Hope everyone has made it through the first hurdle of the holidays safely.  As the festive season gets into full swing, it occurs to me that there is an increased importance of planning your transportation needs to and from holiday parties ahead of time.  I know, in my house, nearly every evening of the week and then again on the weekend from now until New Years, it seems there is some holiday function, event or after-work get together to attend.  Ok - so it’s not every night - but the social schedule is certainly in full-swing.  And though I love the celebration of it all, I also know that when it’s time to leave - I had better know how I’m getting home because by the time the party is over - it’s too late to figure out who is going to drive.  

As you get swept up in the evening, talking to friends you haven’t seen in awhile, or catching up with family or co-workers, you may not realize how much you’ve had to drink.  That’s not to say that every night is a long, meandering trip down memory lane only to wake up in the morning having wished you hadn’t had that last cocktail.  But, why take the chance any night?  When you start the evening with a safe ride home - there’s no need to even question your abilities when the party is winding down.  A combination of drinking responsibly and getting a safe ride home will ensure everyone has a happy and wonderful holiday.  It’s just that easy!

In my neighborhood, we’ve talked about planning a night out with all the neighbors at a local restaurant.  But in the spirit of the holidays, we’ve decided if we’re going to do it, we’re going to rent a “fun bus” to take us to the neighboring town and bring us home.  That way we know that everyone can enjoy the atmosphere and celebration, without worrying about getting home safely. 

Some other ideas I’ve heard of among my other friends - making sure that they have taxi service posted visibly in their homes during holiday parties, and having multiple car service numbers in their cell phones should their trusty backup service be subject to the inevitable holiday backlog.  It also doesn’t hurt to have some extra bedding ready to go - just in case your guests decide it’s better just to stay the night.

I know it’s common sense to plan ahead - but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded once in awhile, does it?

Happy holidays!

Last weekend I went to my favorite neighborhood hibachi restaurant. In hibachi style restaurants, random patrons are typically squeezed into tight seating conditions centered around a cook-top table. While sitting with strangers isn’t a problem for me, I’m wholly aware that it’s a toss up in terms of choice of dinner companions. This week, to my left, three women of legal drinking age out on the town celebrating mom’s night out. On my right, three women who were clearly underage and taking advantage of the fact that this establishment wasn’t carding.

My first clue of their underage status, besides their very youthful appearance, was that as they downed their Sake, they snapped pictures of themselves with their cell phones. It’s been my experience, having bartended myself for seven years, that people of legal drinking age don’t have to prove that they are drinking with photo evidence.

I turned to the moms on my right and asked, “Did you see those girls get carded?” They replied that they had their eye on them and noticed that they were not carded. This information fueled my agitation. I thought to myself, how many people have watched these girls carry on and, in effect, have ultimately failed them — from their parents before they left their house, to the restaurant, to the bartender in the bar, to the server at the table, to the “moms” sitting on my right. You know how you feel when you’re watching something and a voice inside your head says “this is wrong. Someone needs to say/do something”.

What I said to those girls at that moment may not have been profound or the perfect thing to say to “reach them” but I could tell it landed on them. It wasn’t an easy thing for me to do. I was with company who I knew wouldn’t appreciate me getting into someone else’s personal business. From my point of view, however, in addition to it being quite literally my business, I also couldn’t imagine getting on the road knowing that these girls were behind the wheel somewhere. I imagine it gets easier each time you step out on the ledge and protect what’s important.  Let me know what you might have done in this same situation.

In Lexington, SC recently tragic deaths occurred of three high school seniors in two separate accidents on the same night who were drinking and driving. James Young and Donald Schwartz were leaving a party when Schwartz ran off the road and struck a tree. Both Young and Schwartz died. Only 30 minutes earlier, another 17 year old, Kyle Paradise was driving under the influence when he hit a road sign and flipped his automobile, immediately killing his passenger and best friend Brent Nachel.

This small town in rural South Carolina is not unlike many small towns where underage drinking is a persistent plague in the community.  Having grown up in a small town myself, I can attest to the rather boring life that surrounded kids and without education and constant reminding, coming from coaches, parents, teachers, and other good young adult role models, peer pressure to drink can be challenging.

Faced with these calamities in his district, Senator Jakey Knotts, a veteran Senator from the midlands of South Carolina turned to DIAGEO and worked passionately and earnestly with us and The Century Council to bring a program to this beleaguered community to remind kids of the dangers associated with illegal underage consumption of alcohol. The program, Brandon Tells His Story, is of Brandon Silveria, a young high school student with a very bright future both academically and athletically.  Brandon’s story is tragic and moving.  When only 17 years old, Brandon was involved in a near fatal car crash after drinking at a high school party with friends. He was subsequently in a coma for 3 months and even years later he still faces daily dilemmas with permanent and visible speech and walking disabilities. Despite these disabilities, Brandon and his Father Tony travel across the country talking to teenagers about the dangers of drinking and driving. His emotional story both educates and encourages responsible decisions by teens and has made a huge impact across high school auditoriums nationwide.

