0-0-1-3 campaign kicks off

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt Isabel Crump
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Most of you have probably heard of "0-0-1-3" campaign, but you may not remember what the numbers mean.

"0-0-1-3 is an initiative adopted by the Air Force that defines responsible drinking: '0' incidents of underage drinking; '0' alcohol related incidents such as DUIs, sexual assaults, accidents; '1' drink per hour and '3' drinks or less a night," said Maj. Samuel Tobler, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program manager.

The policy is based on research highlighting problems associated with binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks at a time, Tobler said.
· Research indicates that heavy alcohol use has increased among military members.
· The rate of heavy alcohol use among young military males is double the rate of their civilian counterparts.
· More than half the alcohol consumed by adults is consumed while binge drinking.
· Forty-seven percent of drinkers report binge drinking in the past 30 days.
· Individuals ages 18-25 have been identified as the age group with the most binge drinkers.
· Seventeen percent of binge drinkers will become dependent on alcohol.
· Most alcohol impaired drivers binge drink, and on average, someone arrested the first time for drunken driving has driven drunk 80 times before his or her arrest.
· One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point.
· Alcohol accounts for 70 percent of sexual assaults, 60 percent of fatal burns, 50 percent of traumatic injuries, 40 percent of suicides, and 40 percent of fatal falls.

The goal of this campaign is to encourage Team Vance to drink responsibly. It is not about telling you that you cannot have fun. It is about keeping yourselves and your wingmen safe.

"First and foremost, have a plan before you go out," said Master Sgt. Phillip Brandley. "A DUI is not a mistake, it's a crime. With the way the Air Force is now, alcohol related incidents jeopardize your ability to stay in the Air Force."

One option for a safe plan is Vance Airmen Against Drunk Driving. VAADD will provide a ride home to those who are not safe to drive. Enlisted can call 514-4663 and officers can call 514-7433.

Brandley also advised to have the number for your first shirt, supervisor, and commander. Though these should not be your first option, it is better to reach out to them in an emergency than to end up in jail.

The idea behind 0-0-1-3 is to make responsible alcohol consumption among Air Force personnel the social norm, blending it into Air Force core values, its culture, and eventually, its traditions.

The principles of 0-0-1-3 were initially piloted at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., in 2004 with success. Within the first two quarters, the base had shown a 27-percent decrease in DUI rates and a 74- percent decrease in underage drinking incidents.