Jelani’s Story

The idea for our “Responsibility Starts with Me” campaign originated from a single question: What does “being responsible” actually mean for people, especially when it comes to drinking? We quickly found out that while there are certainly some obvious pillars of responsibility like not driving drunk, alcohol responsibility takes on a deeply personal definition with each person. And each person’s definition, as we discovered, is different.

Here. See for yourself.

“Alcohol responsibility is on everybody, but, at the end of the day, it starts with me,” Jelani said in the video.

As you can see, for Jelani, alcohol responsibility has more than one definition. For him, it means taking personal responsibility for your own actions – before, during and after a night out drinking with friends.

“I think in a lot of ways, personal responsibility relates directly with drinking alcohol,” he said.

It also means never, ever driving drunk.

“It’s never smart to get behind the wheel if you’ve had too much to drink,” he said.

Jelani’s perspective really piqued our curiosity. Did other people have this deeply personal relationship with their own definition of responsible drinking? We had to find out.

So, we commissioned a survey. As it turns out, Jelani’s not alone.

The survey showed us that three quarters of American adults (76 percent) believe responsibility starts with “me.” Not only that, but 68 percent believe it’s everyone’s own personal responsibility to address the harmful consumption of alcohol.

But we also want to hear from you. Do you agree? What does alcohol responsibility mean for you? What does it mean for your family? We want to know. Watch and share these empowering stories, like Jelani’s, and join the "Responsibility #StartsWithMe" movement.

Look. Big change doesn’t usually happen all at once. Big change doesn’t usually happen on a big scale, either. It often happens when one person makes a change within themselves. When one person’s decision to make a lifestyle change starts a ripple effect – within their family, their community. This is especially true when it comes to responsible drinking. Will you keep the movement going?