Education and Prevention:
Underage Drinking
Family Influence on Underage Drinking
Research studies indicate that children are less likely to drink when parents are involved with their lives. Children say that parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink.What Parents Can Do
to Prevent Underage Drinking
Talk to your children about why it is important for them not to drink.
Set clear, specific rules about what you expect.
Be consistent when enforcing rules and use appropriate consequences.
Be a positive role model and do not participate in unhealthy practices regarding alcohol.
Know what your children are doing and who they are with.
Recognize good behavior.
Pledge to allow NO underage drinking on your property by joining the Family Partnership Alliance.
What a Community Can Do
to Prevent Underage Drinking
Develop comprehensive community plans to address underage drinking that include law enforcement, government leaders, business leaders, grass-roots groups, schools and social service agencies.
Support local efforts by police to enforce underage drinking laws.
Incorporate research-based alcohol prevention information into school curricula.
Regulate alcohol advertising and limit alcohol sponsorship of community events.
"Healthy Youth Survey" Results
According to the 2008 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey in Thurston County:
About 1 in 6 8th-graders reported having a drink in the past 30 days.
About 1 in 3 10th-graders reported having a drink in the past 30 days.
Forty percent of 12th-graders reported having a drink in the past 30 days.
Sixty percent of 10th-graders report they think alcohol is easy to get when they want it.
Thirty-two percent of students who reported drinking in the past month say they got their alcohol from home, either with or without permission.
The good news is that most teens do not drink. However, far too many still do, and they are putting themselves, their future and others at risk.
Links
Start talking before they start drinking! Here are a couple of very helpful links:
StopAlcoholAbuse.gov is a comprehensive portal of federal resources for information on underage drinking.
Risks of Underage Drinking
Alcohol use is a leading risk factor is the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injuries, suicides and homicides.
In Washington, alcohol is involved in more than one-third of adolescent driver fatalities.
Teens who start drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to develop problems with alcohol.
Teens react differently than adults to the initial effects of alcohol.
The abuse of alcohol by teens may have long term effects on the development of adolescent brains.
Alcohol use among youth is strongly correlated with teen violence, risky sexual activity, school failure and illegal drug use.
News Related to Underage Drinking
Workshops/ Presentations
TOGETHER! provides presentations and workshops on preventing and reducing underage drinking.
To schedule a presentation or workshop, please call (360) 493-2230 ext 20 or contact us via email.
Newsletter
Check out Parents Are Heroes, a monthly newsletter created in partnership with ALERT Labs in Michigan.
More information
Visit these sites for more in-depth information.
Washington State Department of Health Education Resource Exchange
Washington State Liquor Control Board Education Services
Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking
Federal resources - preventing underage drinking
National Commission Against Drunk Driving
Anti-Drug Media Campaign for teens
NIAAA youth alcohol abuse prevention website for teens
US Department of Health and Human Services National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Family Guide