Alcohol - Information

Links to articles and facts related to underage alcohol use.

Placeholder Image

Facts / Resources

Spotlight on Underage Drinking: Link to resources from SAMHSA, includes:

Drug Free Action Alliance reaches out to Ohio High School Athletic Directors:
Drug-Free Action Alliance is pleased to inform you that we have teamed with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) to educate parents about their legal responsibility and the health risks associated with underage drinking through our Parents Who Host, Lose the Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking campaign. Through this partnership, a packet including a cover letter, Parent Tips, Fact Sheet and Sample Article for a Newsletter has been sent to 832 high school athletic directors in Ohio . <Read More - Order information>

College Drinking: Website offering multiple resources for drinking awareness, developed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

DrugFree.org Need Help? Get Help! Drug prevention, drug abuse, drug intervention, drug treatment and recovery. Drugfree.org provides answers, guidance, tips and stories.

Know!: For parents of middle schoolers to increase awareness and communication about alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention.

New Tool Available to Educate Teens About Dangers of Substance Abuse
(CADCA Sept. 18, 2008) The supplement contains valuable information about the scope of the drug abuse problem; slang terms that teens use to describe OTC cough medicine and prescription drug abuse; and steps parents can take to prevent medicine abuse in their families. It also includes examples of what youth can do to get involved in drug prevention in their communities and helpful online resources for teens, parents and teachers. The supplement was published in the Washington, D.C. metro area in The Washington Times on Sept. 9, 2008. Click here to download. <Read More>

Understanding the impact of teen alcohol use (CADCA Newsletter, Aug, 28, 2008) In an interview with CADCA´s Coalitions Online, Patricia Powell, Ph.D., Chief of the Science Policy Branch for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and Vivian Faden, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the NIAAA´s Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, explain the effects of alcohol use among teens and the role that parents and communities play in addressing underage drinking. <Read More>

Study Shows Stadiums Sell Alcohol to Underage Drinkers (CADCA Newsletter, Aug. 21, 2008) In a study looking at the propensity of illegal alcohol sales at sports stadiums, researchers reported that nearly one in five people posing as underage drinkers, and three out of four seemingly intoxicated "fans" were able to buy alcohol at professional sporting events. They also found that location mattered: sales were more likely if the attempt took place in the stadium stands rather than at a concession booth. <Read More>

Study Shows Minimum Drinking Age Law Saves Lives (CADCA Newsletter, July 10, 2008):A comprehensive new study funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program found that laws aimed at preventing consumption of alcohol by those under 21 have significantly reduced drinking-related fatal car crashes. <Read More> <Read Complete Study>

40 Percent of Underage Drinkers Received Free Alcohol from Adults (CADCA Newsletter, June 26, 2008) The report, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration this week, indicates that one in 16 underage drinkers (6.4 percent or 650,000) was given alcoholic beverages by their parents in the past month. <Read More>

10 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Underage Drinking and the Laws.

ATOD Brochure: Includes statistics and facts about Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Use.

Families Anonymous - A Beacon of Hope: Are you at your wits’ end?  Does someone you love have drug, alcohol or behavioral problems?  We can help. Read their open letter to the P2PN.
Local Meeting Schedule Description of Services

STOP Alcohol Use by Teens: Link to pdf of Sam Landry's OCPSI, presentation. Sam Landry is the Chairman of the Coalition for Capable and Healthy Youth (CCHY) Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Workgroup

Tips for Parents: Underage Drinking, What you can do. Although this document is specific to California, much of the information is useful nationally.

Placeholder Image

Articles

States Using Social Marketing to Curb Underage Drinking
(CADCA, Oct. 23, 2008)
Take a walk through a typical town in Wyoming and you´re likely to see office buildings, homes or schools with a thick green stripe painted on them. The green line is part of Wyoming´s "We Draw the Line," underage drinking and tobacco prevention campaign. Wyoming is among the many states turning to social marketing to prevent underage drinking. <Read More>

AAAS Urges Middle School Parents to Talk to Kids About Alcohol (CADCA, Sept. 11, 2008)
Nearly 20 percent of 14-year-olds say they've been drunk at least once, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. According to the AAAS alcohol project, the middle school years are crucial in the battle to prevent early alcohol use. Young adolescents’ bodies and friendships are changing. They start pulling away from parents; yet seek out other adults for guidance. It’s the most vulnerable time, specialists say, but also one of the last times they still can be influenced by adults. <Read More>

