NaBloPoMo 11

I was putting some final preparation into the bible study for youth group tonight and read a commentary on Genesis 9. When reading about verses 20-23 the commentary had this to say about drunkenness (which was something interesting I learnt so I'm also using it for my NaBloPoMo today):

Many people who get drunk become victims of abuse, sexual and otherwise. 75% of the men and 55% of the women involved in date-rape situations were drinking or taking drugs just before the attack. The FBI says 50% of all rapes involve alcohol.
There are more costs to drunkenness. In the United States 100,000 people die each year in alcohol-related deaths, while alcohol abuse costs the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Still, the average American television viewer sees 90,000 incidents of drinking on television by age 21 and 100,000 beer commercials by age 18.

The stats about the average American television viewer at the end is making me think more about how we're all subject to the power of advertising and subliminal messaging. At this time of year advertising seems to go crazy in the run up to Christmas, making us all spend more than most of us can afford. Why do we feel the need to listen to it all? How do we keep focus in a world full of "New" "Improved" "Exciting" things? How do we keep our focus on God when so many other things distract?