Senate committee considers even more alcohol deregulation

The Washington State Senate's Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee will be voting on the following three bills tomorrow morning. 

1) SB 5650 - Allowing craft distilleries to sell their own spirits at qualifying farmers markets.


2) SB 6475 - Changing the criteria for the beer and wine tasting endorsement for grocery stores.

3) SB 6477 - Concerning spirits sampling in former contract liquor stores.

All three of these bills further deregulate alcohol by increasing the number of places where it can be sold or sampled.  Not to mention that I-1183 establishes that spirits should only be sold in stores that are 10,000 square feet or larger -- how large are farmers markets? 
 
This legislation is part of a growing trend of bills that normalize the casual use of alcohol in places such as grocery stores and farmers markets -- places frequented by children. 
 
Considering that most people drive to grocery stores and farmers markets, such bills also dilute the directive "don't drink and drive" to "it is okay to drink a little and drive".

Free webinar: social marketing, social norms, social media and substance abuse prevention

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is offering a free webinar as part of their series on environmental strategies for substance abuse prevention:

Social Marketing, Social Norms, Social Media, Social What?
December 13, 2011
3:30-5:00 p.m.

The strategies and evidence that support different prevention practices often get confused, severely limiting the effective implementation of these approaches. Learn about the differences between some of the more common and evidence-based prevention strategies, including social marketing and social norms, as well as how new tools like social media fit in to the mix. This webinar will leave you with new tools, a better understanding of your prevention arsenal and the energy to make positive behavior change a reality.

Key topics will include:
-Social Marketing, including branding strategies
-Social Norms
-How to select the right approach
-Differentiating between a tool and an approach
-How to select the right tools for your approach
-How Social Media fits in most effectively

To register, click here. 

Workgroup focusing on positive parenting norms

The Prevention WINS coalition's Parenting Social Norms Workgroup met last night and what an energizing meeting it was!  After discussing what a social norms marketing campaign is and reviewing examples from other successful campaigns, the Workgroup started planning for a training in the spring. 

Here is an example of a positive social norms message for parents:

For more information on the social norms approach for prevention, visit the National Social Norms Institute website. 

Interested in joining the Parenting Social Norms Workgroup?  Our meetings are open to everyone interested in preventing youth substance abuse in northeast Seattle.  Check our calendar of events for upcoming meeting dates.

Perceptions about behaviors influence student drinking

From CADCA Coalition's Online:

A study reported by Health Behavior News Service found that when college students think that their peers drink a lot of alcohol, they drink more themselves. The study also found that when college students learn that their perception is incorrect, they sometimes drink less.

The reviewers looked at how social norms -- our beliefs about what is "normal" behavior in the people close to us -- might influence students' drinking. If a student believes that his or her peers drink heavily, it will likely influence the amount of alcohol the student personally drinks. They say that much of peer influence is the result of incorrect perceptions.