Alcohol Consumption
France vs. America
Aurore
(Jessica Field)
Why I chose this topic?
• If most of you do not already know, I have
done a lot of volunteer work with MADD
(Mothers Against Drunk Driving) as well as
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)
• I do not drink, I am allowed one glass of wine
or champagne on Christmas eve and that is it
until February of 2011.
Why do I do this?
• My parents brought my sister and I up with
the knowledge of not drinking until we were
of age. We do not smoke or do drugs either.
Call us goodie two shoes if you want, but we
know what is right and wrong.
• I have seen my dad, uncle and ex-boyfriend
drink and act ridiculous, and I don’t want that.
My Motto:
I’ll respect your decisions, if you respect mine.
Different types of Alcohol….
Wine
Proof(9-14%)
Beer
Proof-(36%)
Liqueurs
Whiskey
Proof-(100%)
Rum
Proof(75.5%)
Brandy
Proof –
(40%)
Background
• 5000 years ago people all over the world
began making alcoholic beverages, mostly
beer and wine.
• Yeast (a microorganism) changes sugars in
fruits, berries and honey into alcohol and
carbon dioxide during a process called
fermentation.
• 1 proof = 0.5% alcohol
– “PROOF” = double the percentage of alcohol in a
beverage.
– 80 Proof = 40%
France
• French are the “healthiest” because they drink….MYTH!!
• French drink 1 ½ times more per capita than the U.S. and
death rate from liver cirrhosis is more than 1 ½ times greater
than in the U.S.
• France 6th highest adult alcohol consumption per capita (U.S.
32th)
• 16 (or 18) is the legal age to buy alcohol, they drink before
getting there license. It is harder to get a car, so there are less
accidents. Caught drunk bike driving- infractions on your
license.
• Fines:
–
–
–
–
–
Between 0.5 & 0.8 g/l =135 Euros on spot
Over 0.8 g/l= confiscated license, 4.500 euros with possible 2 yrs in jail
Add drugs =9,000 euros and up to 9 yrs in jail
Cause a crash= 30,000 euros, 2 yrs jail time
Serious injury= 150,000 euros, up to 10 yrs jail time in case of fatality
America
• Moderate use (2-3 drinks) results in motor loss coordination for up
to 12-18 hours after drinking.
• Consumption by college students results in 1,400 deaths and
500,000 unintentional injuries.
• Alcohol goes directly into the blood stream and effects every
system in the body.
• Alcoholics Anonymous was started by 2 alcoholics in 1935- 2 mill.
Worldwide, 1 mill. In U.S.
• MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) founded in 1980 in Cali. By
mother who lost her 13 yr old daughter to a drunk driver. 3 million
members, 400 chapters worldwide, helped enact 1,250 drunk
driving laws.
• SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) started in 1981 by a
Massachusetts high school coach and administrator , now has 7
million members and 25,000 chapters worldwide.
• Since 1980 alcohol related traffic fatalities decreased nearly 50%,
MADD has helped save over 383,000 lives
Statistics
America
• More than 10 million
Americans are alcoholics
• 1st time drunk driving
offenders on average drove
drunk 87 times prior to being
arrested
• Cost public in 2000 est.
$114.3 billion
• On average someone is killed
by a drunk driver every 45
mins.
• 3 in 10 Americans will be
involved in a alcohol related
crash sometime in there lives.
France
• 43,000 French die per year =
200,000 Americans
• Alcohol =causes ½ deaths from
road accidents, ½ homicides, ¼ of
suicides
• Costs France 18.5 billion (U.S.)
each year
• Accounted for 42,963 deaths on
1997
• #1 (or in top 3) health problem in
France
• Loi Evin- strongest laws against
advertising alcohol. Bans ads on
tv and movies, restricts radio ads
until after 10pm, forbids alcohol
industry sponsorship at sporting
events. In effect in 1993
Survey
Question 1
•
What made you join MADD, SADD, Police
Force etc..OR why have you made the
decision to not drink until you are 21
– Because I want to do the right
thing-David
– Because I don’t want to die before
I’m 20-Saige
– I joined MADD/SADD/Mentors
because it was cool to know that I
wasn't alone in my decision not to
drink or do drugs. With SADD, I
helped start it and helped try to
make it grow because it's important
to let others know what's going on,
that it is ok to not follow the
"crowd," and that there are
alternatives. Joining these groups
definitely gave us some great
alternatives.-Chelsea C.
– I joined MADD in 2004 a year after
a personal tragedy involving a hit
and run drunk driver who struck my
daughter when walking home from
school. -Cathy
Question 2
•
Have you been pressured by friends or
relatives to drink or make other bad
decisions that you were not comfortable
with
– Usually meeting up with friends/
co workers at functions and there
wanting me to “keep up with
them” “C’mon just 1 more wont
hurt”-Madame Field
– No because some friends ask me
to skip class with them.- Samantha
– Oh of course! The group that I
hang out with now drinks a lot,
now they can legally (or are almost
at that point) so they're always
asking me if I want something.
