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Examples of Beer Industry "Responsibility" Programs
The list of beer industry-sponsored "responsibility" programs is impressive at first glance. A closer examination reveals that such programs are duplicitous at best, and generally carry a "pro-drinking" slant that: assumes the fact of drinking; places the blame for alcohol problems solely on individuals; never defines "safe" consumption; focuses on harm reduction (i.e. designated drivers, sober rides) -- never on discouraging heavy use; fails to offer any warning about alcohol's numerous risks beyond drinking and driving; and fails to identify high-risk groups who should not drink at all. A few examples follow:
"Family Talk About Drinking"
This Anheuser-Busch program consists of a video and guidebook that encourages parents to "talk to their children about drinking" (as opposed to talking to them about "not drinking"). Adult drinking is enticingly portrayed as something pleasurable to look forward to when one is old enough. Anheuser-Busch has aggressively co-opted local distribution channels, such as PTAs, other community groups, and state attorneys general to distribute these brochures, which feature the Anheuser-Busch logo.
"Let's Talk"
Similar to A-B's "Family Talk," this brochure from Miller Brewing Company purports to educate parents and consumers on topics such as "how to drink responsibly" and how to have a family discussion about alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The company claims that it has distributed more than 2.5 million copies of Let's Talk to parent organizations, community groups, retailers and law enforcement since the brochure’s development in 1991.
"1-800-TAXICAB"
A harm reduction program consisting of a national taxi dispatch service with the laudable goal of discouraging drunk driving -- but essentially condoning and perhaps encouraging heavy drinking. The program ignores many non-driving-related harms that affect both drinkers and others. Radio spots, point-of-sale and packaging materials promote the 1-800-TAXICAB service.
"Safe Ride Home"
Yet another harm reduction program that fails to address heavy drinking and server responsibility. Distributors partner with retail organizations and transportation companies to promote the Safe Ride Home Program. Through the use of a voucher system, the program provides free or reduced-fare transportation for those who are too drunk to drive home safely.
"WRAP (Washington Regional Alcohol Program)"
WRAP is a Washington, D.C.-based coalition that conducts harm reduction programs, such as the annual Holiday Sober Ride Program, which ignores (and possibly encourages) heavy drinking and downplays server responsibility.
"21 Means 21"
Coors' national "21 Means 21" advertising campaign purports to communicate to retailers and consumers that brewers "do not want the business of America's youth" -- notwithstanding the lucrative current and future market share youth drinking represents. Coors claims to support the minimum legal drinking age law, but company scion Peter Coors has publicly attacked the age-21 law and expressed support for lowering the drinking age, saying that his state of Colorado "did just fine" when the drinking age was 18.
"BARS (Being an Alcohol-Responsible Server) Program"
BARS is a "liability defense" program that attempts to promote ID checking among servers and sellers. This and other programs at the retail level have come in response to law enforcement and other "sting operations" that have often discovered lax compliance with laws prohibiting sales to underage and intoxicated persons. A study released in May 2004 by researchers at the University of Minnesota, using trained actors as visibly drunk patrons, reveals that both on- and off-premise servers have little regard for the law. The study found that seventy-nine percent of the establishments sold alcohol to a buyer.1 Participating establishments pay the BARS program to be monitored by BARS checkers (usually ages 21 to 25), who make random visits to their stores and purchase alcohol beverages.
"Operation I.D."
This program provides a variety of materials to support retail establishments, including a driver's license identification guide with examples from all 50 states, snap-on plastic wristbands, and pocket-sized "We-I.D." cards in an effort to prevent underage drinking. Despite such programs, studies have shown that compliance rates remain relatively low, and that vendors sold alcohol to young people with no IDs about half the time.2
"TEAM (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) Coalition"
The TEAM Coalition promotes responsible beverage service and designated driver programs at sports events and stadiums. Industry support for this program -- which receives other private and some public funding -- is driven primarily by concern for public relations and potential liability (e.g., drunks driving away from stadiums, rowdiness, fights, violence, as well as improving the spectating experience for most audience members).
"BACCHUS (Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students) and GAMMA (Greeks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol) Peer Education Network"
This college peer education and training program has received substantial financial and other support from brewers and includes representatives of the top three brewing companies on its board of directors. Its alcohol prevention activities place strong emphasis on personal responsibility and "social norms" programs that ignore environmental factors affecting alcohol use in campus communities. Another initiative includes stamping out the use of the term "binge drinking" to describe high risk drinking by college students.
"National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week"
NCAAW is an annual week of education and awareness activities held on more than 3,000 campuses nationwide every October. The emphasis is squarely on individual responsibility, ignoring campus environments and industry promotions to drink that condone and encourage underage and heavy drinking. The U.S. brewing industry has been a charter sponsor of the event since its inception in 1984. In addition to local support from beer wholesalers, the "Know When To Say When" Poster Competition awards $20,000 for responsibility poster concepts.
References:
1. Toomey, T.L., Wagenaar, A.C., Erickson, D.J., Fletcher, L.A., Patrek, W. & Lenk, K.M. (2004). Illegal alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons at licensed establishments. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 28(5):769-774.
2. Forster, J.L., McGovern, P.G., Wagenaar, A.C., Wolfson, M., Perry, C.L. & Anstine, P.S. (1994). The ability of young people to purchase alcohol without age identification in northeastern Minnesota, USA. Addiction. 89: 699-705. Forster, J.L., Murray, D.M., Wolfson, M. & Wagenaar, A.C. (1993). Commercial availability of alcohol to young people results: results of alcohol purchase attempts. Preventive Medicine. 24:342-347.