The Truth Is campaign aims to reduce teen alcohol abuse among high school students by correcting misperceptions and promoting positive social norms regarding alcohol use.

Social norms are behaviors, thoughts, or feelings shared by most people in a given group (over 50%). When teens are influenced by positive social norms, they make healthy choices and become a positive influence on others. For example, most teens think it’s common for their peers to use alcohol, but surveys show most youth never or rarely drink.

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Get in touch with Youth First staff for more information about this program.

Laura Wathen, Director of Programs

Underage Drinking

Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth, and drinking by young people poses enormous health and safety risks.

By age 15, about 33 percent of teens have had at least 1 drink.
By age 18, about 60 percent of teens have had at least 1 drink.
In 2015, 7.7 million young people ages 12-20 reported that they drank alcohol beyond “just a few sips” in the past month.

Prevention

Preventing underage drinking is a complex challenge. Any successful approach must consider many factors including genetics, personality, rate of maturation and development, level of risk, social factors, and environmental factors.

The good news is several of the following approaches have been found to be successful.

Interventions for Underage Alcohol Use

Environmental Interventions

This approach makes alcohol harder to get, for example, by raising the price of alcohol and keeping the minimum drinking age at 21. Enacting zero-tolerance laws that outlaw driving after any amount of drinking for people under 21 also can help prevent problems.

Individual-level Interventions

This approach seeks to change the way young people think about alcohol so they are better able to resist pressures to drink.

School-based Interventions

These are programs that provide students with the knowledge, skills, motivation, and opportunities they need to remain alcohol free.

Family-based Interventions

These are efforts to empower parents to set and enforce clear rules against drinking, as well as improve communication between children and parents about alcohol.

The Role Parents Play

Parents and teachers can play a big role in shaping young people’s attitudes toward drinking. Parents in particular can have either a positive or negative influence.

Parents can help their children avoid alcohol problems by:

Talking about the dangers of drinking
Drinking responsibly, if they choose to drink
Serving as positive role models in general
Not making alcohol available
Getting to know their children’s friends
Having regular conversations about life in general
Connecting with other parents about sending clear messages about the importance of not drinking alcohol
Supervising all parties to make sure there is no alcohol
Encouraging kids to participate in healthy and fun activities that do not involve alcohol

Research shows that children whose parents are actively involved with their lives are less likely to drink alcohol.

On the other hand, research shows that a child with a parent who binge drinks is much more likely to binge drink than a child whose parents do not binge drink.

Warning Signs

Adolescence is a time of change and growth, including behavior changes. These changes usually are a normal part of growing up but sometimes can point to an alcohol problem. Parents and teachers should pay close attention to the following warning signs that may indicate underage drinking:

Changes in mood, including anger and irritability
Academic and/or behavioral problems in school
Rebelliousness
Changing groups of friends
Low energy level
Less interest in activities and/or care in appearance
Finding alcohol among a young person’s things
Smelling alcohol on a young person’s breath
Problems concentrating and/or remembering
Slurred speech
Coordination problems

Treating the Problem

Screening young people for alcohol use and alcohol use disorder is very important and may avoid problems down the road. Screening by a health practitioner (e.g., pediatrician) provides an opportunity to identify problems early and address them before they escalate. It also allows young people to ask questions of a knowledgeable adult. NIAAA and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend that all youth be regularly screened for alcohol use.

Some young people can experience serious problems as a result of drinking, including alcohol use disorder, which require intervention by trained professionals. Professional treatment options include:

Seeing a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other trained professional
Participating in outpatient or inpatient treatment at a substance abuse treatment facility or other licensed program.