|
|
Doll Distributing Inc. is providing convenience stores, grocery stores and other retailers with cooler stickers, posters and other point-of-sale materials reminding adults they have the power to help prevent underage drinking.
The program challenges adults to "Think Again" when they believe it's acceptable to buy alcohol for teens or provide it to them at parties.
"We want to help send the message through this program that this kind of behavior is irresponsible, illegal and it can have very serious consequences on teens for the rest of their lives," said Mark Doll, CEO.
"Many of us are parents ... sharing the same concerns as every other parent about underage drinking. Mixing teens, inexperience and alcohol can be a recipe for disaster."
The good news is 71 percent of youth ages 12-20, more than 26 million, are doing the right thing by not drinking, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the number of fatalities in teen drunk-driving crashes has declined by 60 percent since 1982.
In addition, according to the federally funded University of Michigan "Monitoring the Future" study, the percentage of high-school seniors who reported having a drink in the last 30 days is down 31 percent since 1982.
"Prevent, Don't Provide" is the company's latest effort to be part of the solution in the fight against underage drinking. Anheuser-Busch works with retailers and community groups to distribute its Family Talk About Drinking program free of charge.
Developed by authorities in the areas of education, family counseling and alcohol treatment, Family Talk encourages open, honest communication between children and parents on this issue.
To help retail staff effectively identify those patrons of legal drinking age and stop sales to minors, Anheuser-Busch provides a variety of tools including: wristbands that identify those who have shown a valid ID; booklets that feature photos of valid driver licenses; training materials helping them learn how to spot fake IDs; and point-of-sale materials, such as cooler stickers that alert customers they will be asked to show a valid ID.
The company also has a speaker's bureau that delivers a message of responsibility and respect for the law to middle, high-school and college students, as well as to community groups, around the country.
Anheuser-Busch and its team of 600 independent wholesalers have invested more than a half-billion dollars since 1982 in a comprehensive portfolio of more than two dozen community-based programs and national advertising campaigns to fight alcohol abuse, including underage drinking and drunk driving, and to promote responsible drinking by adults 21 and older who choose to drink.
More information is available on www.beerresponsible.com.
