April is Alcohol Awareness Month

By: Kelsey Sample

April is the 34^th Annual Alcohol Awareness Month. Founded and sponsored by Facing Addiction with the NCADD for 33 years. No other substance is more widely used by America’s youth than alcohol, making alcoholism and alcohol-related problems the number one public health problem in the United States.

The Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council is encouraging community members to educate themselves on the dangers of underage drinking and what it can cost a youth who drinks underage.

Some Alcohol Facts from the Alliance of Coalitions for Change (AC4C) are “Young adults aged 25-34 years of age are most likely to binge drink, followed by those aged 18-24 and 35-44 years old.” Another fact is “According to 2016 Iowa Youth Survey 13% of Iowa’s 11th graders have binge drank in the last 30 days.” Something for you to think about is “For every $1 gained from alcohol and tobacco tax revenues, $10 is lost in legal, health, social, and regulatory costs.”

Underage drinking can damage or crush your dreams, friendships, parents' and relatives' trust, your life, and many other things. So don’t throw away what you have by drinking underage.

                                

Addressing this issue requires a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools, community leaders, and youth. The widespread prevalence of underage drinking and the negative consequences it creates remain a stubborn and destructive problem despite decades of efforts to combat it.

Yet, there are four areas that have proven to be effective in the prevention of this problem:

1) Curtailing the availability of alcohol to underage populations;

2) Consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations regarding alcohol purchase;

3) Changing cultural misconceptions and behaviors about alcohol use through education; and

4) Expanded access to treatment and recovery support for adolescents and their families.

For more information on the Youth Leadership Council or Substance Abuse Prevention work in Van Buren County please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.