Facebook, The Blog and Arrive Alive

Those of you who know me personally know of my involvement with Arrive Alive, home of the Arrive Alive Disposable Breathtester. Together with our French partners, I’m pleased to report that we’ve sold hundreds of thousands of units to customers in Canada and the United States over the last three years.

Arrive Alive’s initial sales were to police forces in the United States who used our product to test suspected drunk drivers at the roadside. This was exciting for us because, though our product is used as an official breathtester outside of North America, we found the US market particularly hard to crack. What’s exciting for us now is that several California wineries have made our product available in their tasting rooms as a responsible, pro-active reminder to those on wine-tours that alcohol and driving don’t mix. [If you've ever driven the curvy roads of the NAPA valley, you'll know that we're confident that we've saved a life or two.]

At Arrive Alive, we’re not against drinking or having a good party. We are, however, adding some responsibility to the conversation. To a great extent, our sales are fuelled by lawmakers who have made you take responsibility for your drinking guests. In many jurisdictions, you may be legally responsible for an impaired guest who makes a disastrous decision to drive home. Agree or or disagree, your guilt in these situations depends on your ability to prove that you took reasonable steps to care for your guests safe passage.  two.] What’s more, several liquor stores / cold beer and wine stores are carrying our product.

Recently, I imported the my blog feed to my Facebook profile which is available only to my friends, many of whom I’ve not seen for a very long time. Already, I’ve seen an uptick in traffic here at the blog and at the Arrive Alive main site. Thanks for clicking through and checking us out. I started the blog in 2008 as a free resource about DUI laws, Liability Cases and the alcohol industry. (I’ve done a poor job posting stories on the latter.) I felt that since I was doing the research anyway that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to share what I’ve found. As a result of my efforts, I’ve received emails from students and event organizers across the US who’ve expressed appreciation for a resource that does not bombard the visitor with promotional messages.  Feel free to send a link along to someone who you think might benefit. I’ll keep blogging.

 

At-a-glance: Terms for driving over the legal limit differ depending on where you live. You may know the charge as “Driving Under the Influence” (DUI), or “Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired” (DWI) or just plain Drinking and Driving. While the terms may differ, the legal-driving-limit for drivers over 21 is the same in most North American jurisdictions – “point-zero-eight”, or 0.08 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) meaning that a person is legally intoxicated when the level of alcohol in the bloodstream exceeds 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of blood.  In many US jurisdictions, there are separate ‘zero tolerance laws’ that apply to drivers under the legal drinking age of 21.

What’s fundamental to this conversation is that the term legal-limit should never been confused with the term ‘drunkenness’ because the legal limit is passed well before we notice signs of drunkenness in someone, even ourselves.  

Top Three Blog Topics of 2007

It’s been suggested to me several times that I should include more original material on this site. It’s been suggested several dozen times in fact. To those who have made the suggestion, I thank-you. That I haven’t followed your suggestions relates more to my questionable time management skills than to ego or defiance.

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve started this site so I thought I’d highlight the three most active stories that I’ve posted here since I started last February:

Prom Nights and Kid Friendly Drinks: In April 2007, I entered an opinion on a new product from Anheuser-Busch called ‘Spykes’. It was an “easy to sneak” alco-pop product which ate up a lot of bandwidth among alcohol watchdog groups last spring. The interesting footnote to the story was that it generated several comments from a woman, who although she used her hotmail account, wrote from a computer network registered to Anhauser-Busch. I was flabbergasted that one of the big-boys would pause to look my way. After all, I’m just one guy. I found her comments were timely, informative and gave me better instincts into how the alcohol industry views the consuming public – especially youth. As for Spykes, Anhauser-Busch dropped the product a few months later. My understanding is that it never really did go into full production.

Search this site using searchword “Spykes” or Click here for the original post

Matt Roloff Charged with DUI: Despite the big-screen TV that recently appeared in my living room I hadn’t heard of Matt Roloff until his DUI-charge hit the newswire. Many people are familiar with Roloff from his role in TLC’s “Little People, Big World” which airs on Monday nights. Roloff’s DUI story continues to be a big story here. Interestingly, more people seem interested in the fact that he was charged with DUI than in learning that he was found not guilty.

