Help Teens Stay Alcohol Free on Prom Night and Graduation
As prom season and graduation season approach, families, communities, and educators all can play a part in helping and protecting teenagers from underage alcohol drinking. Simple, important precautionary measures such as prom-planning involvement and open communication with your child and student can make a difference for this memorable occasion. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “A Guide to Safe and Sober Event Planning,” and other resources in the Youth section of this Web site can help teenagers take the lead in planning safe and healthy celebrations. For information on how to “Help Your Teens Party Right at Graduation,” go to: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/GraduationFacts/Graduation_Fact_Sheet.html
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Report: Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use among Underage Drinkers
This report focuses on the frequency and quantity of past month alcohol use among underage drinkers (i.e., persons aged 12 to 20 who consume alcohol). Comparisons of the quantity and frequency of alcohol use in the past month also are made between underage drinkers and drinkers aged 21 or older. All findings presented in this report are based on combined 2005 and 2006 NSDUH data. View the report.
Materials for 2008 Town Hall Meetings
Materials to help you plan and conduct successful 2008 Town Hall Meetings are now available in English and Spanish. View and download these materials.
New Localizable Materials for Town Hall Meeting Promotions
New print promotion templates provide a space for local organizations to enter specific information related to the location, date, and time of their Town Hall Meetings. Please click on each template to download these materials for your event.
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Acting U.S. Surgeon General Kicks Off Nationwide Series of Town Hall Meetings to Address Underage Drinking
Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson is kicking off a nationwide series of more than 1,600 Town Hall Meetings in March and April to encourage action against underage drinking. The Town Hall Meetings are to raise awareness of the public health dangers of underage drinking, and steps that parents, community leaders and concerned citizens can take to combat and prevent it. Please see SAMHSA’s full news release and media advisory.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month—Communities Are Coming Together To Stop Underage Drinking
Many teens drink, but underage alcohol use is not inevitable. It takes a commitment by everyone in the community to make change happen, including parents, educators, and all the other community elements influencing adolescent life. A community that opposes underage drinking can help change how people think and act. Hundreds of communities across America are doing just that, by holding Town Hall Meetings this spring and conducting other public education activities during April’s annual Alcohol Awareness Month. As communities begin implementing The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, they also bring valuable support to teens who have already decided NOT to drink alcohol.
SAMHSA has completely updated, revised, and redesigned one of its most popular educational brochures, formerly called “Tips for Teens: About Alcohol.” The new 2008 pre-publication edition of “Underage Drinking: Myths vs. Facts (PDF 4.11MB)” is now available here for viewing, downloading, and printing.
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Grants to Reduce Alcohol Abuse program
These grants provide funds to local educational agencies to develop and implement innovative and effective alcohol abuse prevention programs in secondary schools. In addition, grantees have a significant amount of technical assistance available to them through an agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Applications are due on February 19, 2008. The grant program has $24,500M to award to approximately to 70 districts around the country and the territories. The average awards for this 3 year effort is around $400,000 per year.
The Notice Inviting Applications for the Grants to Reduce Alcohol Abuse (84.184A) was published in the Federal Register on 1-3-08. It is
currently posted on grants.gov at: http://apply.grants.gov/apply/UpdateOffer?id=11200.
Communities across America will be hosting Town Hall Meetings on the prevention of underage drinking during the week of March 31 through April 4, 2008. For more information about the 2008 Town Hall Meetings, click here.
February 10–16, 2008 is National Children of Alcoholics (COA) Week.
Often, the people hurt most by alcohol abuse and alcoholism don’t drink—not yet, at least. According to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, children of alcoholics (COAs) are between 4 and 10 times more likely to become alcoholics than children from families with no alcoholic adults. COAs are at elevated risk for earlier onset of drinking and earlier progression into drinking problems.
Parental disapproval is the key reason children give for not using alcohol. But despite the powerful influence they have over a young person’s decisions about alcohol use, many parents and other caregivers may feel unprepared to discuss drinking with their children.
The beginning of a new year is an exciting time, filled with anticipation and high expectations—a great time for families to make positive changes. So make a New Year’s resolution to establish and maintain good communication with your child.
