Responsibility Starts with Me

Celebrating April’s Alcohol Responsibility Month & our 25 years of impact

It’s our favorite time of year – Alcohol Responsibility Month!

To kick off this special month, we’re launching a new campaign, called "Responsibility Starts with Me," with the goal of sparking a national conversation about alcohol responsibility. This year is also our 25th anniversary, and the new campaign celebrates the impact we have had on the issues of drunk driving, underage drinking and responsible drinking over the years.

We recently conducted research among American adults to learn what personal responsibility, especially when it comes to drinking, means to them.

According to our research, three out of four American adults (76 percent) believe responsibility starts with “me,” and 68 percent believe it is everyone’s own personal responsibility to address the harmful consumption of alcohol.

“With the ‘Responsibility Starts with Me’ campaign, we hope to ignite a national conversation about what it means to ‘drink responsibly,’ knowing that definition is a personal one and is most likely different for everyone,” said Ralph Blackman, president and CEO of Responsibility.org.

We invite you to share your personal stories through videos, blog posts, photos, and social media posts describing what responsibility means to you using #StartsWithMe. The campaign’s announcement video, which you will find below, provides some examples for those wanting to participate.

“For 25 years, Responsibility.org has led the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking, and I am excited for this new campaign highlighting the importance of personal responsibility when it comes to alcohol. Responsibility starts at the individual level,” said Mike Keyes, president of Brown-Forman’s North American region and chair of Responsibility.org’s board of directors. “Responsibility.org unites the top players in the distilled spirits industry for a common, critical cause, and because of that, we have had a significant impact in reducing drunk driving and underage drinking and promoting responsible drinking.”

“Over the past 25 years, drunk driving has declined over 50 percent and underage drinking is down 63 percent,” Blackman said. “Yet there’s still work to be done. We at Responsibility.org designate April as Alcohol Responsibility Month as a step beyond just raising awareness. Responsibility starts with every American — whether you’re a 20-something limiting your happy hour because you’ve got a big meeting the next day, a parent teaching your child to make a smart decision, a law enforcement official keeping the streets safe, or even a teen saying ‘no’ to underage drinking.”

So, how do American adults ensure they drink responsibly? Here’s what we learned:

• Six out of 10 Americans aged 21 or older say they choose “not to drink and drive” (63 percent), “know their limits” (63 percent) and “don’t drink too much” (57 percent).
• Half “plan for safe transportation home” (48 percent), “choose not to drink on occasion” (43 percent), and “eat food” (44 percent).
• Thirty-six percent report they “stay with friends or in a group” to ensure they have a safe and responsible drinking experience.

Alcohol Responsibility Month is not only a time for adults to examine their own drinking. It is also a time for adults to talk about alcohol with teens and kids.

“There is no better time than Alcohol Responsibility Month to talk to your kids and teens about making smart choices, especially the choice to say ‘no’ to underage drinking,” said Lisa Graham Keegan, chair of Responsibility.org’s national advisory board. “The ‘Responsibility Starts with Me’ message is extremely applicable to parents and teachers, as they are role models to their kids and students, and parents are the leading influence over their teens’ decision to drink — or not to drink — alcohol. We hope the campaign’s message of personal responsibility will empower parents and teachers to continue having conversations with their kids and students about responsibility, in all aspects of life, throughout the year and for years to come.”

Join the Responsibility Starts with Me movement online by using #StartsWithMe.