A little help. (By the Way).

Last February in New Orleans at the Cheers Beverage Conference, lots of people were talking about the future of the restaurant and beverage industries. Central to that talk. Both in formal presentations and casual conversations, was the conviction that constant fighting was ahead with various antagonists seeking to trim the sails of those who make and serve beverage alcohol. The only question seemed to be how to fight effectively.

But what if fighting isn't the answer? What if the best way to argue our side is aggressively positive, marshalling the facts and trumpeting them whenever possible? Perhaps consumers, driven to think that the pleasure they derive from alcohol in any of its forms is bad for them, could use some facts.

If you make or sell cars for a living, it's your business to know what sort of behavior makes your product dangerous and what makes it safe. Is the same true in bars and restaurants? Do servers and owners in general understand the basics of alcohol's effects? The various health benefits? What moderate drinking is? How long it takes for the body to metabolize each drink? How accurate breathalyzer tests are and other crucial bits of information? My experience suggests not.

Restaurateurs are already over-burdened, and, as front line representatives, they could use help bringing the good news to customers. Chances are few of them have beard about recent studies concerning the benefits of alcohol. Without a committed information campaign by the industry, this moment may pass unnoticed by most bar and restaurant owners. Beyond the well-intentioned American Beverage Institute's "Drink responsibly, drive reasonably," campaign, those who serve beverage alcohol could use a comprehensive message about responsible use. What it is, what benefits is actually achieves, why it's not only not bad, but why and how responsible consumption makes life better. We in this business generally believe this-why not say so, and show why?

Narratives about the deleterious effects of drinking have become so widespread that it now seems counter-intuitive that there's anything good about alcohol. That attitude was summed up by Sir Richard Doll, professor of medicine at the University of Oxford. "The belief that alcohol was bad for health was so ingrained that the idea that small amounts might be good for you was hard to envisage, and it is only in the past ten years that cardiologists and specialists in preventative medicine have begun to take it seriously."

There's a growing body of evidence that drinking in moderation can prolong life by protecting against heart disease, stroke, late onset diabetes and Alzheimer's Moderate drinkers live longer than abstainers, other reports claim.

Without spreading the good word to those who serve the public every day, the news may not penetrate the average American, who still believes anything but the most limited use of alcohol is bad for one's health.

Jack Robertiello, Edito,