A terrible morning hangover isn’t necessarily a consequence of a night of too much booze.
That’s what the city’s Department of Public Health is trying to underscore through a new ad campaign against binge drinking that focuses on the effects of “second-hand drinking.”
And despite the fiasco with the department’s attempt to ban big sodas, it’s right on target this time.
The health department found that more than 1 in 5 adult New Yorkers said they had been harmed by someone else’s drinking in the previous six months. Of the 5,041 people surveyed, 7 percent reported getting into serious arguments because of others’ inebriation, while 8 percent had to baby-sit someone who drank too much and 3 percent said they were assaulted by a drunken person.
And the effects on drinkers themselves are no less severe. A recent study by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that alcohol accounts for 1 in 10 deaths nationwide. The deaths of those between the ages of 20 and 64 were due to alcohol-related medical disorders as well as accidents.
The new ads, which include out-of-control drinkers in various situations with the words “Just one more drink CAN hurt,” will be featured on the subway and in 97 bars through August and September.
The health department’s approach, capitalizing on the same peer pressure that encourages binge drinking in a group, is smart. It is a long shot, perhaps. But the social stigma around smoking didn’t always exist either. Fifty years ago, a report by the U.S. Surgeon General found that smoking led to increased cancer rates. That report led to warning labels on cigarette and restrictions on sales to minors. New York City was a leader in banning smoking in public places with “Quitting is much less painful” ads.
Making it “uncool” to get wasted and start a bar fight may be the most effective deterrent to binge drinking. No one wants to be stuck taking care of — or be assaulted by — a drunken friend, and the ads may help heavy drinkers realize it before taking that sixth tequila shot.
