NORWALK, Conn., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diageo, the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company is proud to support The Century Council, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking. April is Alcohol Awareness Month and The Century Council will be sponsoring programs across the United States including 'Brandon Tells His Story' and 'Ask, Listen, Learn.'
Brandon Silveria, of 'Brandon Tells His Story,' survived a drunk driving crash when he was a teen and has devoted himself to speaking about his experience and encouraging people under the legal drinking age to make the right decisions about alcohol. 'Ask, Listen, Learn,' a collaboration between The Century Council and Nickelodeon, is a highly creative multimedia program that helps facilitate conversations between parents and their children before they are confronted with the choice to drink alcohol.
Throughout April, these Century Council programs will be touring the country making stops in 12 cities to get the message out about the dangers of underage drinking to students and parents.
-- China Grove, NC, April 2 -- Spencer, NC, April 2 -- Kannapolis, NC, April 3 -- Salisbury, NC, April 3 -- Spokane, WA, April 9-10 -- Los Angeles, CA, alongside Rep. Roybal-Allard, April 14 -- W.T. Woodson, Fairfax, VA, April 22 -- Detroit, MI, April 23 -- Lansing, MI, April 24 -- Anaconda, MT, April 29 -- Deer Lodge, MT, April 29 -- Butte, MT, April 30
"As adults, we need to lead by example," said Guy Smith, Executive Vice President, Diageo North America. "Diageo has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to underage drinking and drunk driving, and we are committed to working to help keep alcohol away from those under the legal drinking age."
Although underage drinking is at a historic low, it remains a serious problem in this country and one that Diageo takes very seriously. Research shows that adults are the biggest source of alcohol for underage drinkers. The Century Council found that 65% of underage drinkers get their alcohol from family and adult friends. Federal research conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides additional detail on the social sources of alcohol for underage drinkers. Key findings of their study include that 90 percent of underage drinkers were either given alcohol for free or had someone else purchase it for them. Also, 84 percent of underage drinkers were in their own home or someone else's home when they had their last drink. That is why Diageo supports real solutions to keep alcohol out of kids' hands. The company has led the introduction of legislation in 22 states to revoke the driver licenses of adults who provide alcohol to minors.
Diageo has also launched an innovative website designed to promote responsible drinking worldwide. DRINKiQ.com is a global resource for interested parties to share programs and tools designed to fight alcohol misuse and help individuals make responsible choices about drinking -- or not drinking. Diageo has a long history of promoting responsibility and DRINKiQ.com is the next step in that global effort.
Through its innovative design, visitors to the site can provide information to post to DRINKiQ.com. DRINKiQ.com also features unique tools such as videos of experts answering commonly asked questions about alcohol issues, information on how to responsibly host events and parties, and other downloadable resources. A key feature of DRINKiQ.com is The Responsibility Channel, an online community where consumers, parents, teachers, government officials, retailers and others can post and share videos they have found effective in addressing alcohol-related issues.
Diageo is a founding member and major supporter of The Century Council, an organization funded by some of the country's leading distillers committed to developing programs to combat drunk driving and underage drinking. These programs include 'Combating Drunk Driving Judicial Education,' 'We Don't Serve Teens' and 'Girl Talk.' The Century Council also works with a broad array of education and prevention professionals on alcohol issues.
About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
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Diageo
CONTACT: Zsoka McDonald, Diageo, +1-203-229-4730; Rachel Rosenblatt, FD,
+1-212-850-5697
Web Site: http://www.drinkiq.com/
