NDACC campaigns against excessive drinking
The downside of the September celebrations is that many Belizeans tend to celebrate a little bit too hard. One organisation is working hard this weekend so that others may be spared the result of drunk driving.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The campaign, “Think Before You Drink” is a national exercise that seeks to address the problem of alcohol abuse. Three years ago, the National Abuse Control Council implemented the programme, which involves the handing out of flyers and pamphlets to motorists and pedestrians.
Marlon McNab, School/Community Co-ordinator
“The first year we began doing it only within the Christmas season and then we found out that there are other peak times within the country that people celebrate, which include April during the Lenten season and also the September celebrations including the tenth and twenty-first. So we decided then to have it three times a year, which would target those three main times in which people within the country would be celebrating.”
NDACC is assisted by the Police Department, and today they were at the corner of North Front Street and Queen Street. Although the exercise created a minor delay in the movement of traffic, people did not seem to mind the wait.
Citizen #1
“Well I think good. Asking people not to drink, not to take drugs, to take care of themselves, don’t do anything that is wrong, do everything that is good.”
Citizen #2
“I think it is excellent. We need people working hard for the community and we need to expose these sort of things so that people realise the importance of the issues that we have to face in Belize.”
Danny Madrid, City Councillor, Traffic Department
“As a member of the liquor licensing board I would like to say that I believe we should enforce the law. And if it takes me to abide by it, yes, I believe it is very good.”
Marlon McNab, NDACC’s school and community co-ordinator, says there are more risks associated with drinking alcohol than drunk driving accidents.
Marlon McNab
“We want them to understand that there are other social impacts of alcoholic drinking, which would include different types of abuses whether it be sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic violence. We’re talking about the increase in health care due to the fact that you have many violence related incidents that they need to visit the hospitals.”
Karen Bodden, Belize District Co-ordinator, NDACC
“I really believe it helps to remind everyone about the importance of staying safe. Thinking before you drink is definitely one way of being sure that you will remain safe.”
Karen Bodden, who was recently appointed as NDACC’s Belize District Co-ordinator, says the campaign is just one phase of their education programme.
Karen Bodden
“We are also looking at working endlessly in the schools because we know it has to do with changing attitudes. And so we want to look at the carefully in helping our young people not only to change our attitudes, but develop positive ones.”
McNab says they do not know how effective the programme has been, but NDACC plans to conduct a community prevalence survey which would supply them with the necessary data. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
