Testimony of The Honorable Susan Molinari
Chairman
Century Council

before the
Congressional Subcommittee on Education Reform

February 11, 2004

    Good morning Chairman Castle and other distinguished members of this Committee. My name is Susan Molinari and I am the Chairman of The Century Council. I am pleased to present testimony to the Committee on this important issue. As a former Member of Congress, it’s an honor to be back albeit on the other side of the table.

    The Century Council is an independent, national not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., and funded by America’s leading distillers, the Council’s mission is to promote responsible decision-making regarding drinking, or not drinking, of beverage alcohol and to discourage all forms of irresponsible consumption through education, communications, law enforcement and other programs.

    Since 1933, the distilled spirits industry has initiated and supported programs designed to fight alcohol abuse. These programs have spanned throughout the decades. For example, in the 1960s, the distilled spirits industry funded the development of alcohol education sourcebooks, including Alcohol Education for Classroom and Community for high school and college teachers. Distillers also provided a series of grants to the National Education Association to develop Learning About Alcohol, a popular and widely used text.

     In the 1970s, the distillers partnered with the National Football League (NFL) and the Education Commission of the States for several consecutive seasons to co-sponsor national TV and radio messages helping parents educate young people about alcohol. In the 1980s, distillers also partnered with the NFL and the Education Commission of the States to develop Straight Talk About Alcohol, a booklet designed to help parents and teenagers improve their communications on the subject of alcohol. In that decade, distillers also were active sponsors of SADD, Students Against Driving Drunk, and also co-sponsored with DOT the "Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk" campaign.

     Formed in 1991, The Council’s funding companies (Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine North America, Bacardi USA. Inc., Brown-Forman, DIAGEO, Future Brands LLC, and Pernod Ricard USA) have invested more than $130 million to support the Council’s efforts to develop and implement alcohol education and prevention programs. To date, we have hosted nearly 2,000 events to launch our programs in communities across the nation bringing them to millions of parents, kids, educators, law enforcement officials and traffic safety professionals.

    An independent Advisory Board comprised of distinguished leaders in business, government, education, medicine and other relevant disciplines assists the Council in its’ development of programs and policies. Additionally, the Council maintains advisory panels in the areas of education and traffic safety that provide related guidance.

    The Council’s education efforts start in middle school and continue through college. Programs such as Ready or Not, a video-based program utilized in Boys and Girls clubs across the country; Brandon Silveria’s, Make the Right Choice, a speaking tour by a young man who was involved in an alcohol-related crash in high school; Parents You’re Not Done Yet, a brochure that encourages parents to talk with their kids before they leave for college about the dangers of underage drinking; Cops in Shops a cooperative effort involving local retailers and law enforcement designed to deter minors from attempting to purchase alcohol illegally and adults who purchase alcohol for minors; and Alcohol 101 Plus, an innovative, interactive CD-ROM program aimed at helping students make safe and responsible decisions about alcohol on college campuses are widely used across the country. Other programs such as SPEAK-UP (a joint effort with the National Collegiate Athletic Association), and Promising Practices (a joint effort with George Mason University) and are also in use on our nation’s college campuses. In fact, many Members of Congress have participated in and shared these programs with their constituents, such as our Brandon program which is how I was first introduced to The Century Council’s good work as a Member of Congress.

    Underage drinking is an issue where we must work together. Important progress has been made in reducing underage drinking over the past few decades. The implementation of effective programs has resulted in fewer alcohol-related deaths and injuries among youth but more can be done.

     The 2003 Monitoring the Future Study revealed that alcohol consumption was relatively unchanged in 2003, after declining in 2002. Despite the lack of significant decrease in consumption, high school seniors who reported daily drinking in the past month declined 32% proportionally from 70% in 1982 to 48% in 2003. Despite this notable progress, underage drinking levels remain unacceptably high.

      Research conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited and Wirthlin Worldwide for The Century Council revealed additional alarming facts about underage drinking in America today: 65 percent of youth who drink report obtaining alcohol from family and friends. A separate survey conducted by Wirthlin revealed a majority of parents believe family and friends are also the leading source of alcohol for today’s youth as well.

