U.S. SURGEON GENERAL VISITS NEBRASKA TO TALK ABOUT UNDERAGE DRINKING
U.S. Surgeon General Steven Galson visited the University of Nebraska campus on April 15, where he participated in an open forum on the dangers of underage drinking. An article in The Gateway reported that the surgeon general was invited to visit by Nebraska’s First Lady Sally Ganem as part of the Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free Foundation. Patty Spady was also at the meeting, echoing Galson’s message. Spady shared the story of Samantha, her 19-year-old daughter, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2004. More than 100 students, faculty, and community members attended the open dialogue. "We want to protect the ability of our youth to learn and adopt lifelong skills that give them the greatest chance of professional success," Galson said. "What I am here to tell you is that underage drinking can interfere with that chance for success." Galson added that the problem is often not given the attention and concentration it needs to be effectively addressed. The best way to address underage drinking is with open discussions between children and parents. (See a related story in the April 3, 2008, Weekly Update.) MADD ANNOUNCES FOUR STATES APPROVE USE OF ALCOHOL IGNITION INTERLOCKS
A news release from MADD reports that legislatures in four States—Washington, Nebraska, Virginia, and West Virginia—have approved lifesaving measures to expand the use of alcohol ignition interlocks for convicted drunk drivers. MADD expects several other States to consider alcohol ignition interlock legislation this year. Bills have been introduced or are currently in development in California, Florida, Colorado, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri and North Carolina. MADD is working to ensure that these bills are passed so that more States can take advantage of the existing technology that has proven to save lives on the nation’s roadways. While interlocks are proven to save lives, it is estimated that only one out of eight convicted drunk drivers each year currently has an interlock on their vehicle. In 2007, MADD began an aggressive legislative strategy aimed at expanding the use of alcohol ignition interlocks in all 50 States as part of the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. Last year, Arizona, Louisiana and Illinois joined New Mexico in requiring alcohol ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders.
DAY ONE LAUNCHES WEB SITE ABOUT YOUTH ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
In honor of Alcohol Awareness Month, Day One has launched a new Web site to provide a better resource for teens and parents seeking information about youth alcohol and drug abuse. For over 30 years Day One has been a not-for-profit substance abuse prevention and treatment agency in Maine. The site offers information about prevention, intervention, treatment, and aftercare services for adolescent drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. Parents can find out whom to call for help and tips on what physical and behavioral signs they should be aware of in their teen. They can also learn what steps to take to help keep their child off drugs and alcohol. IN FLORIDA COUNTY, BOOKS TARGET UNDERAGE DRINKING
Child Awareness U.S.A. is addressing the issue of underage drinking by using a different approach—creative reading materials, reported The Walton Sun. The United Kingdom-based company branched out to Pinellas County, Florida in November 2007 to promote its drug-awareness educational books through business-sponsored school donations. The books are geared towards kids as young as 11 and many of the books have true-life stories behind them, including a book dedicated to a young man named Daniel who lost his life to an overdose of drugs and alcohol. The books are in their fourth volume. The company has contacted every superintendent in Florida and Governor Charlie Christ, who endorsed the program, sent a recommendation for the books to be integrated into school curriculum to the State education board. MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES UNDERAGE DRINKING RATES ARE DECLINING
A press release from the office of the governor announced a decline in the number of young people drinking and abusing alcohol, and highlighted new statistics showing that fewer young people are choosing to drink. These new statistics come from preliminary results of the 2007 Department of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Education (DOE) Youth Health Survey. The findings showed that the age children first drink rose from 12 years old in 2004 to 13 years old in 2007, and that adolescents who reported using alcohol in the past month decreased substantially for both middle school students (22.8 percent in 2004 to 10.8 percent in 2007) and high school students (54.7 percent in 2004 to 43.6 percent in 2007). “While this is good news about alcohol use among adolescents, we need to continue to focus our efforts on improving prevention,” said Lt. Governor Tim Murray. Forty-nine town hall meetings are being held or have been held across the State to focus on what youth are doing to address the issue of underage drinking and how parents and communities can work to support these efforts. The meetings will promote the “ Start Talking Before They Start Drinking” campaign, which will highlight parental involvement and holding retailers an communities accountable as part of an overall strategy to prevent children from using alcohol. RESULTS OF STUDENT SURVEY DISCUSSED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA
According to the April 17, Stillwater Gazette, results from the 2007 Minnesota Student showed that in Washington County, 67.1 percent of high school seniors reported using alcohol at least once in the past year, and 33.3 percent reported binge drinking at least once in the prior 2 weeks. Both represent a slight increase from 2004, when the comparable figures were 66.1 percent and 31.5 percent, respectively. Statewide, 62.7 percent of high school seniors said they had used alcohol, and 29.1 percent reported binge drinking in the prior two weeks, with both figures showing a slight decrease from 2004. A representative from the Washington County Department of Health discussed the results of the survey at a recent meeting. The student survey results are valuable because they help communities and community groups decide where to focus their public health efforts.
