Wellness and Safety incorporates 0-0-1-3 principles

Published Oct. 20, 2006
By Master Sgt David P. Bourgeois
Air Force Materiel Command Surgeon General

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- There were 543 reported alcohol-related actions, involving active-duty members only, at Air Force Materiel Command bases in 2005.

This may seem insignificant, compared with the Air Force average of 5,300 over the past five years. But when you consider that 33 percent of completed suicides, 57 percent of sexual assaults, 29 percent of domestic violence incidents, and 20-25 percent of motor vehicles accidents in the Air Force are alcohol-related it only makes sense to include the principles of 0-0-1-3 in AFMC's Wellness and Safety Campaign.

When the campaign debuted May 8, in conjunction with the command's quarterly wingman week, the Wingman Day Wellness Survey tool debuted, as well. The survey is a tool AFMC leadership is using to get feedback on issues related to the wellness and safety of its work force.

Question five on the survey asked respondents to answer "yes" or "no" to the statement, "In the last 3 months, my lifestyle consistently reflects the principle of 0-0-1-3 (0 underage drinking, 0 DUIs, 1 drink per hour, 3 drinks per session)."

The concept behind 0-0-1-3 is to encourage responsible alcohol consumption among Air Force personnel in order to create a common social norm, blending it into Air Force core values, its culture, and eventually, its traditions.

What does 0-0-1-3- mean? The "first and second zeros" restate the law of zero underage alcohol use and zero driving while under the influence, or impaired by alcohol. The "one" indicates one drink per hour (one 12-ounce beer, four to five percent alcohol, or 1.5 ounce shot of 80-proof alcohol, or one five-ounce glass of wine at 11 percent alcohol). The "three" stands for no more than three drinks per evening of alcohol use.

The principles of 0-0-1-3 were initially piloted at F.E Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, in 2004 with success. Within the first two quarters, the base had shown a 27 percent decrease in DUI rates and a 74 percent decrease in underage drinking incidents.

This year the Air Force has included 0-0-1-3 in its Culture of Responsible Choices Campaign, or CORC, and AFMC has received approval from Air Staff to incorporate CORC and the principles of 0-0-1-3 into its WASC initiatives.

In order to measure our success in initiating the principles of 0-0-1-3 and to ensure that the word gets out, a question on responsible alcohol use has been included on the survey and we will continue to monitor the number of alcohol-related events at AFMC bases.

All of us play a role in changing Air Force culture. In order to do this, we must be alert to our wingman's needs we must care enough to get involved when our wingman need direction, and to have the courage to take action when our wingman is in distress.

More information on the principles of 0-0-1-3 can be found at the following website http://www.afcrossroads.com/websites/corc.cfm. For other questions concerning 0-0-1-3 and the wellness and safety initiatives, please contact MSgt David P. Bourgeois at David.Bourgeois@wpafb.af.mil. For more information about AFMC wellness, log onto http://www.afmcwellness.com.

The next AFMC Wingman Day is November 9. The survey tool will be live November 6 - 19.