April is National Alcohol Awareness Month and the focus is on underage drinking

Alcohol is the drug most frequently used by high school seniors, and its use is increasing. Boys usually try alcohol for the first time at just 11 years old, while the average age for girls’ first drink is 13. Underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen automobile crashes and contributes to youth suicides, homicides and fatal injuries. Additionally, alcohol abuse is linked to as many as two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes of teens and college students and is a major factor in unprotected sex among youth, increasing their risk of contracting HIV or other transmitted diseases.

While the issue of underage drinking is a complex problem, one that can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools, community leaders, and youth themselves, there are three areas which have proven to be effective in prevention of underage drinking: curtailing the availability of alcohol, consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations, and changing cultural misconceptions and behaviors through education.

Be part of the solution, talk to youth about the risks of underage drinking. Your words can have an effect, you can make a difference.

For more information contact me St. Regis Mohawk Alcohol & Chemical Dependency Prevention Program at 518-358-3141 ext.160.