NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — On the world’s largestnaval base, sailors can pull into a gas
station and buy a bottle ofliquor before sunrise.But as the Navy works to curb alcohol abusein a push reduce
sexual assaults and other crimes, the days of pickingup a bottle of Kahlua along with a cup of coffee are
coming to an end.TheNavy’s top admiral has ordered a series of changes to the way the Navysells booze. Chief
among them, the Navy will stop selling liquor at itsmini marts and prohibit the sale of alcohol at any of
its stores from 10p.m. to 6 a.m."It’s not going to fix everything, but it is areal step in the right
direction," said David Jernigan, Johns HopkinsUniversity’s director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing
and Youth."Historically, the military, as elsewhere, has viewed these problems asindividual problems to
be dealt with by identifying the individual withthe problem. While that’s important, the research shows it’s
much moreeffective actually to look at it as a population problem and to dealwith things that are affecting
everybody across the population."Thechanges are the latest addition to a broader, long-standing
alcoholeducation and awareness program that appears to have had some success.Throughout the Navy, the number
of alcohol-related criminal offensesdropped from 5,950 in the 2007 fiscal year to 4,216 in the 2012
fiscalyear. The number of DUI offenses dropped from 2,025 to 1,218 during thatsame period, according to Navy
Personnel Command.Liquor willstill be sold on U.S. bases at a discount of up to 10 percent for whatit can be
bought at in a civilian store, but sales will be limited todedicated package stores or exchanges that sell a
wide variety of items.AtNaval Station Norfolk, the main exchange is comparable to a smallshopping mall that
sells clothing, electronics and jewelry, among otherthings, at a discount. At smaller naval bases, the
exchanges aren’t assprawling but still often have the feel of big-box retail. While hoursat those stores
vary, most open at 9 a.m. close by 9 p.m.TheNavy’s minimarts at the Norfolk base currently start selling
liquor asearly as 6 a.m. That’s four hours earlier than people can buy atVirginia’s state-run ABC stores
off-base that are typically open fromfrom 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.Jernigan said a growingpreference
among young people for distilled spirits over beer and winemeans the Navy’s moves could be particularly
helpful."But thatsaid, alcohol is alcohol, so reducing the availability of one kind is astep in the
right direction, but you can certainly get just as impairedfrom drinking beer and wine as you can from
distilled spirits," he said.Inthe 2012 fiscal year, the Navy reported $91.9 million in distilledspirits
sales, compared with $39.3 million in wine and $62.3 million inbeer. The Navy uses 70 percent of the profits
from its sales ofalcoholic and non-alcoholic products to support morale, welfare andrecreation
programs.Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenertalso ordered the exchanges to display alcohol only in
the rear of itsstores. The new rules are set to take effect by mid-October.Greenert’sorder on alcohol sales
was issued the same day in late July the Navyunveiled other initiatives to battle sexual assaults that range
fromhiring more criminal investigators to installing better lighting onbases.The effort follows a Pentagon
report, released in May, thatestimates as many as 26,000 service members may have been sexuallyassaulted
last year.Alcohol is often involved. In a survey, 55percent of Navy women said they or the offender had
consumed alcoholbefore unwanted sexual contact.Navy officials have stressed they’re not trying to keep
sailors from drinking, but they want them to do so responsibly.TheNavy is already giving many sailors random
alcohol-detection tests whenthey report for duty, and soon the devices will be found on storeshelves for
personal use. The single-use product will sell for $1.99.Jernigansuggested the Navy may want to eliminate
its discounts on alcohol —just as it recently did with tobacco — if it wants to make furtherstrides.Not all
sailors think the new rules will help."Ifpeople are going to drink, they’re still going to buy it
wherever,"Seaman Bryan Free said after buying a bottle of vodka from a NavalStation Norfolk gas
station. "So if they take it out of here, it’s notgoing to do nothing because they’re going to go to
the package storeright out of base. That’s usually where everybody gets it. So it doesn’treally
matter."Most of the Navy’s large bases are in urban areas with plenty of convenience and grocery stores
nearby.Andin the Navy, on-base housing options are typically limited, leadingFree and other sailors commute
to work rather than living in barracks.RobertParker, a University of California at Riverside sociology
professor whohas studied the links between alcohol and crime, said restrictingon-base alcohol sales should
help even if there are places to buy itnearby."If you make something like alcohol harder to get,
yourestrict the hours, you restrict the places it can be bought, thengenerally consumption goes down in that
community or that area becausepeople have a lot of things to do in addition to buying alcohol,"
Parkersaid. "There will be some individuals that will be determined no matterwhat, and they’ll travel
100 miles to buy a six pack, but most peoplewon’t do that."___Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention
http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/nadap/Pages/default2.aspxBrock Vergakis can be reached at
http://twitter.com/BrockVergakisCopyright 2013 The Associated Press.