CADA put an interesting proposal before the Bermudian public recently, inviting residents to refrain from drinking for a full 24 hours. Even more daring, the group decided to hold No Alcohol Day on a Friday.

It's a feat the charity believes no country has ever attempted, a unique scheme CADA believes to be a vital tool in raising awareness about Bermuda's seemingly obsessive relationship with alcohol.

Hamilton, it seems, has a bar on just about every street corner. For drinkers who don't want to travel far from home, there are popular watering holes spread about the island, some creatively packaged as restaurants, hotels and workmen's clubs, others accommodated at sports and cultural events, all of them making alcohol more accessible.

They survive because we are a population of drinkers. CADA statistics show that 80 per cent of teenagers say they have easy access to alcohol, 20 per cent of adults say that alcohol has had a harmful effect on their health and 50 per cent of all accidents on the island are caused through drinking.

Faced with such startling figures, CADA determined to do something a little more dramatic than usual during Alcohol Awareness Month this year.

"We wanted to end the month in a way that really spotlighted alcohol abuse in Bermuda," explained CADA chairman Anthony Santucci. "We looked at those figures and considered our objective, which is to start a discussion on alcohol abuse in Bermuda, and No Alcohol Day seemed one of the ways to highlight it."

Asked if he expected a large participation, especially with the event organised for a Friday, Mr. Santucci expressed confidence.

"I will say that all the feedback to date has been mixed but people have said they are glad that we are doing it. Drinking is a problem in this country so clearly, people are talking about (No Alcohol Day). Will we have 100 per cent participation? I don't think that's reasonable. But the fact that people are talking about it is really a plus."

chairman said the event was focused completely on individual decision, that alcohol distributors had not been asked to shut their doors in honour of the occasion.

"It's not the bartender's choice or the bar owner's choice, it's up to the individual. We're inviting them, on this Friday, to go home and spend quality time with their friends or family. We don't see it as a bar issue per se. Gosling's has been in business for 100 years. Drinking is obviously ingrained in our culture."

He added that the problem was a genuine one for Bermuda as alcoholism does not discriminate and impacts on all sectors of society.

"If 20 per cent of your workforce is off with a hangover, production will decrease proportionately," Mr. Santucci said, in explaining the impressive reach of abuse and its impacts. "If 80 per cent of young adults say they can get it easily and if it is the gateway to other drugs, it is a problem. Everybody knows someone who has a problem with alcohol and/or drugs on the island. It doesn't discriminate. It affects blacks, whites, rich and poor ? everybody."

In the days leading up to the event, Mr. Santucci said he had been heartened by people who regularly drank on Fridays but vowed to participate. Especially motivating, he added, were tales shared by persons who had witnessed loved ones suffer because of alcohol.

"If you drive around the island and look at the bus shelter, look at people sitting on the wall all day with drinks in their hand, look at gardeners cutting hedges with a machete in one hand and a drink in the other.

"Why would anyone think it's better to cool down with a beer than a bottle of water? And that guy who has spent the day drinking six packs because of the heat, at the end of the day he packs his tools, jumps in his car and drives down the street."

In that respect, today's event also falls in with CADA's bigger picture ? eradicating instances of abuse on the island. As Mr. Santucci told the Hamilton Rotary club earlier this month, one of CADA's aims is to institute a Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) programme in Bermuda.

At the time, he defined TIPS as a "skills-based training programme designed to prevent intoxication, drunk driving and underage drinking". It works by providing servers, sellers and consumers of alcohol with the ability to recognise potential alcohol-related problems and prevent those tragedies which can occur as a result.

The group has offered free training to every bar and restaurant on the island, providing them with access to a programme which has been successfully implemented in 50 US States and 22 countries world-wide.

"TIPS is a practical, common-sense approach to serving, selling and consuming alcohol responsibly in any setting," the chairman said then. "This training helps stop people who are drinking from hurting themselves, injuring others and damaging property."

With today's event, however, CADA's sole aim is to draw attention to the problem.

"We at CADA are not experts. We're not like Alcoholics Anonymous. Our aim is to encourage responsible consumption. As part of that, we teach TIPS, we teach a programme in the schools. We are an advocate for responsible consumption of alcohol and the elimination of underage drinking. We're not advocating prohibition. It's about being responsible.

"People, I think, really do not understand or, we bury our heads in the sand ? there's a whole shopping list of drugs in the country but number one, at the beginning of it all, is alcohol. Before you smoke marijuana, before you (take) methane, you have a drink."

. Santucci added that a flier was sent out to homes this week, offering tips on how to start conversations with persons who might have an alcohol problem. Included in that is a telephone number for the Bermuda Assessment and Referral Centre, an agency capable of helping determine whether or not persons are at risk for alcoholism.

As well, residents are being asked today to send a text message to CADA indicating whether they will or will not drink. Those who respond will have their name placed in a draw to be held on Monday, the winner of which will receive a $500 cash prize, courtesy of CellularOne.

"We want you to respond if you drink or if you don't," Mr. Santucci said. "If you don't have access to text (messaging) ? which I would find surprising since there are 55,000 units in Bermuda ? then visit www.cada.bm and respond that way."

Text messages in response to the question, 'Will you have an alcoholic drink today?' should be sent to 747-CADA (2232). A 'yes' or 'no' reply is sufficient. The winner of the $500 draw will be notified by telephone.

For more information, visit www.cada.bm, send an e-mail to info.cadalogic.bm or telephone 295-5982.