Incentives promote alcohol education

SCSU, business aim to prevent tragedies
By David Unze, dunze@stcloudtimes.com, January 5, 2009

The drunk who assaulted an employee caused Denise Brigham to close her store and attend court hearings for the suspect.

The drunk who knocked the electrical meter off her store wall caused the compressors to fail and the food to spoil and led to hours of work assessing damages for insurance purposes.

And then there are the times she's visited employees in detox.

Brigham, owner of two Subway stores on or near the St. Cloud State University campus, rattles off the ways that alcohol abuse has impacted her businesses. It's those experiences that prompted her to give up to $25,000 in Subway gift cards as incentives for young adults to attend a university program teaching the dangers of excessive drinking.

See the full article at: http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200901050030/NEWS01/101050046

How to Imbibe When Kids are Around

WTOP.COM
November 19, 2008 - 5:21pm
By MELISSA DUTTON
For The Associated Press

(AP) - If you're planning on having a few cocktails at family gatherings this holiday season, experts say you should keep in mind that children may be watching.

"The main message is, if people drink, they should drink responsibly," said Vivian B. Faden, deputy director of the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Bethesda, Md. "It's not a one-time conversation.

While the holidays present a good opportunity, there needs to be ongoing conversation about drinking."

See the full story at: http://wtop.com/?sid=1521856&nid=773