Search this site using searchword “Little People” or Click here for the original post

Keifer Sutherland Charged with DUI: In late 2007, Keifer Sutherland of “24″ fame earned his own DUI charge. Unlike Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan, however, his DUI didn’t attract the blinding spotlight. Of course, Sutherland helped his cause by being polite and cooperative with the arresting officers. (Hey Mel, are you listening?) His stock rose even more when he took responsibility for his actions and poor judgment. Sutherland received a 48 day jail sentence and was released earlier this week.

Search this site using searchword “Sutherland” or Click here for the original post

Hallmark Moments

I’ve just finished considering my December schedule and today, a Saturday, looks to be one of the few days over the next month when there’s nothing pressing to get completed. It’s a nice feeling but I liken it to the calm before an overwhelming storm of Christmas concerts, family gatherings, get-togethers with clients and colleagues, open houses and a number of professional engagements to be present at. Of course, most of these are outside of the normal business day and many are on weekends. Oh, I almost forgot, there is Christmas shopping to-do still! I know my experience isn’t unique.

 

We’ve evolved – no, I won’t use that word. We’ve become so busy at this time of year that we’ve largely missed the point. We seldom stop to consider those who are less fortunate until a Hallmark commercial for greeting-cards causes us to pause. I think it’s wrong – apologies to Hallmark – that it takes a marketing department to jolt us out of our consuming nature to stop, if even briefly, and consider how much we have to be grateful for.

 

My partner and I decided earlier this year that we wouldn’t be exchanging Christmas gifts to each. Instead, we’d have something far more personal: an evening alone together to laugh, love, plan for the future, and discuss what ‘making time for each other’ really means down deep inside. It was her idea. She has many of them but this one, whether original or not, was wonderfully simple and rich with symbolism. Often when I’m working out of town, I’m struck at how hard we work to “improve life” for those who are the “most important to us”. Yet, these are the very same people we sometimes seldom see.

 

Whether you recognize the holiday season as Christmas or not, my hope is that you will pause for a moment and tell those who are most important to you how grateful you are for their role in your life. It’s a simple hope but one that, if well executed by all of us, will allow us to look at the world differently.

 

Best wishes for the Holiday Season and, please, don’t drink and drive.

- Norm

Supermarket man gets home alive ..

Over the Labor Day weekend, while attending a barbecue at an old friend’s place, I met up with people who were very intrigued about my role in Arrive Alive and our product the Arrive Alive Disposable Alcohol Breathtester. I’ve been in these conversations dozens of times. This time, as in so many instances the typical reactions ranged from “that’s cool” to “I bought one at the supermarket and it didn’t work.”This marks the first time that I’ve chosen to address the Arrive Alive Disposable Breathtester here. It won’t become a common practice but from, time to time, it’s something that I’ll opt to do.

To answer the questions directly:

:: Yes, ours is a cool product. It’s a very cool product! I know of no other low-priced product that can convince a drunk-driver to change his mind.

:: No, you didn’t buy our product at the local supermarket. We haven’t sold to any. Our product is pre-calibrated and issues a pass/fail reading as opposed to a digital display – simply, we’re interested in determining whether a person is “over” not in determining “how far over” they might be. One version of our product is precalibrated to a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .05, and is sold, mostly, to clients who give them away at company functions or at events they sponsor; a second version, pre-calibrated to .08 BAC, is sold exclusively to police.

:: Yes, they do work. In fact they work so well that ours is the only disposable alcohol breathtester whose reliability is certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO). (Anyone involved in the manufacturing process will recognize ISO’s importance with respect to quality control.) Further, we’ve earned other quality certifications from Germany, Spain, France and Brazil. Our product is also used as an official roadside breathtest device by police in each of these countries. At a cost of of a couple of dollars a unit, we provide police and party hosts with big bang for the drunken buck.

In the face of all the electronic gadgets on the market, our product and the way it’s used seems a little antiquated by popular standards. It’s marketed as a “blow in the bag” product – the user inflates a testing balloon by blowing into it’s specially designed mouthpiece. Once fully inflated, a testing chamber is inserted into the mouthpiece where it stays while the user squeezes the balloon to the point of complete collapse. With this finite amount of air being forced out through the testing chamber, reliable, accurate results are rendered within 2 minutes.

I usually carry a couple of units in the glove compartment of my vehicle. It’s not uncommon for me to demonstrate them at parties, just as I did on the weekend. “Supermarket” man was over the limit but didn’t “feel” drunk despite the fact that he’d just knocked back his sixth rum and coke of the young evening. He did pass the keys to his wife and I was happy that, once again, I’d played a role in helping avoid potential disaster.

