Naval Air Station Pensacola reached another milestone with more than three years free of alcohol-related incidents (ARIs).

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and service members are reminded of the importance of alcohol awareness and drinking responsibly. NAS Pensacola follows the Navy's National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention's (NADAP) "Keep What You've Earned" campaign.

Service members are encouraged to utilize the Pier Pressure mobile application, which gives service members the tools they need to proactively manage their drinking habits and keep what they've earned.

The command Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor, Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Kelsey Deer, takes pride in reaching the three-year mark free of ARIs.

"I believe it's actually the Sailors that just want to do the right thing," Deer said. "The commanding officer is great because he rewards them at every milestone we achieve. It's been pretty rewarding."

Something that is unique to NAS Pensacola is the partnership with Escambia County and its underage drinking task force. Service members are able to take part in the task force to uncover different businesses that may be allowing underage people to purchase alcoholic beverages.

"We report them to Escambia County, and Escambia County goes in and either cites them or closes down their business," Deer said. "We work really well with them and it pays off."

Alcohol Awareness Month is not only about underage drinking, but also about understanding oneself and knowing when to seek help if it is needed. A service member suffering from an alcohol abuse problem should not fear negative repercussions for seeking help. If the service member believes he or she has a problem, that person can obtain a referral for help. In the case of a self-referral, service members are able to get the help they need without any negative repercussions. If their commands believe the service members may have a problem, they are able to issue a command referral which may hold some negative repercussions.

"A lot of people have this misconception that if they tell someone that they have an alcohol problem they will get in trouble," Deer said. "That is not the case. I hope everyone realizes that if they have a problem they can always come to any DAPA member and just ask for help."

Programs from NADAP help Sailors be responsible with alcohol and assist some with alcoholism and recovery. Programs such as "Keep What You've Earned" encourage responsible drinking among Sailors by celebrating the achievements in their Navy careers and educate Sailors about the consequences of poor decisions regarding alcohol.

For more information on NADAP programs, go to http://www.public.navy.mil/BUPERS-NPC/SUPPORT/21ST_CENTURY_SAILOR/NADAP/Pages/default2.aspx.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Air Station Pensacola, visit www.navy.mil/.