This April, millions of Americans are participating in Alcohol Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to secure the future of America's youth by preventing them from drinking alcohol. Teens and young children are using alcohol more frequently and intensely than all other substances combined. Many children are beginning to drink alcohol even before they finish elementary school, and the problem only worsens with age.
Alcohol Awareness Month is an effort to educate the public about the problem of underage drinking and its consequences and to inform communities about ways they can help prevent underage alcohol use.
The consequences of underage drinking can be devastating. Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to be victims of violent crime, be involved in alcohol-related traffic crashes, suffer sexual assault, and have serious problems in school. The negative impact of underage drinking can continue into adulthood.
Alcohol Awareness Month goes to the heart of the problem of underage drinking-youth alcohol use is a problem of our society. To address this problem, it is critical to get a broad societal commitment to change societal norms about underage drinking as well as laws and policies that can help enforce the prohibition of sales and marketing to youth. This includes individuals and organizations working together to prevent underage drinking.
"As a society, we've got to do a far better job of persuading young people that alcohol use is a dead end," said Vanessa Ayala, Coordinator of the Southeast Harris Community Coalition of the Bay Area Council On Drugs and Alcohol. "Working together from all different perspectives on this problem is the only way to head off and to heal the devastating consequences of underage drinking."
Recent surveys show many youth who don't drink alcohol cite their parents and other family members as the biggest influence in their decisions to avoid alcohol. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate youth are less likely to drink when parents talk with their children regularly and factually about alcohol, make known their disapproval of underage drinking, and set clear rules with fair and consistent consequences. Communities can play a big role during this year's Alcohol Awareness Month by using proven prevention strategies, effective policies, and enforcement to curb youth access to alcohol.
For more information on the Coalitions efforts to reduce underage drinking in your community, please contact the Coalition at Vanessa.ayala@bacoda.com or 713-256-8746.
