0-0-1-3 and the Culture of Responsible Choices Published Jan. 3, 2008 By Col. Consuella Pockett 60th Medical Operations Squadron commander TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- We have all heard the 0-0-1-3 slogan but do we really know what it means? It is not a formula for calculating how much alcohol you can consume and drive. It is a reasonable approach to drinking that is based on science and designed to teach people to drink responsibly. The slogan stands for zero underage drinking, zero DUIs, no more than one drink per hour and no more than three drinks per setting. The 0-0-1-3 campaign is based on a very successful program first implemented at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo. and significantly reduced alcohol-related incidents. Air Force senior leaders wanted to transplant that success throughout the service. In February 2006, the Air Force kicked off a new program entitled the "Culture of Responsible Choices." The program, called CoRC for short, is a mindset where all Airmen are asked to rethink how they do business and to conduct their lives to ensure their decisions lead to safe and healthy outcomes. Responsible choices are an integral part of Air Force culture, and CoRC emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability for decision-making and behavior on and off duty. According to a Department of Defense 2002 Survey of Health Related Behaviors, heavy drinking rose among DoD personnel from 15.4 percent in 1998 to 18.1 percent in 2002. The Travis Air Force Base active duty DUI stats for 2002 were 52. Aggressive efforts over the next four years helped to reduce that number to 30 by 2006. Unfortunately, the trend is once again moving in the wrong direction. The 2007 stats are back up to 36 with the heaviest months being July (with 7 incidents) and December (with 6 incidents). Leadership at all levels has addressed this issue in numerous forums from newcomers' orientations to commanders' calls. Since the majority of alcohol-related incidences occur among our young personnel under the age of 25, we need the help of all mid-level supervisors to impress upon their personnel the negative impact and potential consequences associated with DUIs. Irresponsible drinking is a factor in 33 percent of suicides, 57 percent of sexual assaults, 29 percent of domestic violence, and 44 percent of fatal motor vehicle accidents. Establishing a culture of responsible choices represents a cultural shift that emphasizes the roles of both individuals and of the community for morale, safety, and discipline. The culture of responsible choices is applicable to a wide range of human behaviors that impair mission readiness, such as, alcohol misuse, illicit drug use, tobacco use, fitness deficiencies (diet and exercise), and failure to follow safety and injury prevention guidelines. The ultimate goal of the program is zero alcohol-related and zero illegal drug-related incidents. Initial goals of the CoRC program were to reduce alcohol and drug-related incidents by 25 percent the first year and then reassess each year thereafter, examine and compare the incidence of DUI, sexual assaults, suicides, family violence and motor vehicle and other accidents to rates of ARIs. In addition, other goals were to create a culture change from "work hard/play hard" to "work hard/play smart", resulting in lower rates of heavy drinking through incorporation of the Wingman concept and expand and strengthen existing Air Force substance misuse/abuse programs and commanders' prevention programs to include the CoRC model. There are four core elements involved in changing the heavy drinking and illegal drug use culture. The CoRC model addresses the new culture through an integrated, four-pronged approach involving leadership, the individual, the base community, and the local community. Strategies at the leadership level involve active, top-down support as a crucial factor in assuring broad functional involvement and establishing the importance of a culture change. This also involves any and all interventions to assist base leadership to develop awareness of this problem and to understand the value of addressing it through the use of science-based prevention strategies. Strategies at the individual level include any prevention activity that is directly targeting persons at moderate and high risk and their specific circumstances. Efforts at both the base community and local community level should directly target cultural beliefs, environment, policy, and activities that promote alcohol misuse or drug use. The target is the total community population (on and off base), and not just the individual or the base. CoRC is designed to change the way Airmen think about the whole spectrum of issues, from drinking and drug use on the one hand to healthy fitness behavior, sound financial management, vigorous suicide prevention, effective sexual assault response and prevention, and safe practices at work, home and on vacation. We want to keep our Airmen healthy, safe and in uniform and we need your help to spread the word about 0-0-1-3 and the Culture of Responsible Choices.