They also do drugs occasionally
and REALLY want me to do it with
them. It's like their life goal to get
me to give in.-Chelsea C
Question 3
•
Have you had any personal experiences
with underage drinking/ drunk driving?
– I don't drink, but I know people
who have, and they really do
some dumb things. They look
stupid, and I don't know how
anyone can want that. On top of
that, I hate to see people I'm
friends with or care about do
that to themselves.-Sarah
– when i was a teenager my father
used to stand me in front of a
mirror and say "if you like what you
see, don't drink and drive" I realize
how important it is to role model
to our youth. I think we tell kids
not to drink and drive, yet so often
they see their parents doing it at
restaurants, etc and then driving
them home. we ask kids to make a
choice not to get in cars with drunk
drivers, then there are parents,
who are making them get into the
cars with them.... –Jodi W
Question 4
•
What do you think of other countries
when it comes to drinking alcohol?
– It is not my decision to judge what other
countries/ people do about their
drinking laws – Ma Soaur Chelsea
– They don’t abuse it like we do-David
– I think that in many countries in Europe
drinking at younger ages in acceptable
because its part of their cultures and
traditions, however they do it very
responsibly and do not abuse it. Unlike
American teens who abuse alcohol at all
cost.- Brianna
– I think, since other countries may have a
lower drinking age, and it's not as
"taboo," for a younger person to drink,
that they are much more responsible
with alcohol. Here, it seems like people
(teens or young adults, mostly) drink
solely to get drunk.-Sarah
Question 5
•
France does not have a legal drinking
age, there legal purchase age is 18,
what are your thoughts on this?
– If France thinks that, then it’s fine –
Gavin
– I think that it is a terrible idea. The brain
still isn't fully formed until the early
20's. The younger they start, the more
they drink, the more they permanently
damage their brains and their livers. I
don't agree with that. –Chelsea C
– I absolutely agree on the age of 18. I
worry about our youth when they go off
to college and learn to drink in dorm
rooms or keg parties...and hide their
drinking. I think if the age was 18 that
kids would be allowed to drink at bars i
think it would be better to have a bar
tender monitoring the behavior...as
opposed to a group of underage
kids...yellin "drink drink drink" - Jodi
Question 6
•
Do you or have you thought your peers
looked cool (either underage age or
legal age) while drinking?
– No I have not, I do not try to fit
in with people. I am who I am
and I don’t find It cool or
awesome to see them drink.Chelsea F.
– Absolutely not!! I think they
look stupid and do not come off
at cool. – Brianna
Question 7
•
What are your feeling or thoughts of
your friends and classmates drinking
underage or driving drunk?
– It makes me really upset. Like, I could
literally cry. I realize that some people
might be responsible, but it seems like
going to parties where drinking is
present is only done in order to get
drunk. It makes them look dumb,
anyway.- Sarah
–
With all of the information out there today I
find it very unsettling that people still make
the choice to drink and drive. There is a
reason the legal age is 21 and a reason you
don't get behind the wheel as your actions
and judgement are impaired. There are way
too many choices for other transportation, etc
for people to make that reckless choice- Cathy
Question 8
•
Is there one person you look up to or admire?
What are your feelings if this person began
drinking? Would your feelings change towards
them?
– I’m very proud of my girls for making
good decisions- Madame Field
– I admire my mom. I would be very
worried if she ever started drinking.
She has probably had 10 drinks in her
whole life. She lives life to its fullest
and doesn't need alcohol. She has
no weaknesses. I would see alcohol
as a weakness if she ever started
drinking.-Jodi
– I look up to my brother, if he began
drinking I would be very
disappointed.-David
– I can't say I have one person. Being
older and having "lost" a daughter to
drinking I have a real connection to
young people and in general when I
met young and energetic, smart
youth it pains and disappoints me
when I see them throw away what
could be their future.- Cathy
Works Cited
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=
view&id=304
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_alc_con-food-alcohol-consumptioncurrent
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/fr-france/foo-food
http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/us-united-states/foo-food&all=1
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2005/11/28/14713.aspx
http://www.english.controleradar.org/drinking-driving.php
http://www.marininstitute.org/alcohol_policy/french_drinking.htm
http://www.madd.org/Drunk-Driving/DrunkDriving/Statistics/AllStats.aspx#STAT_8
http://www.brad21.org/facts.html
Nakaya, Andrea C.. Opposing Viewpoints Alcohol.
Monroe, Judy. Alcohol
Friends, Family, Jr. SADD students, Ms. Cathy Andreozzi