November 10, 2006

…Three shooters ago Sarah didn’t think she’d be getting herpes.
…Four beers ago Marc didn’t think he’d be punching out his best friend.
…Five drinks ago Aidan didn’t think he’d be raping his friend’s sister.

Thunder Bay has been chosen as a pilot site for the launch of a provincial campaign that was developed by youth for youth.  The “Keep Control” campaign breaks from traditional public health campaigns as it addresses the reality that our local teens are drinking alcohol and drinking lots of it at one time. 

Local and district youth were part of a two-day conference held in June 2005 called "Risky Drinking: The Un-conference – Creating Youth to Youth Messages".  The work they did at the conference formed a basis for the campaign.

“We could pretend that youth don't drink,” says Clifford Mushquash from Sioux Lookout who one of the youth involved in developing the campaign. “Then again, we could also pretend that heavy drinking is harmless, that it doesn't harm friendships and reputations, that it doesn't put you at risk for injury or sexual assault and that there isn't evidence the alcohol industry targets youth with their advertising. We could pretend a lot of things. This campaign skips the pretending and faces the facts.”

Binge drinking involves having 5 or more drinks in one single occasion. According to the Northwestern Ontario Student Drug Use Survey released in 2006, northwestern Ontario students reported significantly higher and more dangerous alcohol use than their provincial counterparts.  Thirty-five percent of our youth (vs 23% of Ontario youth) report binge drinking on at least one occasion in the month previous to taking the survey.

The messages focus on the consequences that follow the loss of control associated with binge drinking.  Rather than a message of abstinence, the campaign is targeted at youth who have already made the decision to drink. It is a harm reduction project that will provide teens with the information and facts they need to use their own judgment, keep control and drink responsibly.
 
The campaign includes TV and radio ads, digital marketing, a comprehensive interactive website, peer-to-peer programming and a variety of promotional materials including posters, t-shirts, brochures and stickers. Ads will also be running in broadcast and print media across the province including the popular MUCH music channel.

The campaign is an initiative of the Ontario Public Health Association managed under its Alcohol Policy Network.  Funding was received from Health Canada. 

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Please visit the website at www.keepcontrol.ca