COMMENTARY>>Underage drinking and personal responsibility

By Col. Michael Bauer
314th Operations Group commander

Underage drinking is a societal problem with potentially dire consequences and an issue supervisors need to be proactive in addressing. The Center for Disease Control warns us that alcohol is the most abused drug for individuals under the age of 21. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that more than 75 percent of 12th graders and 63 percent of military members under the age 21 drank alcohol at least once in the previous year. Even more disconcerting, the surgeon general determined an average of 190,000 individuals under the age of 21 are treated in an emergency room and another 5,000 die each year from injuries caused by underage drinking due to car accidents, homicides and suicides.

The Air Force fight against underage drinking is not new; however, a truly effective approach or silver bullet to eliminate underage drinking has proven elusive. At its foundation, the supervisor argument is simple: underage drinking is against the law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and should not be engaged in nor tolerated. In reality, parents, guardians, teachers, law enforcement officers and public officials have preached the dangers and illegality of underage drinking long before Airmen join the Air Force. Yet, statistics and experience tells us that this simple approach is not wholly effective and Airmen begin drinking in high school and then continue after joining the Air Force.

In developing an effective strategy, supervisors must continue to be creative and search for what works best for their Airmen. As a starting point, there are some common building blocks discussed below of setting expectations, articulating consequences and encouraging peer-leaders. When combined with each supervisor’s unique efforts, these lines of attack all aim at the ultimate goal of instilling personal responsibility in our Airmen.

Airmen must understand what’s expected. The Air Force as an institution holds high standards and expects our Airmen as young adults to live by a set of core values. There’s no compromise in the values or parsing of which laws should and should not be followed. Underage drinking or providing alcohol to minors is a violation of the law and our core values. It must be clear that underage drinking isn’t tolerated and an environment that discourages underage drinking must be established at both work and in social settings.

Supervisors need to clearly articulate the consequences of underage drinking and emphasize the raised stakes since the Airman’s time in high school. The consequences include potential Article 15’s, loss of pay, loss of rank, loss of specialty codes and in some cases an early end to an Air Force career, not to mention the potential loss of life discussed above. It must be clear that underage drinking will be met with swift and consistent punishment each and every time.

Supervisors understand that they are rarely present when an Airman is confronted with the decision to drink underage, but few Airmen choose to drink alone. As an institution, we must continue to encourage peer-leadership as one of the most effective deterrents and empower them to handle the situation when it occurs. Supervisors must emphasize the importance of and enlist peer-leaders to discourage behaviors that risk Airmen’s lives, careers and unit effectiveness. Confronting a peer is difficult for most Airmen at any age, but again, being an Airman comes with high expectations and core values to live by.

In the end, underage drinking is a personal choice and Airmen must understand that personal responsibility is an Air Force expectation and standard that we must all assume as mature adults. Airmen must realize that their decisions have consequences and affect not only themselves, but their fellow Airmen and the organization as a whole. Once they elect to serve, they become part of something bigger and better than themselves and need to make decisions accordingly. Personal responsibility is truly the only effective deterrent and the ultimate goal of any campaign against underage drinking.

Supervisors must strive to build on these lines of attack, develop a solid strategy, and continually encourage and reinforce a culture of personal responsibility. This isn’t an easy fight. What works is different for each Airman, but the goal is worth the effort. Personal responsibility remains at the core of everything we do in the Air Force and the basis of our core values.

As an Airman, underage drinking is a personal choice. Make the right one!