Sober is Sexy

I first saw this tank top while viewing one of my friends from USC's Facebook profile. Someone had posted a link to her wall (I swear I don't stalk as much as it sounds like) with a picture of what they called the new Pi Phi tank top. And the words read... "The Only Coke I Do Is Diet." Knowing her from high school and knowing she was just oddly obsessed with Diet Coke, I thought it was funny. I also thought it was funny how someone was joking about a sorority's reputation on campus... But that's a whole other story. However this t-shirt got me thinking... Is this a message that we really need to address? Is coke use on college campuses really that rising? And more interestingly, would someone support this cause and actually wear this tank top on campus?

Reports from a site called "Michael's House," a chemically dependent rehabilitation center, states that "Cocaine use by college students reached a ten-year high in 2006 when over 5% reported using the drug at their time during school" (Cocaine Addition Statistics). Although not a significant number like marijuana use or especially alcohol use on a college campus, cocaine is surprisingly more common than one would think. Known as a drug "that stimulates the central nervous system and causes hyperactivity, euphoric feelings, increased blood pressure, and heart rate," kids are using this drug as another way get high on their Thursday and Friday nights. Mixed with alcohol and a college atmosphere, kids are without a doubt abusing this drug. That's why this campaign is so interesting, it's addressing a cause that most people turn their backs to. Cocaine.

 I think this campaign is brilliant, especially with the actor in the picture having tattoos and looking well, a little rough around the edges. Most people would think that he would be the ideal person to do drugs but be careful who you stereotype. This kid in the picture is a sober model for a company actually supporting the cause on the t-shirt. In other words, this campaign "The Only Coke I Do Is Diet" was started by a t-shirt company called, "Sober Is Sexy." Their other t-shirts include messages called, "Heroin Killed the Radio Star" and so on. Contrasted to the normal "Above the Influence" ads you see on TV and in print ads, this is literally wearable art. More specifically, art that carries a message. The real question is... would you be strong enough to wear this t-shirt or would you fear people would judge you as a "goody-too shoes"? Even though this may seem like a smaller issue than marijuana and alcohol, it is still a problem on college campuses. So what type of coke do you do? Personally I prefer cherry.

http://www.michaelshouse.com/cocaine-addiction/cocaine-addiction-statistics.html