Bartender Madonna Loring has been named as Bermuda's 'Responsible Alcohol Server of the Year' in a ceremony marking the start of Alcohol Awareness Month.

The Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (CADA) launched the initiative on the steps of City Hall to send out a message to the youth of the Island that drinking was 'not cool'.

After receiving her award, Ms Loring said: "Being responsible is making sure your doing the right thing. You cannot replace a life like you can replace an object and the youth need to understand that."

She said that she took a class at CADA which trained bar and restaurant workers on the proper way to handle under-aged customers who try to drink in their establishments.

Ms Loring said that she would observe people who come into her bar and card them on a regular basis.

"No ID, No service, I have been doing this for 11 years so I know exactly what to look out for and who is underage because Bermuda is so small and you know your customers," she said.

Ms Loring said that she was not aware that she was being watched by judges and was surprised to know that she was being recognised for what she does naturally.

As well as students from Purvis Primary School Bob Richards, Acting Leader of the Opposition, Roxanne Christopher, Road Safety Officer, Anthony Richardson, Bermuda Health Council Chief Executive Officer, Michael DeSilva, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police, Senator Thaao Dill, Junior Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation and Anthony Santucci, Chairman of CADA were all present at the launch.

Ms Christopher also encouraged bars and restaurants to take the extra effort to ensure that their customers are of age and provide valid Identification.

She also commented on how they should note when their customers have had enough to drink and encouraged them to stop serving at this point.

And Mr. Richardson said: "We live in a society that romanticises the concept of drinking alcohol. In Bermuda, drinking alcohol has become almost a social norm, hence modern terminologies such as 'social drinker', 'silent drinker' and 'closet drinker'.

"Many of us present here today, know someone whose family has been affected by alcoholism. According to national surveys, 53.2 percent of adult respondents reported to have consumed alcohol within the previous 30 days, with 23.6 percent of adults reporting to have at least one instance of binge drinking.

"Furthermore, 12 percent of adolescent respondents reported to have consumed alcohol 30 days prior to their response, with 16 percent reporting to ride in vehicles driven by people affected by alcohol.

"This is alarming, knowing that at least half of all drivers involved in traffic collisions are over the legal limit for alcohol or under the influence of illegal substances, yet we continue to place our most precious resource, our children, at an increased risk and breed a generation that imbeds this concept into their very being."

Mr DeSilva warned the youth: "No amount of punitive action, no amount of jail time, no monetary fine can ever bring back a life; or heal the scars of an attack — both physically and emotionally.

"As Operation Safer Streets is now in it's thirteenth week, the Bermuda Police Service will continue to develop good working relationship with the community and helping agencies, such as CADA, in a partnership approach to solving these problems."

Last year for 'No Alcohol Day', CADA teamed up with the Bermuda Police Service, Ministry of Works and Engineering and HWP to install badly damaged cars by roadsides across the Island, which staged dramatic visuals to all commuters of the effects of drinking and driving.

The organisation also introduced 'Let Us Drive', which provided free rides home to those who were out drinking on the weekends, to decrease drunk driving.

CADA is responsible for Bermuda Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service (BRASS) which have implemented the Training Intervention Procedures (TIPS) which prompted Ms. Loring's recognition.

This year CADA will host their first Tag Day, where they will be in various locations encouraging the public to give generously to help fund current and future programmers.

It will also be hosting an open house next Thursday at 3 p.m. at its location at Melbourne House, on Victoria Street, where the public can learn more about CASA and how to get involved.

Founded more than thirty years ago, CADA was originally apart of Bermuda's Alcoholics Anonymous programme, and later re-branded itself to address the prevalence of alcohol abuse.

Funded by Government, its mandate aims to reduce underage drinking as well as educating and raising awareness on the Island.