     Although still unacceptable, it is important to note that this research indicates only 7 percent of youth who drink report obtaining alcohol from a store, bar or club that does not check identification. Other sources include fake IDs and asking strangers to buy alcohol.

    Research also shows parents are the most influential factor in a child’s decision not to drink. According to the last several Roper polls, such as the 2002 Roper Youth Report, 71% of youth identify their parents as having the most influence on their decision whether to drink alcohol or not. Friends and peers are a distant second. These reports confirm The Council’s longstanding belief in the important role that parents play in keeping alcohol out of the hands of kids.

     The Century Council also believes collective action can have a greater impact than individual efforts. We involve all sectors of the community including beverage alcohol wholesalers and retailers, law enforcement, public officials, educators, insurers, health care professionals and private citizen organizations in the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking.

     Working together, the Council also believes underage drinking programs should be data-driven, developed by professionals in the field and widely distributed to parents, educators, and youth. We therefore, constantly conduct research to assist us in developing new programs and to gauge the effectiveness of our efforts.

     While many organizations simply identify the problem, identifying the problem is not enough. The Council’s education efforts are developed by recognized professionals in the field, reviewed by practitioners, and evaluation is currently built into every program. For instance, our Cops in Shops program, implemented in 42 states around nation, was identified in a Department of Justice publication as a promising practice for reducing attempts to purchase by an underage youth. The evaluation found that following the program launch, students were more inclined to believe that someone under 21 would be caught and arrested for illegally purchasing beverage alcohol.

     Alcohol 101 is another example. Requested by more than 1500 college campuses throughout the nation and winner in two categories of the prestigious FREDDIE Awards, Alcohol 101 was recently highlighted in the National Academy of Sciences report as being "independently evaluated with purposeful sampling." The independent evaluation found that the Alcohol 101 CD generates a significant increase in individuals’ intent to better regulate their future behavior.

     The Council updated and released the successful Alcohol 101 last year in the form of Alcohol 101 Plus an innovative, interactive CD-ROM program aimed at helping students make safe and responsible decisions about alcohol on college campuses. Set on a "virtual campus," Alcohol 101 Plus combines the core elements of the Alcohol 101 program, with new content targeted to at-risk populations—first year students, Greeks, student-athletes, and judicial policy offenders.

     The program’s realistic scenarios highlight the specific issues, challenges, and decisions these groups face when it comes to alcohol in a college setting and provides students and educators with the opportunity for reflection and discussion. A special edition for high school students is also available to educators nationwide.

     All of the Council’s programs highlight the need for parents to be involved in the education of today’s youth. The Council routinely commissions related research, highlighting issues such as how underage youth access alcohol and when and where alcohol education should be conducted. It is also important to note that many of the Council’s programs are available in Spanish and our Ready or Not program has a Native American version.

     One of the Council’s strengths is building effective coalitions for change. Our educational programs have been developed and distributed in cooperation with organizations such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the U.S. Department of Education and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

     Based on research that says that alcohol education should begin as early as the age of 10, our newest educational program will be released later this year and focuses on middle school students, their parents and educators. In developing this effort, we are working with various government agencies including the U.S. Department of Education, NIAAA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

     We are also working with educational groups such as the American School Counselor Association, the National Secondary School Principals Association, the National Middle School Association, and the National Latino Children’s Institute. We look forward to sharing these program materials with you later this year.

     Underage drinking is an issue that requires a sustained response using effective strategies and tactics. America’s leading distillers have, from the beginning, recognized this fact and have proactively contributed to reducing this activity through The Century Council, The Distilled Spirits Council and their own individual company efforts. As the Committee attempts to develop strategies to reduce and prevent underage drinking, I thought it important to convey to you what we have done in the past, are currently doing and will continue to do in the future to ensure that underage drinking is not tolerated.

     I have also enclosed an overview of the Council that provides some background information. The Century Council looks forward to working with you to reduce underage drinking. Once again, thank you for your good work and for the opportunity to testify today.