 |
Summer Drinking Awareness Kit
Contains:
News Release
Radio Public Service Announcements
Summer Drinking Tips
| NEWS RELEASE
|
For More Information, Contact:
(Insert name of contact)
(Insert phone number)
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Immediate Release:
|
|
DON'T LET ALCOHOL PUT A CHILL ON YOUR SUMMER
|
Don't let alcohol put a chill on your summer, urges (INSERT NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION) by helping citizens in (INSERT GEOGRAPHIC AREA) understand a few simple facts about alcohol. The sunshine, warmth and long days of the coming season provide a wealth of opportunities for recreation and relaxation, but, when mixed with alcohol, these activities can turn dangerous and even deadly.
"Alcohol consumption results in a gradual dulling of reactions of the brain and nervous system, turning normal situations into potentially
dangerous ones," says Dr. Nicholas A. Pace, M.D., a board member of the
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. in New York City.
"It causes a loss of inhibitions, which leads to aggressiveness, poor
judgment, and reckless movements in the water while boating, swimming
and diving. It can cause faulty coordination and disorientation in the
water, and impair a person's swallowing and breathing reflexes -- both of which are essential to swimming."
The following statistics underscore the negative consequences of
alcohol consumption:
- Drinking may be a factor in 80% of boating fatalities, says the National Transportation Safety Board. According to the National Safety Council, boating accidents are this country's second-largest cause of transportation injuries.
- According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol is involved in an estimated 38% of drowning deaths. Data assembled recently for the Surgeon General shows that this number rises to between 40 and 50% for young males.
- 40-50% of all diving injury victims consume alcoholic beverages, according to the same report.
For heavy drinkers, alcohol consumption during the summer months can contribute to heat prostration. This dehydration also can increase your chances of having a stroke, particularly for individuals with high blood pressure. Hypoglycemia and heart rhythm irregularities are additional dangers of drinking on a hot, sunny day.
With so much fun to be had, why let alcohol put a chill on your summer? People under the age of twenty-one, drivers and people planning water-related recreational activities should stay away from alcohol. Even those who observe the Federal government's recommendations for moderate
drinking (two drinks per day for men, one for women) should bear in mind
that alcohol may affect them differently during their favorite summer
activity. For a free copy of "Summer Drinking Tips," send a self-
addressed, stamped envelope to (INSERT NAME AND ADDRESS OF ORGANIZATION).
|
# # #
(INSERT DATE OF DISTRIBUTION)
|
| |
| 30-SECOND PSA SCRIPTS
|
Instructions for use:
1) Adapt any or all of the following "live copy" scripts for use on local radio and television stations.
2) Type each script, double-spaced, on your letterhead with the name of a contact person from your organization.
3) Submit scripts to radio public service directors in your community as soon as possible. Your chances of getting them aired may increase if you try to give each radio station a different script.
4) Also submit the scripts to the weather forecasters at your local television stations.
5) Follow up with a phone call 3 - 5 days after you submit the scripts asking if they have arrived and if broadcast during the upcoming season is possible.
6) If the public service director or weather forecaster was receptive to your first phone call, follow up with additional calls over the course of the summer to remind him or her of the PSA.
7) Send a thank you note to the manager of any radio station or television station that airs one of your PSAs.
Live copy scripts:
Don't let alcohol put a chill on your summer, warns (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION). If you're thinking of drinking on your boat, remember that alcohol is linked to most boating fatalities. You can prevent an alcohol-related death by never drinking before piloting a boat and never riding on a boat with someone who's been drinking. For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
Don't let alcohol put a chill on your summer, warns (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION). If you're thinking of drinking around the pool, remember that alcohol is linked to 38% of all drownings. It affects the way we breathe and swallow but you can prevent an alcohol-related drowning by never drinking before swimming. For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
Don't let alcohol put a chill on your summer, warns (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION). If you're thinking of drinking at the beach, remember that alcohol is linked to 38% of all drownings. It impairs our judgement but you can prevent an alcohol-related drowning by never drinking before swimming. For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
Don't let alcohol put a chill on your summer, warns (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION). If you're thinking of drinking before windsurfing or riding your jetski, remember that alcohol impairs our coordination and judgement. You can prevent an alcohol-related drowning by never drinking before participating in any water sport. For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
Don't make drinking a sink or swim issue this summer, warns (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION). If you're thinking of drinking before windsurfing or riding your jetski, remember that alcohol impairs our coordination and judgement. You can prevent an alcohol-related drowning by never drinking before participating in any water sport. For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
If you're spending July 4th at the beach, (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION) wants to remind surfers and skiers: mixing water sports and alcohol can be a real drowner. Drinking means a loss of the coordination and reflexes you need to safely "catch a wave". For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
Labor Day! On the last summer get-together with friends before school -- don't let alcohol get in the way of your fun, warns (INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION). Labor Day is one of the deadliest days of the year due to alcohol-related accidents. Be aware of alcohol's affects -- such as slowed reactions, susceptibility to cold water, and increased chances of having a stroke -- when planning your holiday. For more summer drinking tips, call (INSERT PHONE NUMBER). That's (INSERT PHONE NUMBER).
|
|
| SUMMER DRINKING TIPS
|
|
Don't let alcohol put a chill on your summer. By following these simple guidelines, you can prevent an alcohol-related accident or health problem.
- If you drive, do not drink; if you drink, do not drive. There is no safe level of alcohol for drivers because everyone reacts differently to alcohol on different occasions. If you are going out with others, decide beforehand who will drive on the return trip. Do not ride with drivers who have been drinking.
- Never drink and pilot a boat of any kind. The same things that make drinking and driving dangerous (impaired judgment, information processing, and coordination, among other alcohol effects) can be as deadly on water as they are on land. Boating, windsurfing, jetskiing and waterskiing -- anything that involves speed and skill -- can all be dangerous to anyone who has been drinking.
- Do not swim or dive if you have been drinking. Remember that alcohol will inhibit your swallowing and breathing reflexes, both of which are necessary for swimming, and make you feel warmer than you really are, putting you at risk for hypothermia in cold water. In addition, drinking affects your ability to judge distances and may lead you to swim too far out into a lake or ocean.
- If you are riding in a boat, remember that alcohol will impair your balance and increase your chances of falling overboard. This danger, compounded by alcohol's effects on your swimming ability, is a common cause of drowning.
- If you are a heavy drinker, remember that during the summer alcohol consumption can:
* more rapidly dehydrate you
* raise your blood pressure
* increase your chances of developing hypoglycemia, a condition that causes weakness and interferes with the body's temperature regulation
* increase your chances of becoming a heat prostration or stroke victim
- If you have a health condition that makes any of these effects particularly dangerous, do not drink in hot, sunny weather.
- Do not drink if any of the following is true:
* you are pregnant or trying to conceive
* you are using medicine of any kind
* you have had difficulty keeping your drinking moderate in the past
- Feel free to refuse alcohol for any other reason, regardless of pressure or encouragement to drink.
- Do not drink if you are a child or adolescent. For anyone under 21, alcohol is an illegal drug.
- Eat before and during occasions when you are drinking -- eating will slow alcohol's effects. Remember that drinks containing sugar, the beverages often chosen in hot weather, combine with alcohol to produce a hypoglycemic effect even greater than that caused by alcohol alone.
- If you are a woman, remember that alcohol will have a greater effect on you than it will on a man of your weight.
- Remember that alcohol will impair your performance in most sports, making you more vulnerable to accidents and injuries.
|
 |
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
 |
244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022
phone: 212/269-7797 fax: 212/269-7510
email: national@ncadd.org http://www.ncadd.org
HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)
|
|
