What's NewLabor Day Drinking and Driving Crackdown Can Save Young Lives The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is promoting a National Impaired Driving Prevention Enforcement Crackdown from August 20 through September 10, to coincide with the Labor Day holiday—an effort likely to save young lives. NHTSA’s impaired driving initiative places special emphasis on reaching high-risk populations, such as those under age 21 and high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) offenders. In 2007, 24.1 percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in a crash had a BAC of .08 or higher. While a BAC of .08 is the legal limit for those 21 and over, all States have zero-tolerance laws that make it illegal for people under age 21 to drive after any drinking. NHTSA discourages impaired driving through high-visibility law enforcement with supporting communication campaigns, enhanced prosecution and adjudication, and medical screening and brief intervention for alcohol abuse problems. New Publication Available on Prevention Models for College Campuses Field Experiences in Effective Prevention: The U.S. Department of Education’s Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses Grants, published by the Higher Education Center (HEC), describes the experiences of the Department of Education’s (ED) model grantees of 2005, 2006, and 2007. Through 12 case studies, the publication relays experiences, lessons learned, and recommendations to assist campuses in developing and implementing effective prevention programs on their campuses and in surrounding communities. Some of these case studies include specific programs and strategies to prevent underage drinking. Field Experiences is a followup to Experiences in Effective Prevention, published in 2005, which covered the 1999–2001 and 2004 grantees. HEC is supported by ED’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and the publication reflects the department’s perspective on developing, implementing, and sustaining evidence-based prevention. To obtain copies of this publication, email edpubs@inet.ed.gov or call 1–877–433–7827. Other ways to access the publication, including a downloadable PDF, are available at the HEC Web site. Underage Drinking-Related Hospital Department Visits Nearly Double over the Fourth of July Weekend Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking nearly double during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study reveals that daily underage drinking-related visits to hospital emergency departments are 87 percent higher during the Fourth of July weekend than they are on an average day in July. To view the related press release, click here. To view the study, click here (PDF). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Reveals That 72.5 Percent of High School Students Have Used Alcohol According to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released in early June, alcohol remains the substance with the highest rate of use among high school students at 72.5 percent, a level similar to that found in the 2007 study. For more information on underage alcohol use and youth behavior that contributes to unintentional injury and violence, click here (PDF). National, State, and local YRBS studies, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducted every 2 years among high school students throughout the United States to monitor a full range of health risk behaviors. Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Are Heavily Marketed to Youth Caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs) are premixed beverages that combine alcohol, caffeine, and other stimulants. CABs usually have a higher alcoholic content (5 to 12 percent) than beer (4 to 5 percent). Since their introduction, CABs have experienced rapid growth in popularity, with two leading brands together increasing sales from 337,500 gallons in 2002 to more than 22.9 million gallons in 2008. Some of that popularity may be due to heavy marketing in youth-friendly media with youth-oriented graphics and messaging. For instance, marketers target Web sites with downloadable images and connect CABs with extreme sports or other risk-taking behaviors that appeal to youth. Additional details on CABs are available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site. Parental R-Rated Movie Restriction and Early-Onset Alcohol Use A recent study sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism links children’s freedom to watch R-rated adult movies with another adult behavior: drinking. According to the study, young adolescents whose parents let them watch R-rated movies may be over three times more likely to try drinking alcohol at an earlier age. This finding lends support to research suggesting that watching movies with alcohol use is associated with earlier youth drinking. To view the study’s abstract, click here. New Study Shows that Underage Drinking-Related Hospital Emergency Department Visits Rise 11 Percent over the Memorial Day Weekend Daily hospital emergency department visits involving those under age 21 who used alcohol combined with other drugs are 27 percent higher during this holiday period. A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that daily underage drinking-related visits to hospital emergency departments are 11 percent higher during the Memorial Day weekend than they are on an average day. The latest Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report (PDF) estimates that on an average day, there are 519 hospital emergency department visits involving underage alcohol use. For the three day Memorial Day weekend, however, the number of daily hospital emergency department visits jumps to 577.
New Video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Addresses Dangers of Binge Drinking The CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) released a video that explores the health risks associated with binge drinking, including unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, injury, car crashes, violence, and HIV/AIDS. The video discusses effective community prevention strategies, such as:
In the video, Capt. Robert Brewer, MD, MSPH, Alcohol Program Leader of the Chronic Disease Center, debunks common myths and urges communities to create an environment that discourages binge drinking and underage drinking. View the Binge Drinking video on CDC-TV. TSTS Newsroom and Widget: Save Time, Stay Informed, Share
April Is Alcohol Awareness Month Alcohol Awareness Month provides an important opportunity to address the issue of underage alcohol use and raise awareness about its devastating effects on our youth. To focus on this serious issue, communities across the Nation are participating in Town Hall Meetings (THMs) on underage drinking prevention. These events kicked off March 22 and will continue to take place throughout the spring and summer. Nearly 2,000 underage drinking prevention THMs will be conducted in communities across the country this year. Most communities will use the THMs as a springboard for planning and implementing a wide range of local underage drinking prevention initiatives that build upon their THM discussions and the evidence-based strategies presented at those events. To coincide with the Alcohol Awareness Month observance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Ad Council launched an underage drinking prevention public service advertising campaign that features online English and Spanish resources to provide parents with information and tools to help them open an ongoing conversation with their preteen and teen children about the dangers of underage alcohol use. For additional information on how to prevent underage drinking in your community, see The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: What It Means to You—A Guide to Action for Communities. SAMHSA and Ad Council Launch Underage Drinking Prevention Campaign The campaign, “Talk EARLY. Talk OFTEN. Get Others INVOLVED.”, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in partnership with the Ad Council, encourages parents to speak with their children about underage drinking in order to delay the onset of and ultimately reduce underage drinking. Read the press release. View the public service ads (PSAs). Brochures in English (PDF 12 MB) and Spanish (PDF 9 MB) are now available. State Estimates of Underage Alcohol Use and Self-Purchase of Alcohol More than a quarter of youth aged 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states such as North Dakota and Vermont. To view the report, click here. To view related video, click here. 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 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.
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