This April is Alcohol Awareness Month. It was founded in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependences, Inc. (NCADD).
The month is dedicated to reducing the stigma surrounding alcoholism and to provide information on alcohol, alcoholism, and recovery.
The theme for this year is “Connecting the Dots: Opportunities for Recovery.” It is centered on the opportunities communities have to help prevent underage drinking.
Reducing underage drinking is critical to securing a healthy future for our youth.
After all, no other substance is more widely used and abused by youth than alcohol, making alcoholism and alcohol-related problems the number one public health problem in the United States.
Alcohol is very prevalent in our communities, in part because of its legality and also due to our Hispanic culture.
Children are often times exposed to drinking at an early age through family get-togethers, quinceaneras, and birthday parties. At many of these events alcohol is present.
Thus, youth who are present are taught at an early age that drinking is socially acceptable. According to the 2016 Texas School Survey (TSS), about half of the students surveyed between grades 7 and 12 reported having ever tried alcohol.
The same survey revealed that 4 out of 10 students thought it would be somewhat or very easy to get alcohol if they wanted some.
These attitudes will often times persist into later years in college.
The Texas Health and Human services Commission in 2015 found that alcohol is not only the most commonly used substance on many college campuses, but it also leads to consequences such as a higher risk of unplanned sex, unprotected sex, falling behind in schoolwork, missing classes, and issues with police.
While alcohol is leg al, it is important to teach children at an early age the consequences of it. After all, more than 4 in 10 people who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 develop alcoholism later in life.
Adolescence is a time of heightened risk-taking and as alcohol and drugs enter the picture, parents are faced with a unique set of challenges.
They can simply sit back and hope their kids will “get through it,” or they can take an active role in learning about alcohol and drugs and helping their kids do the same.
The Prevention Resource Center encourages parents to reach out and talk to their kids regarding the consequences and risks of consuming alcohol at an early age.
The Prevention Resource Center (PRC), a program of Behavioral Health Solutions of South Texas, serves as the central data collection repository for region 11 and the developer of a yearly Regional Needs Assessment (RNA), which is available to community members at no cost.
To find out more about the prevention work being conducted in your community download the latest Regional Needs Assessment at our website, www.prc11.org/data.
If you are interested in becoming a part of this project and would like to play a role in the 2017 Regional Needs Assessment process, please contact Irwin Mendoza, Regional Evaluator, at 787-7111 ext. 295, or Daniel Rodriguez, Program Coordinator
Elizabeth Urbina Prevention Specialist Behavioral Health Solutions of South Texas
