Cold beers straight from a supermarket refrigerator could be a thing of the past ? the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention is recommending that the Ministry of National Drug Control stop the sale of cold beer.

Anthony Santucci, president of CADA, said having cold beers on sale in shops makes alcohol too readily available ? particularly to underage drinkers.

?The thought process behind it is, if you?re selling cold alcohol it is for immediate consumption,? he said. ?If it is not cold, people buy alcohol for longer term use. It would also stop some underage drinkers.?

Mr. Santucci made his comments during the Hamilton Rotary Club luncheon, where he was the guest speaker yesterday.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and CADA has been busy spending its message ? drink responsibly.

CADA began 30 years ago, he said, started by two members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since then it has grown in size and scope.

This month the group unveiled Blood Alcohol Concentration self-assessment sticks, which allow individuals to gauge whether they are over the legal limit to drive home. CADA also teamed up with the Bermuda Assessment and Referral Centre (BARC) at the Argus Health Fair in order to offer free, confidential alcohol screening.

Trained professionals were on hand to discuss results with those who took the test.

Mr. Santucci said CADA is also hoping to persuade 50 percent of the Island?s alcohol servers, in both bars and restaurants, to become certified under Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPs).

TIPs is a skill-based training programme that provides servers with the means to identify intoxicated patrons, ways to intervene and prevent further intoxication and the ability to spot fake identification cards. The Fairmont Hamilton Princess has had its employees trained under the TIPs programme already.

The training is provided free of charge by CADA and lasts five hours.