|
|
|
The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
|
April
is Alcohol Awareness Month
April is Alcohol Awareness Month and, as such, is an excellent time to
raise awareness about the impact of alcohol and underage drinking on
our communities. It's also an excellent time to remind our communities
about social host laws that reduce the prevalence of underage drinking.
Below are some key facts about underage drinking.
Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among youth. According to the
2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in the past 30 days:
30 percent of high school students drank some amount of alcohol
14 percent of high school students binge drank
17 percent of high school students rode with someone who had been
drinking alcohol
6 percent of high school students drove after drinking alcohol
Underage drinking isn't harmless. It contributes to more than 4,300
deaths of underage youth in the U.S. annually, costs the U.S. $24
billion in economic costs, and is linked to more than 119,000 emergency
room visits by underage people.
As caring adults and educators, we can help prevent underage drinking.
We can reduce the prevalence of underage drinking, and we can delay the
onset of use for alcohol. We encourage you to use any of our resources
at preventionactionalliance.org to start conversations with your kids,
your community, or others in your network about alcohol.
|
|
|
|
