Community- Based Programs
Much progress has been made over the last two decades to reduce problems associated with alcohol abuse. Since 1982, drunk driving fatalities have declined 37%, teenage drunk driving fatalities have fallen 62% and underage drinking has been reduced by 53%. These gains have been the result of changing societal attitudes about responsible alcohol consumption, thanks to the educational programs of government, community based programs and the beverage alcohol industry.

This is progress we can all be proud of, but there is more work to do. SCBWA members sponsor or endorse several educational programs further targeting underage drinking and drunk driving. In addition, member wholesalers throughout South Carolina support local community efforts to combat alcohol abuse and help deliver many quality supplier sponsored “responsible use” programs.


* Source: National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (1999), US Department of Health and Human Services. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


Alcohol Education Programs
These Nationally Recognized Programs are available from your local wholesaler.

Server Training Programs

•TIPS – Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers. Distributors provide this program to retailers to educate bartenders, waiters and store clerks on techniques to dissuade people who have over-consumed without creating a server-customer confrontation. TIPS is also available for universities, and hotel/hospitality groups.

•Bar Code/B.A.S.S.E.T. (Beverage Alcohol Sellers & Servers Education Training) -Provides bartenders, cocktail servers, supervisors, managers and owners with the training they need to understand and implement the skills of responsible alcohol service. Participants leave the program confident in their ability to make sound decisions and to interact properly with guests.

•We ID – The We ID message can be found throughout South Carolina in convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and restaurants in the form of stickers, posters, banners and buttons. “WE I.D.” materials are often the first visual aid seen on cooler doors and at the cash registers where customers make their purchases.

Cab Ride Home Programs – In collaboration with local cab companies, bars and restaurants, distributors help prevent drunk driving by providing safe rides home. The program is endorsed by law enforcement and public officials, and offers free or reduced-fare cab rides home to bar or restaurant patrons

Designated Driver Programs – To help fight drunk driving, wholesalers and local retailers across the state work to promote the use of designated drivers. An overwhelming number of Americans have embraced the concept of designated drivers, with 122 million either having been one or used one.

Youth Education Programs

•Nationally Recognized Speakers – Wholesalers work within their communities to schedule presentations that focus on the importance of responsible behavior. Many of these programs are geared towards teens and young adults, carrying motivational messages on how young people can develop skills to aid them in making the right choices.

•Let’s Talk, Family Talk- These programs were developed to provide useful information to those who have the most influence over children when it comes to drinking – parents. These brochures offer advice to parents on how to communicate to their children about drinking.

Let's Talk was created in cooperation with leading psychologists, family counselors and law enforcement officials. This guide was designed for parents of children ages 6 to 11 to help parents begin a dialogue with their children about alcohol and responsible decision-making. The guide, available in both English and Spanish, encourages open communication between parents and their children. It offers suggestions about how to begin a good, productive dialogue and set positive examples for children.


Family Talk was developed by authorities in child counseling, family therapy and alcohol treatment, designed to help fight underage drinking. A parent guidebook encouraging effective communication concentrating on issues of self respect, family rules, and the laws when it comes to drinking.

College Education


• College Talk – This program helps parents talk to their college-bound student about drinking. This programs was developed by an advisory panel of authorities in the fields of education, family therapy, student health and wellness, alcohol treatment and social norms marketing, and through conversations with parents and students.

•College Alcohol Awareness – South Carolina’s distributors routinely work with the college and university campuses to coordinate efforts with Campus Counselors to help prevent underage drinking.

•National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week – NCAAW is an annual week of education and awareness activities held in October on more than 3,000 campuses nationwide. On the local level, beer distributors participate with the colleges and universities in their marketing areas and assist in coordinating events for the week.

•Social Norms Program – This program is designed for college students as well as parents on the true “social-norm” of college drinking. Many students significantly overestimate their peers’ drinking. The program stresses the importance of understanding that their own non-drinking, or moderate, infrequent drinking is the norm, rather than buying into the misconception that more students are drinking excessive levels of alcohol than actually are. This program was first implemented at Northern Illinois University and since its inception, 34 colleges and universities across the U.S. have used this “realistic” approach. For more information on Social Norms visit www.socialnorm.org.