A group of mom's drinking coffee and tea

Reimagine how we connect

 

Have you noticed that, more than ever, alcohol is part of our everyday lives? Do you notice alcohol advertising while you’re out and about at sports games, walking through your neighborhood, spending time online, or at festivals? When we gather as a family or community, to celebrate a new baby, marriage, kids’ birthdays, holidays, do you notice the role alcohol plays? What if we took a moment to ask: How did this come to be? Is it always a good thing? Do we always need alcohol to come together?

Here and there, it’s everywhere.

It can feel like alcohol is everywhere these days.

Have you noticed that alcohol is kind of everywhere these days? How has alcohol become essential to so many parts of our lives?

An outdoor board featuring beer. A social media post saying "my doctor says I need glasses!" with an image of three wine glasses. A tshirt that says "made with whiskey & ice".

Rethinking how we’re caring for and shaping our communities.

Part of what makes Oregon so special is our small businesses, including local wineries, distilleries, and breweries. They create jobs and bring our communities together.

But, do you ever notice how much alcohol messaging we see all day, everyday? In TV shows, on T-shirts, at the rodeo, when we’re planning outdoor adventures, scrolling on social media. How does that influence us?

Did you know that youth who are exposed to more alcohol advertising are more likely to start drinking at early ages and to binge drink?26 Recent research has also shown that exposure to advertising can increase adult drinking too.27

When over 2,000 people in Oregon die from alcohol-related causes every year6, maybe it’s time to ask ourselves, how did we get here? We have the power to change how we show up for the people and places we love in Oregon.

Let’s rethink alcohol’s effects on our communities.

  • The number of driving deaths that involve alcohol has more than doubled in Oregon in recent years, from 70 in 2010 to 215 in 2021. Oregon has one of the highest rates of alcohol-impaired driving deaths in the nation.18

    Communities that have more places to buy alcohol can have more violence and harm. These harms include domestic violence, child abuse and neglect and property damage.32

  • It can take years for excessive drinking to cause heart disease or cancer. Or it can end in death in a matter of hours or minutes, when it contributes to suicide, violence, and falls or other injuries. Alcohol is involved in approximately 24% of deaths by suicide.28

  • People in Oregon of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, all sexualities, all gender identities, and all income levels drink excessively.

    However, some communities experience more harms than others due to systemic racism, discrimination, and an unjust lack of resources. These harms include cancer, addiction, violence, and others. Populations that experience these inequities include racial, sexual and gender minorities, and those with lower incomes.33

Let’s reimagine healthier communities.

We can reimagine how we gather, talk and care for one another so that everyone can be healthier.

An outdoor market that shows beer and wine. More carts appear with healthy beverage options.
A man playing a guitar outside for a crowd of people.

Find out what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Communities are powerful when they come together to solve problems. Find out what groups, organizations, or coalitions are working in your neighborhood to create a healthier community. Join in or start asking your neighbors and networks, how could we impact this problem, together as a resilient community? What do we want to do differently? Talk to community leaders - how are they trying to build heathier communities and reduce excessive alcohol use? You can be a part of reimagining your neighborhood!

Two friends talking over coffee and tea.

Make gathering easier for your friends who are trying to drink less.

Remember that loved ones who are trying to drink less need your support. Next time you make plans with friends consider hitting up a coffee shop, joining a recreational sports team or hiking together. Getting together doesn’t always have to include alcohol.

A bus and billboard advertisement space.

It’s possible, just look around.

Across the country, there are examples of communities coming together to address local excessive alcohol issues. Many are utilizing evidence-based approaches. Learn more about these evidence based interventions here.

To support health equity and reduce hospital visits, New York City joined together to remove alcohol advertising from subway signs, on buses and stations and shelters. LA and the Bay Area passed similar policies.29

In 2020, people in Anchorage voted to increase alcohol sales taxes. They directed these new revenue to issues like reducing child abuse, domestic violence, and houselessness.30

Ways we can all rethink the drink

It’s not just about one person and one journey. Let’s do this together! We can support each other as we rethink the drink.