Oregon is a standout in the alcohol industry. It has the most craft distilleries in the country per capita, even more than Kentucky, and the most wineries after California. It’s no beer slouch either, ranking fifth in the number of breweries per capita.
Taxes on all those bottles reap big bucks for the state: More than $300 million a year in revenue.
But when it comes to health, there are big downsides to alcohol, and the Oregon Health Authority is trying to spread that word. Earlier this month, it launched its second annual campaign aimed at stimulating conversation about drinking and urging those who drink excessively or binge drink to stop.
“We’re not telling people not to drink,” said Dr. Tom Jeanne, deputy state health director. “We’re just asking them to think about it and think about their choices.”
Health authority officials launched this year’s Rethink the Drink campaign in time for the end-of-year holidays when people gather, eat and drink. It includes a blitz of ads on traditional media and social media sites, just like last year.
Jeanne said the campaign is unique in the U.S.: The Oregon Health Authority is the only health agency nationwide to run a high-profile campaign against alcohol.
Did anyone stop drinking because of last summer’s campaign? Officials don’t know. But they said they got the conversation going.
“We know that media campaigns alone won’t solve the issues Oregon is facing,” said Jonathan Modie, a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority. “Our goal was to start conversations across Oregon to build momentum to work on this issue.”
Excessive drinking is a big problem in Oregon, costing the state about $5 billion a year in health care expenses, motor vehicle crashes, criminal justice costs and lost productivity. That’s $1,100 for every Oregonian a year, according to a study by ECONorthwest.
It’s the third preventable cause of death in the state, killing more than 2,000 people a year, according to the health authority. About one-quarter of suicides are related to drinking, alcohol causes about one-third of the deaths from falls and it’s linked to one-third of vehicle deaths.
It also causes myriad health problems: The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. National Toxicology Program classify alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, just like asbestos and cigarettes. It damages DNA and prevents cells from being repaired, and once damaged by alcohol, they can grow wildly and become tumors – in the breast, colon, head, neck, liver and prostate. Excessive drinking also harms the heart and liver and increases the risk for high blood pressure, stroke, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver and fatty liver disease.
The health authority said that one in five Oregonians overdrink. That doesn’t mean they’re alcoholics, but excessive drinking can increase the risk of becoming dependent on alcohol later in life. Health officials consider women who consume at least eight drinks a week to be heavy drinkers; 15 or more drinks for men is considered excessive. Binge drinking for women is classified as consuming four or more drinks on one occasion and five or more for men.
Black and Indigenous communities, which experience the stress of racism and discrimination, are especially susceptible to harms caused by alcohol. People with lower incomes and less education are also at a higher risk.
And you don’t need to drink excessively to be hurt by alcohol. Even low levels can cause health issues, despite past research that found that moderate drinking was good for the heart.
“Most of those findings have been refuted or not replicated by more recent, more thorough research,” Jeanne said. “Part of the purpose for this campaign is to raise awareness that even for people who might be drinking what they see as a moderate amount that there can be some significant effects.”
Messages vary
The state ran its first Rethink the Drink campaign from late June to early September last year at a cost of about $840,000. This year’s campaign, which cost $805,000, runs until Feb. 4. It includes ads, sound bites and videos in Spanish and English that will play on radio and stream on television networks, run in newspapers and on media sites, Facebook and Instagram. The messages vary. Some focus on the health effects of alcohol. Some explain how much is too much. Others aim to ignite conversations about drinking habits and creating healthy social environments.
As an example, one video ad shows a man and his daughter grocery shopping. When he grabs a box of beer, she remarks that that’s not on their list. When he picks up a bottle of wine, she asks why she can’t drink.
He puts the bottle back.
The ads aim to be fact-based and nonjudgmental, striking a friendly tone. The health authority found that approach to be effective last year.
A study with focus groups after the last campaign found that the ads grabbed the attention of more than 60% of people, were considered trustworthy by nearly 70% and prompted half to think about drinking.
Health authority officials said the campaign achieved their short-term goals by prompting more conversations and thought about drinking. Getting people to change their habits is not easy, and officials don’t expect quick results.
Alcohol is legal and socially acceptable, and it’s also promoted by the state, which controls alcohol sales and sets the price. When people drink, Oregon makes money. The industry also fuels jobs in agriculture, business, retail and hospitality.
“It’s an important part of our economy,” Jeanne said “Our point is to reduce excessive and harmful alcohol consumption. We’re not trying to eliminate or prohibit drinking of alcohol.”
The health authority will conduct another study after the campaign has ended. Jeanne said the agency hopes to spread awareness of the harms of alcohol and to dissuade people from having alcohol in so many settings, from dinners and parties to picnics and sporting events. People even go out drinking after going on long hikes or runs.
“If we reduce the number of Oregonians who are binge drinking or heavily drinking, we’re going to also reduce the percentage of those or the total number of those who move on to become alcoholics down the road,” Jeanne said.
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