“Alcohol remains the most heavily abused substance by America’s youth. We can no longer ignore what alcohol is doing to our children…Underage drinking is everybody’s problem and its solution is everyone’s responsibility.
—Acting Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H.
Research Shows Risks for Youth
“Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life. New research also indicates that alcohol may harm the developing adolescent brain. The availability of this research provides more reasons than ever before for parents and other adults to protect the health and safety of our Nation’s children.”
—Acting Surgeon General Moritsugu
The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a wakeup call to every American to join in solving the underage drinking problem. Parents and other caregivers, communities, governments—all sectors of society—are challenged to answer the call.
Millions of Youth Are at Risk
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 11 million underage youth have used alcohol in the past month. Nearly 7.2 million are considered binge drinkers, typically meaning they drank more than five drinks on occasion, and more than 2 million are classified as heavy drinkers.
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Results From the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings. NSDUH Series H–30. HHS Pub. No. SMA 06–4194. Rockville, MD: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, 2006.
This first-ever call to action against underage drinking is based on a broad body of scientific knowledge. It offers the latest facts and information about the scope of the problem, the consequences, and prevention approaches that have been shown to work. Most important, the report showcases the specific action steps necessary to achieve this overarching goal:
“Stop America’s 11 million underage youth who are already using alcohol and prevent other young people from starting.”
For parents and caregivers, a key step is reflected in this prevention campaign message: “Start talking before they start drinking.” Video vignettes with examples of good conversations are also available on the Family Guide.
Other action steps include:
Partner with other parents in your child’s network to ensure that parties and other social events do not allow underage alcohol consumption, much less facilitate its use or focus on it.
Persuade people in your community that underage use of alcohol is not an acceptable rite of passage but a serious threat to adolescent development and health. Indeed, as the call to action proclaims, “Underage alcohol use is not inevitable, and parents and society are not helpless to prevent it.”
Work with others in your community to develop a broad commitment to stopping and preventing underage drinking. Alcohol use is not a parental problem alone, but a community problem that requires a collaborative effort to solve.
Know the basic facts about underage alcohol use and its consequences. Armed with this knowledge, you will feel more confident when talking with children about alcohol.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism collaborated in producing the call to action and are promoting its six goals and many strategies for addressing underage drinking. (For a fact sheet on the call to action and its goals, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/about.html.
To order this call to action, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1–800–729–6686 or visit online.
The resources listed below link to much information and many materials on how parents and other caregivers can take steps to prevent underage drinking. Heed the call to action by talking with your child about underage drinking and signing a Family Alcohol Contract. Share the contract with your neighbors and friends. Together, we can all work to ensure a safe future for our Nation’s children and adolescents.
