Underage Drinking Prevention

Sponsor Organization: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Campaign Website: www.stopalcoholabuse.gov
Volunteer Agency: Kaplan Thaler Group

Underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than all other illegal drugs combined.*  Kids are also beginning to abuse alcohol ealier than you might think:  Nearly 20% of eighth graders have reported being drunk, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

These young people are not only putting themselves in danger now, they are also affecting their futures.  Research shows that children who first use alcohol before age 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol problems than those who start drinking after 21.

Despite the prevalence of underage drinking, and the potential consequences, research shows that parents generally underestimate the extent to which their teen children use alcohol and even consider it inevitable.  

The campaign launched in November 2005 and seeks to raise awareness and encourage parents to talk to their children early and often about the dangers of underage drinking. 

The PSAs direct parents to visit a new website, www.stopalcoholabuse.gov, or call 1-800-729-6686 to learn more about the consequences of underage drinking and for tips on talking with their kids about alcohol. 

*NIAAA and NIH, Alcohol Alert, 59; April 2003