EUROPEAN UNION ASKS ALCOHOL INDUSTRY TO NOT TARGET YOUNG PEOPLE
To reduce the numbers of alcohol-related deaths, the European Union’s (EU’s) health chief urged the alcohol industry not to target children and young people in their marketing campaigns. The EU is the heaviest drinking region in the world, according to an article in Reuters UK. Alcohol contributes to the deaths of 195,000 people in the 27-country bloc every year and more than 10,000 deaths due to alcohol-related road accidents, with young people especially at risk, the EU Health Commissioner said. “I expect the alcoholic beverages industry to market their products responsibly and not to directly or indirectly target children and young people,” she said. TOWN HALL MEETINGS HELD
A town hall meeting was held in St. Lucie, Florida, sponsored by the St. Lucie Police Department and the Executive Roundtable of St. Lucie County. An article in The Palm Beach Post reported that about 56.4 percent of St. Lucie County’s students report having used alcohol at some point, compared with less than 2 percent who have tried harder drugs such as cocaine or Ecstasy in 2006, statistics show. Four out of every 10 kids ages 10 to 14 in St. Lucie have already had a drink, according to the 2006 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Featured speakers included a representative from MADD, a performance by a youth drug prevention drama troupe called Deep Impact, and an 18-year-old woman whose life has been affected by drinking. A town hall meeting in Mount Vernon, Iowa focused on “environmental strategies” and cultural changes to help battle underage drinking in the community, an article in The Sun reported. Statistics from a 2005 survey, in which 11 percent of 11th graders admitted to binge drinking, are low compared to the rest of the State. But the numbers were up last fall, to 18 percent, including 10th graders. Speakers at the meeting pointed out that there are numerous consequences of underage drinking, not just what is thought of traditionally, such as auto accidents. Other problems include unplanned and unprotected sex, date rape, and physical injuries such as broken hands of teens who punched something when under the influence, and burns on kids who fell into fire pits at parties. Solutions to combat the problem included parents talking more to their children about drinking and more education in the schools. In Muskegon, Michigan, a series of town hall meetings were held in March, sponsored by several local groups according to The Muskegon Chronicle. Sponsors included the Coalition For A Drug-Free Muskegon County, Mercy General Health Partners, the Muskegon Community Health Project and Reeths-Puffer High School’s chapter of national organization for Students Against Destructive Decisions. The groups hope to continue offering similar forums in the future. Despite increased efforts in many communities to educate and discourage teenagers from drinking alcohol, a staggering number of youths continue to do so—63 percent of Muskegon County’s 10th- through 12th-graders have tried alcohol and 47 percent of high school seniors have consumed alcohol within the past month, according to a county health department survey from 2004-05. In Anderson, South Carolina, a town hall meeting was held this week to discuss the dangers of underage drinking. One of the speakers had first-hand knowledge of the dangers of underage drinking, since her 20-year-old brother had been killed in a car accident, according to the IndependentMail.com. The town hall meeting was coordinated by the Anderson County Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Coalition. The coalition, comprised mostly of law enforcement officers, educators and social service providers, was founded in 2006 to help prevent underage drinking. The panel and attendees agreed that educating parents is the first step to curbing underage drinking. Other suggestions included encouraging parents to question their children, pushing for tougher laws for parents who give alcohol to minors, and asking adults to examine how their alcohol views affect their children’s behavior. |
