et al, 2014 Several images from group discussions indicate that parents and teachers are influenced to some extent by mainstream discourse and mass media messages. The following exchange provides a typical example of a topic, drinking and driving, which cropped up many times during the focus groups, and has been at the center of media discourse in recent years (Beccaria et al, 2013 The focus on the risky consequences of youth drinking was discussed at the beginning of group discussions; however, over time, the discussion led the participants to more nuanced opinions and perspectives.…”

“…This is the case of the prevalence of risky drinking among young people, where the media conveys the idea that the majority of young people engage in heavy episodic drinking (Beccaria et al, 2013), though this does not seem to be reflected in participants' personal experiences. Though adults' opinions seem to some extent to be affected by the alarm spread by media messages, they are not entirely under their influence.…”

“…Neither did parents seem to be dragged down by anxiety, even if they were concerned about short-term risks. The most worrisome of these risks is that of drinking and driving, an issue that has attracted massive media attention in the last decade, especially in connection with young people (Beccaria et al, 2013). Nevertheless, parents and teachers appeared to be inclined to trust in young people's responsibility and many believe that they are more aware of this risk than adults.…”

“…Indeed, a process of assimilation to Northern European intoxicating cultures -that is, cultures where episodes of drunkenness and alcoholrelated problems are higher -is alleged to be ongoing (Järvinen & Room, 2007;Kuntsche et al, 2013). Increasingly, the Italian press -taking its cue from the ''moral panic'' about binge drinking fomented by the British media )has focused on heavy youth drinking, presenting it as a social epidemic affecting young people who are unaware of the risks (Beccaria, Rolando, Hellman, Bujalski, & Lemmens, 2013).…”

Rusproblem og endring i eit diskursperspektiv: Ein analyse av praksisforteljingar

“…Forståingar av rusproblem har variert både i eit historisk perspektiv og mellom ulike samfunn (Beccaria, Rolando, Hellman, Bujalski & Lemmens, 2015;Room, Hellman & Stenius, 2015). Til dømes varierer det både i tid og stad om rusproblem vert sett på som eit moralsk avvik der straff er ei legitim reaksjonsform, eller om rusproblem vert sett på som ein sjukdom som skal møtast med hjelp og behandling (Selseng, 2017;Skretting, 2014).…”