Photo By Chief Petty Officer Katarzyna Kobiljak | 161026-N-YW024-058 PEARL HARBOR (Oct. 26, 2016) Byron Kennerly and Patrick McIntyre,...... read more read more
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Two comedians, Patrick McIntyre and Byron Kennerly, are touring Navy bases to educate—while entertaining—Sailors about the dangers and reality of alcohol consumption.
“This is not like anything you'd expect. It's not what you're used to,” said McIntyre.
“There will be no ‘death by Powerpoint’,” said Kennerly. “We wrote this show and basically did the opposite of everything we encountered growing up with this kind of thing. You know, Powerpoints and a retired cop yelling at us and showing gory pictures. We wanted this to be fun, interactive, and when you see some of the improv, it’s something where people wouldn’t tune out right away and they would actually retain the information after they leave the show.”
Each major premise was preceded by the phrase “If you’re going to drink…” where the comedians and audience mimed raising drinks in the air.
The duo warned against mixing alcohol with any medications, including over-the-counter drugs.
“Here's an example,” said McIntyre. “Lil' Wayne was mixing Robitussin with alcohol and got seizures and the same goes for something you might not think of. Something as simple as Tylenol can be deadly.”
The two also warned against the risks of drinking and phoning an ex-partner.
“Calling an ex while intoxicated can lead to death or something worse—getting back together,” said McIntyre.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Manwell, assigned to JBPHH, said he appreciated the unconventional training.
“It was a lot better than normal alcohol training,” said Manwell. “It was more entertaining—it makes you pay attention.”
“That's sort of the goal—the big brother approach,” said Kennerly. “You don't have to drink of you don't want to, but if you're going to, this is how to stay safe.”
The program included discussions on tactics on preventing friends from driving while intoxicated and recognizing the different signs of alcoholism, to include the “CAGE” questionnaire, a tool designed to screen substance abuse.
Sailors shared personal stories that emphasized what can happen when people get behind the wheel after drinking.
“My best friend and I had a party in a controlled environment,” said Manwell. “He and his sister were going to make a food run. His sister wasn't drinking—she was our D.D. for the time. They went out driving and a drunk driver hit them, and the accident ended up killing my friend's sister.”
Manwell said knowing what to do, and doing the right thing while drinking is a critical point to these pieces of training.
“It's being responsible with alcohol and looking out for everyone else,” said Manwell. “Because even the situation where my best friend lost his sister, we were being responsible, but it was somebody else who wasn't. Now she's not here. No one is saying to not drink, just be responsible about it.”
The comedians’ scheduled stops include Singapore and Diego Garcia.
For more information, visit the Navy’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention website at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/nadap/Pages/default2.aspx
| Date Taken: | 10.26.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2016 17:00 |
| Story ID: | 213119 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘If you’re going to drink…’, by PO2 Laurie Dexter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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