Efforts To Stop Underage Drinking
Reducing Demand
Part 2
 The
meeting also launched a national public awareness campaign
developed by SAMHSA in partnership with the Ad Council,
a national, non-profit organization that marshals volunteer
talent from the advertising and communications industries.
The campaign, which consists of public service announcements (PSAs)
for television and radio, print and Internet advertisements, and
a guide for parents, is a key step toward reducing the demand for
and availability of alcohol among those under age 21.
The campaign features middle-schoolers participating in Alcoholics
Anonymous meetings. "My name is David," the boy in one
public service announcement says to a roomful of adults, who chorus
back, "Hello, David."
"And in 8 years," David continues, "I'll be an
alcoholic."
The goal of the materials is to get parents to start talking with
their 11- to 15-year-olds about the dangers and consequences of
alcohol use before they start drinking.
"We want to send a wake-up call to parents that any use of
alcohol for teens involves risk, not just binge drinking or drinking
and driving," explained Mr. Curie. "Parents of children
and teens must recognize the importance of talking to their children
early and often about alcohol, especially before they've started
drinking."
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Increasing Scientific Understanding
NIAAA and other ICCPUD members are also making progress related
to the objective of using research, evaluation, and surveillance
to improve the effectiveness of prevention policies and programs.
"NIAAA's underage drinking initiative provides the scientific
foundation for ICCPUD," said NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D.
The recent publication of a special issue of NIAAA's journal,
Alcohol and Development in Youth: A Multidisciplinary Overview,
is just one example. A product of the NIAAA Interdisciplinary Team
on Underage Drinking Research, the issue is a first step in NIAAA's
efforts to bring the developmental perspective to bear upon the
problem of underage drinking. The issue reviews and evaluates the
latest research findings across the spectrum of topics related to
alcohol consumption among youth. Another publication, planned for
the spring, will focus on alcohol use within a developmental framework.
For more information, visit www.stopalcoholabuse.gov. 
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Stop Underage Drinking Resources
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www.stopalcoholabuse.gov.
ICCPUD's Web site offers parents, educators, community-
and faith-based organizations, young people, law enforcement,
prevention specialists, and others convenient access to
comprehensive Government-approved information on underage
drinking.
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www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/underage_drinking.
"Start Talking Before They Start Drinking."
To view ads from this public awareness campaign, visit
the Ad Council's Web site.
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http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh283/
toc28-3.htm. Alcohol and Development
in Youth: A Multidisciplinary Overview. This special
issue of Alcohol Research & Health: The Journal
of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
Vol. 28, No. 3, 2004/2005, is available online.
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Efforts To Stop Underage Drinking
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