Alcohol-free block parties are being planned. Social networking pages are filling up with tweets and posts about alcohol abuse and prevention, and local police stations and community organizers are hosting family information nights. Why? Because April is the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.’ (NCADD) Alcohol Awareness Month. And CADCA coalitions nationwide are joining NCADD affiliates, schools, colleges, churches, and countless community organizations in sponsoring events that increase public awareness and educate people about the treatment and prevention of alcoholism.
With this year’s theme “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow,” NCADD specifically highlights underage drinking, a public health issue directly associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex and other problem behaviors. Annually, over 6,500 people under the age of 21 die from alcohol-related accidents and thousands more are injured. Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for America’s young people and is more likely to kill them than all illegal drugs combined. So reducing underage drinking is critical to securing a healthy future for America’s youth.
But excessive drinking affects all Americans, whether or not they drink. Alcohol problems cost the United States $224 billion in 2006, primarily from lost productivity, but also from health care and property damage costs.
CADCA has developed several resources to help you educate your community about the dangers of excessive and underage drinking and regulating alcohol outlet density.
They include the following:
• College and Drinking: A Risky Curriculum Discussion Guide provides facts about college and drinking, questions, quotes and reflections to stimulate discussion.
• Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies that decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density in a given geographic area.
• Videos on Reducing Underage and Excessive Drinking.
Also, here are some NCADD-suggested Alcohol Awareness Month ideas to raise community awareness about alcohol use while encouraging people to make healthy and safe choices:
But excessive drinking affects all Americans, whether or not they drink. Alcohol problems cost the United States $224 billion in 2006, primarily from lost productivity, but also from health care and property damage costs.
CADCA has developed several resources to help you educate your community about the dangers of excessive and underage drinking and regulating alcohol outlet density.
They include the following:
• College and Drinking: A Risky Curriculum Discussion Guide provides facts about college and drinking, questions, quotes and reflections to stimulate discussion.
• Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies that decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density in a given geographic area.
• Videos on Reducing Underage and Excessive Drinking.
Also, here are some NCADD-suggested Alcohol Awareness Month ideas to raise community awareness about alcohol use while encouraging people to make healthy and safe choices:
- Organize a “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow” 5k walk/run.
- Recognize, publicly, young people and community members who lead drug-free lifestyles.
- Partner with local businesses for alcohol-free youth events or promotions.
- Hold a community town hall meeting on underage drinking.
- Organize an Alcohol Awareness parade or rally.
- Plan an Alcohol Awareness Month luncheon at a local hospital with guest speakers from the health community.
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