April is National Alcohol Awareness Month

National Alcohol Awareness Month is an opportunity to refresh your knowledge and increase public awareness of alcohol misuse, underage drinking, and alcohol-related harms. While alcohol remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, there is hope - alcohol use among Washington teens has decreased 33 percent over the past 20 years!  According to the 2023 Health Youth Survey, 91 percent of 10th graders in Washington don't drink. As a prevention professional, you play a major role in reducing and preventing underage drinking in your community. Together, let's continue to work toward increasing the number of Washington teens that don't drink.

In honor of Alcohol Awareness Month, check out these resources: 

• Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) launched an alcohol awareness toolkit to raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of strong alcohol policies and encourage engagement from prevention and public health stakeholders to strategically education and inform decision makers about effective alcohol policies. Access the toolkit for a variety of resources, including social media templates, engagement materials, a policy analysis worksheet, and more!
• Alcohol's effects on health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) - Find science-based information on the effects of alcohol on health. 
• Facts about teen drinking, NIAAA - Designed for teens, this website contains in-depth information about how alcohol affects health, how to identify signs of an alcohol problem, and how to get help.
• Kahoot! underage drinking quiz - This quiz can be taken at home or in the classroom to help teens gain a better understanding of underage drinking. Topics covered in the quiz are negative health consequences associated with drinking, signs of an alcohol problem, and how to find support.