April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Every April the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc (NCADD) look at important issues in regards to underage drinking, and this year’s theme, “For the Health of it: Early Education on Alcoholism and  Addiction,”  is designed to look at the impact that alcohol abuse and addiction have on young people and their families.
So to get started let’s look at some of the data on underage drinking. According to the 2014 YRBS data of the high students in Winnebago County:

• 16.1% of students said that rode in a car or other vehicle that was driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol during the last 30 days

• 59% of students have had at least one drink in their lifetime and 29.7% of students said they had a drink within the past 30 days.

• 16.8% of students had their first drink before the age of 13

• 17.2% of students have binged drank (had 5 drinks of alcohol or more in row within a couple of hours) during the past 30 days

• 40.3% neither approve nor disapprove of binge drinking

Underage drinking can put youth at a significantly greater risk for consequences in life including sexual assault, lack of academic achievement, social problems, motor vehicle accidents, and even death. In a study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it was found that more than 97,000 college students were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rate. In this same study, 25% of the students had reported academic problems that related to drinking. 150,000 college students reported an alcohol-related injury, and 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries each year.

So what can you do?

Talk about alcohol and other substance abuse issues with teens. If you don’t know how to get the conversation started check out this: Talking with Children

Research know the signs and symptoms of alcohol or substance abuse

Get Help If you know someone who is ready for help there is a list of local providers here: bit.ly/reTHINKLocalResources 

And remember, addiction can happen to anyone.