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StopAlcoholAbuse.Gov is a comprehensive portal of Federal resources for information on underage drinking and ideas for combating this issue. Community members interested in underage drinking prevention—including but not limited to parents, educators, youth, concerned citizens, prevention specialists, business leaders, law enforcement and public health officials—will find a wealth of valuable information here. The resources featured to the right are among the many useful materials available on this site to aid your underage drinking prevention efforts.

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Spring Break: Safe, Healthy, Carefree, and Fun

For many students, spring break is a carefree time away from classroom pressures. Unfortunately, for many it is also a time of excessive drinking and dealing with its aftermath—violence, sexual aggression, and even death. As your college-age sons and daughters prepare to celebrate their spring break escape, take the opportunity to talk with them about the consequences of drinking. During these conversations, it is critical to discuss how alcohol affects the body and how long these effects can last. Make this year’s spring break memorable by having fun and helping yourself, your friends, and others stay safe and healthy.

New Study: Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Levels Among Blacks Are Below the National Average

The current alcohol use rate for blacks aged 18 and older is significantly lower than the national adult average (44.3 percent versus 55.2 percent) according to a new study based on a national survey. The study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also reveals that black adults have a lower rate of current binge drinking than the national adult average (21.7 percent versus 24.5 percent). Young black adults (aged 18-25) are markedly less likely to be currently engaged in binge drinking than young adults in the general population (25.3 percent versus 41.6 percent).

Costs of Underage Drinking in Your State

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice, a member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, supports the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center. Using 2007 data, the Center has developed individual two-page factsheets profiling each State’s underage drinking problems. Included are economic costs, broken down by such categories as youth traffic crashes and youth injury; youth alcohol consumption statistics for the State; and key figures for harm associated with underage drinking. The “Underage Drinking Costs” factsheets can be accessed through the Center’s clickable map.

Children of Alcoholics (CoA) Week Observance
February 14–20, 2010

Children of Alcoholics (CoA) week is a timely reminder of the power of prevention. CoAs are “between 4 and 10 times more likely to become alcoholics than children from families with no alcoholic adults,” according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Thanks to ongoing prevention efforts, many CoAs do not engage in underage drinking nor do they repeat their family history of substance abuse.

Town Hall Meetings (THMs) to prevent underage drinking are now being organized in communities across the country. Many of these THMs will focus on the risks faced by children in families with substance abuse problems and will present effective prevention strategies to address this and similar issues.

2009 Monitoring the Future Survey

The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA’s) 2009 Monitoring the Future survey reports a softening of attitudes in some alcohol measures. Fewer 10th graders viewed weekend binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) as harmful, and fewer high school seniors disapproved of having one or two drinks every day. Although alcohol use has decreased in the past 5 years among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, these softened attitudes warrant concern among the underage drinking prevention community. The University of Michigan conducts the annual study, supported by a grant from NIDA.

TSTS Newsroom and Widget: Save Time, Stay Informed, Share

The In the News newsroom, now featured on the Too Smart To Start (TSTS) home page, keeps individuals and organizations informed with the latest news on underage drinking. Sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), the newsroom is updated regularly with local, State, and national articles published by online sources. Sources include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and its key partners, mainstream media, government agencies, and other reputable producers of news content. The newsroom features an archive for retrieval of past articles and a searchable database to make finding articles easier. Also available is a widget that displays the newsroom content directly on your organization’s Web site. There’s no cost and very little time required to copy the widget and share up-to-date news on underage drinking.

NIAAA Study finds that 12- to 17-year olds  are “intoxicated” with fewer drinks than adults

Drink for drink, the average blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) attained by children and adolescents are much higher than those seen among college students or adults, according to a new study supported by NIAAA that appeared in the June 2009 issue of Pediatrics.

Alcohol Use Before and After the 21^st Birthday

This issue of The NSDUH Report examines alcohol use before and after the 21st birthday. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Office of Applied Studies, among young adults approaching their 21st birthdays (i.e., persons surveyed in the 30 days prior to their 21st birthdays)―86.1 percent had used alcohol in their lifetime, including 62.8 percent who had initiated use before their 18th birthdays. Rates of past month and binge alcohol use were higher among young adults who had recently turned 21 than among those who were still 20 years old. Rates of past month and binge alcohol use among 21 year olds declined and then stabilized in the months following their 21st birthdays, but their rates still remained higher than those for 20 year olds.

December Is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

President Barack Obama has proclaimed December National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports “Teens are at far greater risk of death in an alcohol-related crash than the overall population, despite the fact they cannot legally purchase or publicly possess alcohol in any State.” NHTSA also states: “On average from 2001to 2005 (the last year for which complete data is available), about 40 percent of all fatalities during the Christmas and New Year holiday periods have occurred in crashes where at least one of the involved drivers was alcohol-impaired as compared to about 28 percent of all fatalities during the rest of December.” Since 1981, December has been proclaimed National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, and NHTSA provides a “3-D Month Holiday Planner” for States and communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers additional information and resources to support the annual observance.

NIAAA Web Site Presents Information on Underage Drinking Policies

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) operates the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS) Web site to present information on 10 policy topics that are particularly relevant to underage drinking. Although these topics are classified under several different headings on the APIS Policy Topics Index page, all of the topics that relate to underage drinking can be accessed from this page using the vertical navigation bar on the right side of the screen.

2009 Drug-Free Work Week Observance
October 19-25, 2009

The fourth annual national Drug-Free Work Week observance―a public awareness campaign that highlights the importance of being drug-free for workplace safety and also encourages workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help―is fast approaching. This year, the campaign is offering a new initiative for communities to address Drug-Free Work Week. In addition, a Webinar entitled WORKING to Prevent Underage Drinking: Workplace is the Key is scheduled for October 20, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EDT), to encourage the adoption of drug-free workplace programs that not only make workplaces safer, but also help prevent underage drinking.

Drug-Free Work Week is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), a member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking.

National Red Ribbon Week—October 23-31, 2009
Make Underage Drinking Prevention a Priority for Your Community.

Red Ribbon Week, a national drug prevention observance reaching millions of youth, is almost here. There are countless opportunities for organizations such as yours to participate and conduct activities that raise awareness about the tragic consequences of underage alcohol use. Help prevent underage drinking today and encourage youth to live a healthy, alcohol-free lifestyle.

Underage drinking prevention materials to support the 2009 Red Ribbon Week observance are available.

Underage Alcohol Use Continues to Decline

The 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, shows the current rate of alcohol use dropped among youth aged 12 to 17 years, from 28.8 percent in 2002 to 26.4 percent in 2008. More good news in the survey findings: among people aged 12 to 20, both past month use of alcohol and binge drinking have fallen since 2002. The survey is the primary source of information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among persons aged 12 and older in the United States. View the latest findings on underage alcohol use here.