New Action Guide For Reducing Alcohol Outlet Density

A new publication released by CADCA in cooperation with the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) describes evidence-based community prevention strategies that have been shown to decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density.

"Strategizer 55 - Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide" provides public health departments, community coalitions and other organizations with information and tools for community action designed to regulate and limit the number of places that serve and sell alcohol.

"Excessive alcohol use is a major public health concern and limiting the physical availability of alcohol is one of the most effective ways to reduce excessive drinking and its many health and social problems," said David Jernigan, PhD, the CAMY director and associate professor at the Bloomberg School's Department of Health, Behavior and Society. "This action guide shows how people can transform their community so that excessive drinking is the exception, not the rule."

Jernigan points out that:

• Higher concentrations of alcohol outlets in an area are associated with increased alcohol consumption and related harms, such as sexual assault, alcohol-impaired driving, violence, and other neighborhood disruptions.
• Excessive drinking causes approximately 79,000 deaths per year in the U.S., making it the third-leading cause of preventable death in the nation.
• Underage youth who binge drink are at additional risk of poor school performance and interrupted brain development.

Click here to download the new guide.