New National Survey Reveals Drug Use Down Among Adolescents in U.S.
Current illicit drug use has declined among the nation’s adolescents, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced today. The rate of adolescents ages 12 to 17 acknowledging drug use in the past month dropped from 11.6 percent in 2002 to 9.8 percent in 2006. This level is similar to the level in 2005 (9.9 percent).
This initial report from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) also indicates use of cigarettes decreased from 2002 to 2006 for people ages 18 to 25. However, the level of underage drinking, ages 12 to 20, remained unchanged since 2002, at 28.3 percent in 2006.
National Red Ribbon Week—October 23-31, 2007 Time for communities to make underage drinking unacceptable.
Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for young people – even more than tobacco and illicit drugs! It’s time to make underage drinking prevention a priority! Help change attitudes about underage drinking in your community by participating in National Red Ribbon Week activities.
Find additional resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and more information on the 2007 Red Ribbon Week observance.
Press Release: Underage Drinking Starts Before Adolescence New Summary of Surveys Shows Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Graders Have Already Started Drinking
“A review of national and statewide surveys conducted over the last 15 years shows that among typical 4th graders, 10% have already had more than a sip of alcohol and 7% have had a drink in the past year. While the numbers are small in the fourth grade, the surveys show that the percent of children who have used alcohol increases with age, and doubles between grades four and six. The largest jump in rates occurs between grades five and six,” according to John E. Donovan, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a member or the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, has designated September 10–15, 2007 as National We Don’t Serve Teens Week. During We Don’t Serve Teens Week, public and private entities from across the country are urged to spread the word that serving alcohol to teens is unsafe, illegal, and irresponsible. The program Web site, www.DontServeTeens.gov, provides parents and others with tools and information to reduce teen drinking and related harm.
Many types of prevention programs and policies are being implemented to reduce alcohol-related problems on campus. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (PDF 1MB) recommends specific strategies for changing campus culture that contributes to underage alcohol use. The Call to Action states, "Colleges and universities have a responsibility to reduce risk factors associated with underage alcohol use and an obligation to students to protect them from adverse consequences of their own or others’ alcohol use, such as accidents, assaults, and rapes."
Back to School: Tips for Parents, Teachers, and Schools
Schools have a strong influence over decisions young people make about risky behaviors such as alcohol use. If you are not already involved in your child’s school and know what the alcohol education curricula and alcohol policies are, now is a good time to connect. Urge parents, educators, and schools in your community to support and follow the recommendations in The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking and in the companion guides to action.
Parents—Work with the schools to ensure that protective rules around adolescent alcohol use are in place, that the penalties are well known, and that enforcement is sure and uniform.
Teachers—Work to increase students’ involvement in their school, a factor that has been found to predict less alcohol use.
Schools—Restrict the sale of alcoholic beverages on campus or at campus facilities such as football stadiums and concert halls.
New Study Finds Rates of Underage Drinking Initiation Higher in Summer Months
Government PSAs Ask Parents to Intervene Now, Before Drinking Begins
In an effort to encourage parents to talk to their children about underage alcohol consumption, as part of the Surgeon General’s “Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking,” the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Ad Council are strategically distributing new Underage Drinking Prevention PSAs at the end of the school year when kids are on summer break. New data released by SAMHSA shows that the highest occurrence of first-time alcohol use (13.1%) takes place during July. Also according to the same study 10 percent of children age 12 and 50 percent of children age 15 have consumed alcohol, and by the time young people are graduating from high school at age 18 , 75 percent have had their first drink.