Drug Free Action Alliance issues position on the drinking age (Sept. 9, 2008)
Drug-Free Action Alliance today (9/8/08) released a position paper supporting the current 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law. This position was taken after a long and extensive review of the science and research surrounding the law which clearly demonstrates that it helps to protect the health, safety and well-being of our youth. “Research has shown that not only are lives saved and alcohol-related injuries reduced, but also that youth ages 18 to 21 consume less alcohol when the minimum drinking age is 21,” said Patricia Harmon, Executive Director of Drug-Free Action Alliance. “The Minimum Legal Drinking Age laws are the most studied and successful alcohol-related laws on the books.” <Read More>

Dropping to 18 brings in too much risky behavior
(By David Hodge, president of Miami University. Cincinnati.com, Aug. 24, 2008) First, the problem with alcohol use does not begin at age 18 or in college. More than half of the students arriving on college campuses today report that they have already engaged in alcohol consumption. Second, in addition to making alcohol more available to university students, most experts in the field believe that lowering the age limit will likely increase student alcohol use in high school and earlier. Indeed, while there is a broad perception that the lower drinking age in Europe leads to more responsible behaviors, more recent data show that binge drinking is a bigger problem in Europe than in the U.S. for those under age 18. <Read More>

College presidents are asking: Should the drinking age be lowered? (Cleveland PD, August 19, 2008) "If you asked college presidents in America, probably at least 90 percent of us would say that raising the drinking age has not been a positive thing on our campuses," said S. Georgia Nugent, president of Kenyon College in Knox County. "Let's look at, in a sense, education rather than prohibition." <Read More>

Beer Pong's Big Splash (Time, Aug. 18, 2008)
The boisterous game, in which players try to toss Ping-Pong balls across a table into cups of beer and drink if theirs are hit, is becoming so popular that it is in the midst of a backlash. Some cities and campuses troubled by the binge-drinking culture that accompanies beer pong are banning the pastime and its paraphernalia. <Read More>

ShotPak called 'alcoholic candy bar' (LA Times, Aug. 12, 2008)
The makers call it a "party in a pouch." Critics say it's more like an alcoholic candy bar. ShotPak is a line of alcoholic beverages that come in shot-sized, laminated-foil plastic pouches that are reminiscent of the drinks children pack in school lunches. <Read More> <What is a ShotPak>

Study Shows College Environment Contributes to Binge Drinking (CADCA Newsletter, July 17, 2008) Binge drinking among U.S. college students is linked to conditions in the college environment, such as a strong drinking culture and few alcohol control policies. That´s one of the key findings from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS), a landmark study that surveyed more than 50,000 students at 120 colleges from 1993 to 2001. <Read More>

Teen Binge Drinking: Common and Risky Nearly 2 in 3 Teen Drinkers Admit Binge Drinking, Risking Their Health (WebMD, January 2007) Almost two-thirds of high school students who drink alcohol admit binge drinking and may be at risk of other serious health problems, says the CDC. <Read More>

Libations: This Ain't No Wine Cooler. Will caffeinated alcohol be the next teen-drinking fad? If you've never heard of such things, your kid probably has. Sold in tall, narrow cans, they carry teen-friendly names such as Sparks, four maXed and Joose. As with other "flavored malt beverages" (the conspicuously boring industry name for fizzy drinks like Mike's Hard Lemonade), alcoholic energy drinks taste like cheap soda--cloyingly sweet and bubbly, with only the mildest hint of booze, all the better for callow teen palates. <Read More>

Science Based Teaching for Underage Drinking Abuse Efforts to halt underage drinking often focus on peer pressure and the prevention of risky behaviors, but the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is undertaking a new federally funded project to give middle-school children a science-based understanding of what can happen to them if they use alcohol.

Alcohol and the Teen Brain: "...alcohol is used more than any illegal drug or cigarettes among adolescents." (2007: Monitoring the Future) Article details exactly how consumption of alcohol effects the developing brain.

Parents make a difference Many young people say that parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink alcohol.