Ads, Billboards Highlight Younger Children
By Leslie Quander Wooldridge
Underage drinking is about high school kids, right? Unfortunately, the problem is appearing in children in middle school and elementary school, too. SAMHSA and the Ad Council have joined together to produce new public service announcements (PSAs) that reflect those age groups.
The PSAs support the Surgeon General’s Call to Action nationwide (see Reach Out Now Educates
Teachers, Students). And as part of SAMHSA’s continuing leadership role in the Federal underage drinking prevention effort, the Agency is collaborating with stakeholders to disseminate the PSAs and other materials in time for Alcohol Awareness Month in April. (See Underage Drinking: A Call to Action.)
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| A new public service announcement (PSA), “Brandon’s Story,” is now available from SAMHSA and
the Ad Council. Visit www.stopalcoholabuse.gov. |
Brandon and Emily PSAs
Recently, SAMHSA released two new video PSAs to emphasize the young age at which children begin
drinking.
“My name is Brandon. In 9 years, I’ll be an alcoholic,” says the young boy featured
in the “Brandon’s Story” PSA. After greetings from adult attendees at an Alcoholics
Anonymous meeting, he adds, “I’ll start drinking with the older kids and whatever they
do, I’ll do.”
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A young girl is features in “Emily’s Story,”
another new PSA to build awareness about underage
drinking. Visit www.stopalcohol
abuse.gov. |
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In “Emily’s Story,” a young girl says she’ll be an alcoholic in 7 years. “I’ll
start drinking in eighth grade, but my parents won’t really notice, ’cuz I’ll
do okay in school and everything will seem okay,” she begins. She pauses before saying, “But
everything won’t be okay.”
The new PSAs continue the national campaign launched in fall 2005. The campaign’s objective
is to help reduce or delay the onset of underage drinking. Specifically, the campaign targets parents
of children age 11 to 15. Parents are encouraged to talk with their children early and often about
alcohol, especially before they start drinking.
As Brandon says in one ad, “I know it will start with alcohol. I’m just not sure how
it’s going to end.” Each of the ads, however, closes with the reminder that children
who begin drinking at an early age are more likely to develop alcohol problems later in life.
SAMHSA’s PSAs respond to underage drinkers and parents with one question: “Why take the risk?”
For more information on the campaign, or to view these PSAs, visit www.stopalcoholabuse.gov. 
« See Also—Surgeon General Issues Call to Action
See Also—Stop Underage Drinking
See Also—Reach Out Now Educates Teachers, Students »
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