A new public awareness spot from Poland’s Territorial Defence Forces delivers a blunt message about alcohol and responsibility. Rather than portraying alcohol as a harmless way to unwind, the campaign describes it as a switch that shuts down reflexes, sound judgement and awareness. The message reaches beyond drink driving and into everyday life, at home, on the road, near water and in relationships, wherever fast and responsible decisions matter.

The campaign anchors its message in data on alcohol related harm. Road accidents and personal tragedies often begin with what feels like “just one drink”. Drowning statistics underline the same risk. In Poland, hundreds of people die in water related incidents each year, and alcohol remains among the leading contributing factors. One in five people who drowned had consumed alcohol. The figures frame alcohol not as an abstract risk, but as a concrete factor behind preventable loss of life.

The spot also focuses on what statistics cannot show. Moments when someone failed to react in time, did not offer help, or misjudged a situation because alcohol had dulled their senses. For the Territorial Defence Forces, readiness, discipline and responsibility start with simple personal choices. Sobriety is presented not as a limitation, but as a condition for control and safety, protecting both oneself and others. The closing line reinforces the call to remain sober on duty, at work and in daily life, always ready and always close.

Find more from the Dowódcy Wojsk Obrony Terytorialnej (Poland, January 2026)