Underage drinking prevention
Announcements
- New alcohol prevention resource available! (08/03/23)
- Funding Announcement - Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP Act) (01/17/23)
- 2021 Monitoring the Future Survey outcomes released (09/01/22)
- Getting Candid toolkit aids (03/14/22)
- NEW! Underage Drinking Prevention Resources by SAMHSA (05/06/21)
Addressing underage drinking is a state priority.
- Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are at a higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) later in life (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
- Underage drinking is a significant public health problem in the U.S. Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 3,900 deaths and 225,000 years of potential life lost among people under age 21 each year. (CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Healthy Schools).
Alcohol consumption by youth in Washington State:
- One in ten 10th grade students report using alcohol in the past 30 days (Healthy Youth Survey, 2018).
- One in six 10th and 12th grade students reported riding in a car in the past month with a driver who had been drinking (Healthy Youth Survey 2018).
Prevention strategies are being implemented throughout the state at local, county, and state levels, across the Continuum of Care that influence multiple domains and risk and protective factors. Here is a list of some state-wide initiatives focused specifically on underage drinking:
- Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) supports 82 Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI) communities across the state – most have a focus on underage drinking prevention.
- DBHR supported two statewide media campaigns with underage drinking prevention messaging: Out of the Picture, Looks Can Deceive and Rethinking College Drinking.
- Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board - Alcohol Education; Cannabis Education
- Washington Healthy Youth Coalition – a partnership of Washington State government agencies and organization with the mission to prevent and reduce youth alcohol and marijuana use.
- Out of the Picture – DBHR underage drinking prevention media campaign for teens partner toolkit.
- Looks Can Deceive – DBHR underage drinking prevention media campaign for parents partner toolkit.
- Rethinking College Drinking - DBHR underage drinking prevention media campaign for college students. Toolkit password: HealthyinCollegeWA
- DBHR’s Washington's Best Practices for Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Guide
- Start Talking Now - website for parents supported by the Washington Healthy Youth Coalition
- Not A Moment Wasted - website for college students supported in partnership by the Washington State Health Care Authority and Department of Health.
- University of Washington Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute
- Partnership for Drug Free Kids
- Underage Drinking – “Talk. They Hear You” Campaign from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Alcohol Fact Sheet (August 2022) - National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD)
- Fact Sheets – Underage Drinking - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- NIAAA Spectrum (Fall 2022) – Advances in Understanding and Addressing Underage Drinking
Martha Williams
Prevention System Manager
Martha.Williams@hca.wa.gov
