April is Alcohol Awareness Month
By Susan L. Jenkins, BRiDGES
April marks the 22nd Annual Alcohol Awareness Month. As a national public awareness campaign, Alcohol Awareness Month has featured distinguished honorary chairpersons and has collaborated with public and private groups and organizations such as The Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a unique coalition of more than 30 Governors' spouses.
Although every month is alcohol awareness month at BRiDGES, April is a time to join with others in the community and across the nation to raise the public’s awareness of the multiple public health concerns surrounding the problematic use of alcohol. Alcohol Awareness Month is sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. which has hundreds of affiliates across the nation, including BRiDGES.
Alcohol is the drug most frequently used by American teenagers, including teens in Madison County. In fact, of the 1, 259 Madison County students surveyed in 2007, alcohol was identified as the most frequently used drug. Of those local students that drink, the majority indicated that they were between 11 and 14 years old when they had their first drink other than a few sips.
Alcohol is consumed more frequently than all other illicit drugs combined and is the drug most likely to be associated with injury or death. In fact, alcohol is a primary factor in the four leading causes of death among persons ages 10-24: motor vehicle crashes, unintentional injuries, homicide and suicide.
Underage drinking is a critical public health issue in America and represents just the tip of the iceberg. Alcohol is a drug that can affect judgment, coordination and long-term health. In fact, research suggests that early use of alcohol by teenagers may contribute significantly to dependence on alcohol and other drugs later in life, with 40% of children who begin using alcohol before the age of 13 becoming alcoholics at some point in their lives.
Yet there are those who would dismiss underage drinking as a “youthful indiscretion” – a rite of passage from adolescence into adulthood. Alcohol is creatively and successfully marketed to underage drinkers and is associated with athletic and social events popular with high school and college students.
The issue of underage drinking is a complex problem, one which can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools, community leaders, and the youth themselves. There are three areas which have proven to be effective in prevention of underage drinking: 1) curtailing the availability of alcohol to underage youth; 2) consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations regarding alcohol purchase; and 3) changing social norms and behaviors about alcohol use through education.
If you would like to know how you can help to prevent underage drinking, please call BRiDGES at 315 697-3947. All of us working together can make a difference.
