Underage drinking prevention

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, 2024).
• Underage drinking is a significant public health problem in the U.S. Excessive drinking is responsible for about 4,000 deaths and more than 220,000 years of potential life lost among people under age 21 each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024).

Alcohol consumption by youth in Washington State:

• About 1 in 11 10th grade students report using alcohol in the past 30 days (Healthy Youth Survey, 2023).
• Since 2010, current alcohol use has decreased more than 18 percent among 10th graders and nearly 22 percent among 12th graders (Healthy Youth Survey, 2023).

What is Washington doing to prevent underage drinking?

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. Statewide initiatives that focus specifically on underage drinking include:

• Health Care Authority’s Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) supports nearly 100 Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI) communities across the state.
• DBHR supports three statewide media campaigns with underage drinking prevention messaging: Focus On (teen audience), Not a Moment Wasted (young adult audience), and Start Talking Now (parent/caregiver audience).
• Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board’s Alcohol Education
• Washington Healthy Youth (WHY) Coalition, a partnership of state government agencies, organizations, and prevention professionals with the mission to prevent and reduce underage alcohol and cannabis use.

Media campaigns

DBHR supports three statewide media campaigns with underage drinking prevention messaging:

• Focus On – DBHR’s underage drinking prevention media campaign for teens.
• Not a Moment Wasted – DBHR and Washington State Department of Health's (DOH) underage alcohol and cannabis use prevention media campaign for young adults, ages 18-20.
• Start Talking Now – DBHR and DOH’s underage alcohol and cannabis use prevention media campaign for parents and caregivers, supported by the WHY Coalition Communications Team.

To learn more about the campaigns and access partner toolkits, please view the statewide campaigns list on the communications strategies page.

Resources

Explore these resources to learn more about underage drinking prevention:

• Washington's Best Practices for Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Guide – Access information and tools created for prevention coalitions, community-based organizations, schools, tribes, and other prevention partners to support local prevention efforts.
• Washington State Healthy Youth Survey – Explore recent survey data provided by Washington youth about their wellbeing, behaviors, attitudes, community and school experiences, and more!
• The Start Talking Now campaign website – Provides information and resources to parents and caregivers to support underage alcohol and cannabis use prevention.
• The Not A Moment Wasted campaign website – Provides information and resources to young adults to support healthy lifestyles and choices.
• University of Washington Drug & Alcohol Institute
• Partnership to End Addiction (previously Partnership for Drug Free Kids)
• “Talk. They Hear You," a national youth substance use prevention campaign from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• The Landscape of Alcohol Use in the U.S. (August 2022), a fact sheet created by the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) underage drinking webpage
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) underage drinking webpage

Community library

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Who can I contact for more information about underage drinking prevention?

Kendra Wilson
Prevention System Manager
Kendra.Wilson@hca.wa.gov