Alert Labs Blog - Drunk Driving

"Drink Responsibly" is Really a Command that means: "Drink!"

posted on Feb 28th 2010 at 2:00am by Dr. Harper

Many of us have been saying for years that negative ads don't work and that the the Alcohol Industry is well aware that their "drink responsibly" ads function as commands to "Drink" and lead to more, not less, drinking -- and the ads also function to obscure the real reason for the ads, as CYA:  "Don't blame us.  We tried!" 

Finally, we have some empirical evidence to back us up. 

"Anti-Drinking Ads Can Increase Alcohol Use" (Medical News Today, 2/25/10)

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180300.php

From the article:

Instead of the intended outcome, researchers in this first-of-its-kind study showed that the ads triggered an innate coping mechanism that enables viewers to distance themselves from the serious consequences of reckless drinking. Anti- or "responsible" drinking campaigns have long been a mainstay of health departments, nonprofit organizations and even beverage companies. Yet alcohol use remains a persistent and growing problem linked to the deaths of approximately 79,000 people in the United States each year.

Let's tell everyone we know who cares about Preventing Underage and Adult Heavy Drinking - throw the word "responsible" out, and also all the warning words about alcohol and other drug use. Dig out those positive social norms messages and use them instead.

Especially, get rid of "Drive to Arrive Alive: Don't Drink and Drive!" How about something like, 

"97% of Americans DISAPPROVE of driving after drinking any alcoholic beverages."

Or, How about, 

"Require Treatment for Drunk Drivers:"  

or maybe we should just share some facts: 

"Most people charged with Driving Under the Influence have driven drunk at least 80 times before they were caught."