Partnerships with the industry, community leaders, parents and teachers’ organizations are all critical –frankly imperative, to educate and remind our youth on the potentially lethal outcomes of illegal underage drinking and drunk driving. The more we as a company and community can do to continue to educate our kids about these dangers, the better off we all are at protecting our future generations.  I’m proud to work for a company that cares so much about the communities in which we live and work and demonstrates that commitment to responsibility every day across the country.

While the dust has mostly settled around the results of last Tuesday’s historic election, we continue to get reports from around the country on voters approving of alcohol beverage sales in one form or another.  Here’s an update.

For the first time in 70 years citizens in Angelina County, Texas will be able to purchase alcohol beverages — because voters approved Proposition 1 and 2 which allows beer and wine to be sold for off-premise consumption and mixed drinks to be served  in restaurants and bars (without customers first having to “purchase a membership”).

And in Haywood and Hardeman Counties in Tennessee voters approved liquor by the drink — which means if you go to a restaurant or hotel in either of these counties you’ll be able to order up your favorite drink (in those establishments that have obtained the proper license).

Residents in Weller Township,  voted to “go wet”.  In other words you will soon be able to by a beer, wine or mixed drink in a restaurant in that town.

Similarly, voters in Zeeland, Michigan have ended a century-old ban on alcohol sales so someday soon (that is, relative to the 100 year ban) you’ll be able to get a drink at a restaurant or buy alcohol beverages at the grocery store.

Also, voters in Dawson County, South Carolina voted to allow the package stores in that county to open on Sunday.

Lastly — and to update you on an item my colleague mentioned last week — voters in Oklahoma approved a measure that will permit alcohol sales on election days.  Halleluiah.

Numerous other measures regarding the sale alcohol beverages were voted on last week and we’ll continue to update you as those results come in.

The holiday season is upon us and it occurred to me that the season - with gatherings of friends and families and celebrations with all the trappings — creates a natural [not forced] opportunity to have a conversation about responsible drinking with teens. With that thought in mind, it’s useful to have a tool that prepares you for common comebacks used by teens and general misconceptions about alcohol use.

I found that a website hosted by The Century Council was a great resource on this topic, providing information that helps adult cover what could be considered unstable ground on some thought provoking statements such as:

It is hypocritical of me to forbid my children to drink alcohol when he/she sees me enjoy a drink or two when I am socializing, eating or celebrating.
Since teens are going to drink no matter what we say, we might as well have them drink in our homes where we can keep an eye on them and take the car keys away.
Teens need to practice drinking in high school so they learn their limits early and don’t go wild in college.

Diageo’s zero tolerance stance on underage drinking clearly disagrees with these statements, and so does the author of the website’s Ask, Listen, Learn “The Parent Trap”, Brenda Conlan, a health educator who developed the information as a public service in conjunction with Century Council and Nickelodeon.  Check out the website — before your next family gathering.

Something interesting happened on Election Day in California.  I am not talking about Governor Schwarzenegger bucking the national trend and getting re-elected.  I am talking about the voters of California soundly rejecting all tax increase ballot propositions.

The concept has been around for years.  Target an industry and make them pay for something broad based.  A recent example of this type of ballot initiative was the increase on the tax of those making over $1 million a year to fund universal mental heath care, which passed in 2004 in California.

This year there were 4 such ballot propositions:
Proposition 86 – a $2.60 per pack increase on tobacco to fund various healthcare programs
Proposition 87 – a $4 billion a year tax on oil producers to fund alternative energy research and production
Proposition 88 – creates a statewide parcel tax of $50 per real property tax to provide and estimated $450 million annually in additional funding of K-12.
Proposition 89 – Increases income tax rate on corporations and financial institutions to provide public funding of political campaigns.

All of which were soundly defeated.  This comes on the heels of the defeat in this year’s primary election of the “millionaire tax” to fund pre-school. At the same time, however, all of the infrastructure bonds (Propositions 1A – 1E and Prop 84) that were on the ballot this election, which add up to over $40 billion dollars, passed overwhelmingly.

What do we learn from this?  I believe it shows that Californians believe in fair taxation.  Punitively taxing an industry to fund something either broad based or earmarking those  funds is not fair and in the long term does not work.

If something broad based, such as education, healthcare, etc., requires additional funding, that funding should come from the general fund, not by punishing a group or industry simply because they may be an easy target.  I am hopeful that as we approach the new year and a new legislative session, policy makers remember what happened at the ballot box this year and steer clear of punitive taxation simply because it gets press and instead look at broad based and long-term solutions for these problems.

It’s that time again.  The chill is in the air, the smell of leaves will soon turn to the smell of pine garlands and cinnamon.  The Thanksgiving turkey roasting in the oven will invite friends and family into our homes.  It’s a busy time of year and a time for connection, reflection and celebration.  Our calendars are filled with holiday parties and our blackberries hold the list of gifts to give.  It can get a bit stressful, especially when you throw in the holiday traffic jams and the crowded malls and stores.