The 4th of July is a time of fireworks and celebrations and a time when parents and other adults need to be vigilant in preventing underage drinking. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show this national observance to be one of the most deadly holiday periods of the year due to impaired driving.[1] According to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Families, “Alcohol affects how well a young person judges risk and makes sound decisions.” Underage drinking puts young people at risk of putting their lives and the lives of others in danger. Families can help prevent underage alcohol use. The links below provide helpful information to make this Independence Day safe and fun.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has developed two promotional planners to help increase awareness about the dangers of impaired driving during the 4th of July holiday:
In the summertime, youth are out of school and have large amounts of unmonitored free time to play and hang out with friends. Summer is the season when youth are likely to engage in risky activities. Compared with almost all other months, June and July have higher rates for youth’s first-time use of alcohol as well as marijuana and cigarettes.1 Parents and communities can be proactive and help youth have safe and fun summers. For example, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Communities recommends “work with sponsors of community events to help them send the message that underage drinking is not allowed” and “create friendly, alcohol-free places where teens can gather.” With these approaches, communities can prevent underage drinking during the summer and all year long.
‘Dear Abby’ Supports U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
The Acting Surgeon General asks “every American to join in a national effort to change attitudes and behaviors regarding underage alcohol use” in “Dear Abby,” the Nation’s most widely seen syndicated advice column. In his letter, RADM Kenneth Moritsugu challenges common myths: “…underage drinking is not a ‘harmless rite of passage,’ as many still believe.” Abby joins him in urging her audience—estimated at 110 million readers daily—to request The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, the Start Talking Before They Start Drinking: Family Guide, and other free materials about youth and alcohol.
The end of the school year is at hand. For many teens, this means celebrating their much anticipated graduation and prom night. It is important to make a difference and prevent teenagers from engaging in risky behaviors, such as underage alcohol use, that could prevent them from having a safe and enjoyable experience. Parents can guide and protect their children by following these links and using the helpful resources on underage alcohol use prevention that they offer:
Reach Out Now is a unique school-based underage drinking prevention initiative designed specifically for use by fifth- and sixth-grade students, their families, and their teachers. Each year, Reach Out Now materials are disseminated to public, private, and parochial schools nationwide to provide teachers, students, and their families with easy-to-use, informative alerts to the dangers of underage alcohol use. They reinforce and underscore the importance of preventing underage drinking. Reach Out Now is a collaboration between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Scholastic Inc., a children’s publishing and education company.
Reach Out Now Teach-Ins are opportunities for prominent national, State, and local youth leaders--using an evidence-based curriculum and other helpful SAMHSA materials --to teach fifth and sixth graders, parents, teachers, and the community about the dangers of underage alcohol use and encourage young people to make healthy decisions. Although teach-ins can be conducted throughout the year as an effective strategy to prevent underage drinking, SAMHSA releases the materials to coincide with the April observance of Alcohol Awareness Month.
Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
In response to new knowledge about the number of children who drink, how much they drink and what happens when they drink, the Acting U.S. Surgeon General of the United States has issued a Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking. The Call to Action describes the scope of the problem, discusses underage drinking within a developmental framework, and identifies a series of goals and action steps that could be taken to address the issue. Download the Surgeon General’s Call to Action. View the related press release.
New Start Talking Before They Start Drinking Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Ad Council are pleased to announce the release of new TV, outdoor, and online PSAs for the national Underage Drinking Prevention campaign. The new PSAs are a continuation of the successful Underage Drinking Campaign launched on October 31, 2005. The campaign objective is to help reduce or delay the onset of underage drinking. Specifically, the campaign targets parents of children ages 11 to 15 and encourages them to speak with their children early and often about alcohol, especially before they’ve started drinking. View and order PSAs.
Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings (1–5).
Report to Congress: A Comprehensive Plan for Preventing and Reducing Underage Drinking
Red Ribbon Week:Preventing Underage Drinking Materials
During the last week in October, many Americans who are dedicated to preventing substance abuse participate in Red Ribbon Week. The following are materials that will help you make underage drinking prevention a part of your community’s Red Ribbon Week observance. These materials will also support for your underage alcohol use prevention efforts throughout the year.
This PowerPoint presentation was given by Dr. Ralph Hingson, Director, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The recent National Research Council and Institute of Medicine report, Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, underscores the dangers of underage drinking, even when the level of drinking falls short of a diagnosable condition. This report also proposes a strategy to begin to address this issue. This issue of Alcohol Research & Health is a first step in National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) efforts to bring the developmental perspective to bear upon the problem of underage drinking.
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