In our culture, alcohol is the most socially accepted substance as well as the most abused. Legally, one must be over age 21 to drink, but we all know that most teenagers are no strangers to alcohol. Some parents may breathe a sigh of relief upon learning that their child is “only” using alcohol. At least he’s not taking drugs, they often think …x
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    But alcohol is a drug. In fact, alcohol is the most commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the world. Alcohol can impair judgment and provoke risky and violent behavior. An intoxicated teenager (or driver of any age) behind the wheel of a car is a lethal weapon. Researchers have also associated drinking with early sexual intercourse as well as the resulting unintended teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. When alcohol is consumed in combination with other drugs the results can be even more devastating.x
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   ALOUD was formed in Dallas to reduce underage drinking after a large group of high school students were arrested at a Deep Ellum warehouse beer party in 1999.x
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   The coalition includes representation from youth, law enforcement, business, faith-based, education, social service, and other community organizations. Work groups are currently tackling issues such as public awareness about underage drinking risks and consistent enforcement of zero tolerance laws.x
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x  ALOUD has established partnerships with statewide underage drinking coalitions including the Alliance Against Underage Drinking and Texans Standing Tall.
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x  ALOUD represents a community coalition effort that is based on the premise that local people are in the best position to solve specific local problems. People are more likely to support what they help create, and change is most likely to occur when the process engages many facets of a community in a collaborative approach.x
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x  What many have viewed for so long as a harmless right of passage is actually a physical assault on a child’s neurological system and potential. Working together, we can nurture social and environmental changes to make the metroplex a safer and healthier place, brightening the future of our youth.

Contact:
   Hollie Higgins
   hhiggins@gdcada.org
   214.522.4999, ext. 238

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Fact Sheets

• Characteristics of Underage Drinking
• Consequences of Underage Drinking
• Alcohol Advertising and Promotion

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Resources

Some of the following resources are available as a PDF document, which requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Download Reader

• Adolescent Substance Abuse: A Public Health Priority
  (Oct. 2002, Join Together)
       Adolescent substance abuse is a major national public health problem. In November, 2001, Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP) convened a meeting to identify and present the latest data on its prevalence, prevention, treatment, and the juvenile justice system. This report, structured as a public health strategy planning report similar to Healthy People 2000 and Healthy People 2010, is an outgrowth of that meeting. It is organized into initiatives, within which PLNDP has identified policy recommendations and priorities for further research.
  view html version   |    view as .pdf file (6.8 MB)
  
  
• Parents’ Guide to Teenage Parties
  (1998, Wisconsin Clearinghouse)
       Planning guide for parents hosting teen parties, suggestions for parents whose children are attending parties, a model contract to make sure that everyone gets home safely, information about laws restricting alcohol and other drug use, tempting recipes for nonalcoholic punches, and ideas for lively party themes and activities.
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• Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges
  (April 2002, National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse & Addiction)
       Provides specific science-based recommendations for effective prevention on college campuses.
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• Keep Kids Alcohol Free: Strategies For Action
  (Jan. 2000, Leadership To Keep Kids Alcohol Free)
       Describes three basic strategies for preventing alcohol use by children ages 9–15 and ways these strategies can be applied in the home, the school, and the community. It has been designed as a starting point for parents, teachers, health professionals, law enforcement personnel, alcohol retailers, policy makers, and others who want to take action against early alcohol use.
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• Youth and Underage Drinking: An Overview
  (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)
       Young people begin to take risks and experiment as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Without support and guidance, some young people may engage in behaviors that place them and others at risk – including using alcohol. The web page provides highlights from SAMHSA’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
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