That’s why I’m a firm believer in buying everything online during the holidays.  It is much more efficient.  That doesn’t always solve the problem of WHAT to give, though - especially for those who have everything (like my husband).  I think I’ve finally found the answer: order luxury spirits online.  It works sort of like the way you order flowers for someone across the country.  I place my order at www.luxurybar.com, and they send my order to the local package store and that store delivers my gift to my friend.  They even put it in a gorgeous gift package.

OK, so Election Day has come and gone and lots of politicians who annoyed the electorate are now gone too. Americans went to the polls and spoke their minds, rather loudly it would appear from seeing the gigantic shifts in Washington and in many states.

That’s fine, but there are some election results you may just have missed. I’m not sure why Katie Couric and Brian Williams and Anderson Cooper skipped over them, but hey..

Anyway, I know you will be pleased to learn that the very enlightened citizens of Rock Hill, North Carolina approved a ballot measure that now permits a patron in a restaurant to have a drink on a Sunday. The question passed with 61 percent for approval. The large margin even surprised supporters, according to The Charlotte Observer. So, now you can have a Smirnoff cocktail at a restaurant after church, a Guinness while watching Sunday NFL games, or maybe a glass of Sterling wine with Sunday dinner. Well, hey, it is the year 2007!

Not to be outdone, the land of Dorothy and Toto (who wasn’t then, but is now, of legal drinking age…well, not Toto, but Dorothy). I’m talking about Kansas (remember, “Gee, Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.”).

Ballot measures in Kechi and Park City, Kansas passed now allowing Sunday sales of alcohol and in Clearwater voters approved selling packaged liquor (like from a retail shop) on Sundays.

This is as it should be. Presumably the wedding at Cana occurred on a Sunday. Well, Jesus turned water into wine at that grand event, good wine too according to the Scriptures. If alcohol had been the wrong thing, then don’t you think he would have done it the other way around and turned wine into water!

Amen!

While most of the stories grabbing today’s headlines are about the economy (… stupid!) or the war in Iraq there’s other (some might even say more “weighty”) issues being decided as Americans go to the polls today to exercise their “God-given, constitutionally-affirmed” right to vote.

Across the USA, localities and states are asking voters to consider initiatives intended to advance or restrict the sale of alcohol (some, of course, being slightly more progressive than others).  For example, in McLouth, Kansas, voters are being asked to decide on the following question:

“No retailer’s license shall be issued for premises within the city of McLouth, Kansas, for the sale of retail alcoholic liquor in the original package.”

I read it twice and still said, “Huh!?”

I’ve since learned that for the last 70 years McLouth was “dry” thanks to a local ordinance prohibiting alcohol sales within 1000 feet of a church, school or post office.  “Since McLouth is about 1,000 feet across, it’s tantamount to excluding a package retail store anywhere within the city,” said Tuck Duncan, a local attorney.

In a radical move, Kansans enacted a new state law last year allowing stores to open as long as they were not within 200 feet of such establishments.  Many in McLouth feel that’s taking things a little bit too far, all little bit too fast.

But, a local package store owner, who opened up after last year’s state law change, has undertaken his own political campaign replete with yard signs, banners, and mass mailings (McLouth’s population is about 870 brave souls) to encourage voters to vote “no” on the question.  Why?  A “yes” vote means he’d have to close the store that he opened just a year ago.

If voters turn down liquor stores in McLouth, the retailer will have 90 days to close his business.

Only in America!!!!!

Interesting stuff, but it’s not the only thing being decided today. Others include:

• In Massachusetts, voters are deciding to allow the sale of wine in grocery stores.
• In Anderson County, Tennessee, voters will determine whether or not to allow the sale of “liquor by the drink” or at package stores.
• In Oklahoma, voters are being asked to change the law that prohibits the sale of alcohol while people are voting. As it is now, liquor stores close on Election Day, but some reopen when the polls close - and often have a line of customers waiting for them …

… there are similar measures being consider elsewhere, as well.

Regardless of who you support or what your views are be sure to exercise your right to vote.  It’s really important to let your views be known and voice be heard!!  It’s what makes this country great.

A pair of new government reports covering teen and college student drinking rates has hit the streets. There’s good news and not-so-good news.

Here’s the good news: The proportion of youth ages 12-17 who consume alcohol dropped over six percent (6.25%) between 2004 and 2005. That was the finding of the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

On the other hand, despite the fact that a great deal of attention has been devoted to underage college student drinking, the drinking rate for full time college students aged 18-20 remained essentially flat from 2002-2005. This is according to a just-released NSDUH short report. This report also notes that almost 60% of full-time 18-20 year old college students live in a household with a parent or grandparent.

It has been pretty well established that parents of teens have a significant impact on teenage decision-making about whether to drink or not. Perhaps it is time to devote renewed attention to the parents of 18-20 year olds, and especially those with kids still at home, to give them more tools like this one from the Century Council to help their kids make the right choice.