To learn more, or see pictures of our product, visit us at http://www.arrivealive.biz.

Choosing to walk ..

It’s Labor Day weekend. In virtually every jurisdiction in North America, police are stepping up their presence to cope with one of the busiest DUI weekends of the year. Regardless of where you live, roadblocks and surprise checkstops abound. Unfortunately, it’s become an annual dance this time of year.

About a month ago, my son and I visited with close friends on a Friday night. I was looking forward to the visit and he was eager to see a friend he hadn’t seen since the end of the school year. Not long after our arrival the boys slipped into another room for some online gaming and I enjoyed wine from a wine glass that never seemed to empty.

Later, when it was time to go, I chose to walk. I wasn’t “drunk” – the word still conjures up images of Dudley Moore as “Arthur” – but I felt I was legally impaired. Since I need to drive in order to do my job, the decision to walk for 10 minutes wasn’t a difficult one. I was concerned though about how my son would react. Would he think his Dad had somehow “slipped”?

During the walk, we talked about my decision not to drive. I explained that if I lost my license I’d lose my ability to earn an income. Besides, it would be hypocritical to drink and drive and have a role in Arrive Alive at the same time. We both laughed. The walk, though far too short, was very good for us as father and son. He was happy for the show or responsibility and was very curious to know why other people couldn’t just make the same choice. I offered that some people consider driving drunk to be an adventure of sorts; a thrill. I also explained that many more people just don’t “get” that one can be legally impaired without exhibiting the signs of drunkenness that readily come to mind, such as slurred speech and obvious loss of coordination.

I smiled. Under the streetlights I was confident that he understood. At the same time I was fearful of the decisions he will make when he’s of driving age. My heart goes out to parents with children who are now driving.

Bad Blogger and Bad Wine ..

Hello … I’m sitting here tonight with a bottle of u-brew Cabernet. It’s been an hour since I poured the first glass and .. um .. well, maybe it just needs to breathe. Or, then again, I am a borderline wine snob.

I’ve been a bad blogger lately. It’s been awhile. The demands of real-life and real-work stepped in about six weeks ago but things are more manageable now (he says with fingers crossed). I’m sure I’ll be a much better blogger when I’m mortgage-free.

Anyway, my thanks to those of you have sent along your comments. I appreciate the input. A special hello to those who’ve wondered about me – especially to Stephanie who wrote to say simply ““WTF!! Where have you gone?”. 

No worries, friend. I haven’t gone far.

So, while I’ve not been very active on the site over the last six weeks or so I’ve learned that less is more — visits to this site don’t correlate to the number of daily posts. So, although I’ve posted a number of new entries this evening my strategy will be to be more selective.

Thanks so much for dropping in ..

Prom night and kid-friendly drinks …

Last month I mentioned my problem with “responsible drinking” programs which eat up millions of public dollars every year. I cited that while most programs were aimed at those of legal drinking age, alcohol-advertisers target a younger demographic. My latest case in point surrounds a new Anheuser-Busch product called ‘Spykes’.

Weighing in at 12% alcohol, Spykes is laced with caffeine, guarana and ginseng and is sold in easy-to-sneak pocket-sized 2 ounce bottles. According to an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson, Spykes is aimed at those with an “active lifestyle” and gives beer ” .. a kick, adds flavor to your drink, and is perfect for a shot”.

At 42, I don’t represent the target demographic – I’m closer to the Depends demographic and, interestingly, it too is aimed at those with an “active lifestyle”. My beer doesn’t need a kick of Spykes’ Spicy Lime, Hot Chocolate, Spicy Mango, or Hot Melons. However, the general consensus among the men in the office was that hot melons are always welcome regardless of lifestyle. (I’m now waiting for a phone call from HR.)

Spykes is aimed at discreet drinkers who aren’t legally able to buy their own alcohol – bottle size, colorful packaging and ‘exotic’ flavor selection make it a perfect-choice for prom night toasts in the washroom. It’s far easier to conceal than a mickey of hard-stuff and a lot better tasting too.

Regardless of your opinions on this product, Anheuser-Busch and other alcohol-purveyors feel that the under 21 age group is a significant demographic for their products. The practice of introducing alcohol to those who’ve just graduated from cherry flavored lip-gloss will continue. Twenty-years ago alcohol “coolers” were introduced and, I expect, that many of the same arguments we hear today were used back then. Spykes, of course, is far easier to smuggle and it is supported by a far more sophisticated marketing machine.

