Why let the good times go bad?
Coca‑Cola and Drinkaware challenge attitudes to encourage smarter drinking
Coca‑Cola Great Britain is supporting a charity campaign to challenge the attitudes and social acceptability of drunkenness among young UK adults, encouraging them to adopt tips for smarter drinking and to change their behaviour.
Drinkaware's campaign, run in partnership with more than 40 companies from across the drinks industry and Coca‑Cola Great Britain, will present young adults with tips to help curb the ill effects of their drinking, such as eating a meal before drinking, pacing alcoholic drinks with water or soft drinks and looking after your mates.
Did you know? According to Drinkaware research, more than one in three young adults (36 per cent) goes out drinking with the specific intention of getting drunk
These tips will be communicated via posters, drinks mats, mirror stickers and in-store signage in pubs, bars supermarkets, convenience stores, off licences and train stations around the country. The campaign's 'Why Let Good Times Go Bad?' logo and strapline will also feature on bottles and cans.
A Drinkaware survey of 2,000 young adults shows some worrying attitudes towards drinking. The key findings include:
- One in three (30%) 18-24 year olds think it is acceptable to wake up without knowing how they got home after a drinking session. In the last 12 months, 27% of young adults, have done this and a third (33%) of those have felt regret.
- More than a third (35%) of 18-24 year olds think it is appropriate to have a one night stand as a result of drinking. 18% say they have done this in the past year and two fifths (40%) have regretted their behaviour.
- One in 25 (4%) young adults think it is OK to end up in hospital as a result of drinking too much alcohol. According to the survey, three per cent have done this in the last 12 months and three fifths (61%) of these regret their behaviour.
Jon Woods, Country Manager, Coca‑Cola Great Britain and Ireland said: "We're proud to be partnering with Drinkaware on the 'Why Let Good Times Go Bad?' campaign for the second year. We firmly believe that soft drinks can and should have a role to play in the responsible drinking debate. All of our advertising partnerships with the alcohol industry include responsible drinking messages and we have run campaigns encouraging responsible behaviour through our Schweppes brand. As well as our ongoing support for this campaign, we actively promote and encourage responsible drinking through our own Designated Driver scheme which offers free soft drinks at participating outlets during the Christmas period."