Additionally, in Spykes, Anheuser-Busch has found that mixing an ‘energy’ drink with booze is good for the bottom line — after all, alert drinkers stay awake longer to buy more drinks. There’s nothing quite like being drunk and buzzed on caffeine, ginseng and high-fructose corn syrup. Fans of Vodka and Red Bull, will agree. I wouldn’t know, it just gave me a headache.

However, let’s get back to the original premise. Anheuser-Busch has already spent millions and will spend millions more promoting this product. The website (http://www.spykeme.com) is impressive and will have you tapping your feet in no time. A web applet allows visitors to quickly pass the site address along to friends. In the process, Anheuser-Busch can capture the email and add it to their database to support direct marketing campaigns for the product. Compare this to the typical responsible drinking campaign which is aimed at those of legal drinking age and you’ll find a big difference.

I’ve written before that I’m in favor of lowering the drinking age to 19. That’s true. I am. I feel that in Canada and in Europe there are enough good examples to draw from to present a viable position. This isn’t about the drinking age though, it’s about what we know about our society. Legal or not, today’s kids are drinking more and they’re drinking at younger ages. Anheuser-Busch knows this. Their competitors know, too. The responsible drinking lobby must play a stronger role to kids at the high school level and parents need to model responsible drinking at home. As I’ve written before, I think it’s irresponsible for kids to learn about sex from Eminem and I think it’s irresponsible for kids to learn about alcohol in a moving car.

A note from Arrive Alive ..

 Whether you’re an officer at the roadside who needs an inexpensive, reliable alcohol breathtest or a school administrator concerned about the liability-risk of an impaired student leaving the school prom we have a strategy for you.

The ISO Certified Arrive Alive Disposable Breathtester, is used as a roadside testing device in the US, Germany, Spain, France and Brazil. It’s also used as a unique promotional product by well known companies such as Shell, Esso, Heineken and Evian water. For more information contact Arrive Alive at 1-888-960-0091 or visit us at www.arrivealive.biz.

Today’s Campuses = Sodom and Gomorrah?

After adding a dozen or more stories to the blog this morning. I decided go back and re-read Cliff Kincaid’s article entitled “Congress should Probe College Corruption” – a commentary piece referring to a paper entitled “Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America’s Colleges and Universities” published by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

Unlike much of the substance abuse literature you might read, the CASA paper brings forward a number of campus specific stats that are worth considering. Most significantly is that 22.9 percent of today’s full-time college students “meet the medical criteria for substance abuse and dependence” – over two and a half times that of the general population.

Those of you that are old enough, will be reminded of John Belushi in Animal House and the number of campus-gone-wild movies that followed, and snicker. However, this is not sensationalist literature written by revisionist authors who’ve forgotten their own undergrad years. The problem is a serious one, between 1993 and 2005 the proportion of students abusing prescription drugs increased:

• 343 percent for opioids like Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin;
• 93 percent for abuse of stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall;
• 450 percent for tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium;
• 225 percent for sedatives like Nembutal and Seconal

You should take the time and read these pieces – especially if you’re a recruiter or a parent. Especially if you’re a parent who is naive enough to think that college administrators are working to keep alcohol and contraband off-campus. I’m not sure that  many such parents exist but if there are, let me assure them that if a college administrator expresses concern about their daughter’s “incident” on Friday night, the concern is genuinely related to campus liability and not to their daughter’s welfare.

I’ve written before here of my impatience with those who want to blame others for their problems. That we can’t keep drugs out of our jails suggests to me that it’s next to impossible to keep drugs off our campuses.  Certainly, campus administrators have a responsibility for taking reasonable steps to ensuring that the campus environment is safe. Ultimately though, the answer is in self-awareness and in education – both are matters that can best be dealt with when the kids are still at home.

Better class of loser …

Dedicated to all those who have too many dollars and not enough sense. Who don’t “get” it and never will. You’re just a better class of loser ..

i got money
Way too much money
Come on baby, drive with me

I don’t care what you think
I like to drive when I drink
What’s a DUI to me?

I wrecked the car?
I’ll get another
I killed a kid?
Say sorry to his mother
It might be a tragedy
What’s meant to be is meant to be
‘Cos I don’t care what you think
I like to drive when I drink
What’s a DUI to me?
‘Cos I got money
Way too much money
Come on baby drive with me