In The News

Rhode Island, Connecticut Billboard Messages Target Underage Drinking
Originally printed in The Westerly Sun
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

NEW CAMPAIGN IN WESTERLY - The Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force launched its underage drinking awareness media campaign last year in an effort to spotlight the problem of teen drinking in the community.

The media campaign includes newspaper ads, Webbased advertising, two cable TV public service commercials, and outdoor advertising including the latest billboard - a compelling message to parents about how easy it is for teens to get their hands on alcohol - in Dunn's Corners.

The new billboard, dubbed "Four Ways" encourages parents and others to stop providing alcohol to teens, according to a press release issued by the organization. "It's an important message we're sending," said Task Force Coordinator Mary Lou Serra.

In addition to the new billboard and latest TV commercial, the task force has revamped and updated its Web site. The site, www.westerlysatf.org, includes resources for parents, caregivers and teens regarding prevention, intervention and treatment. It also provides new interactive multimedia, the latest local and national news on underage drinking, links to reports, statistics and surveys and a feature where site visitors can anonymously (or not) "Ask the Police Officer" for help or advice, with a similar "Ask the Doc" coming soon. The task force awareness program is aimed at confronting the dangers of underage drinking as described through myriad statistics.

• The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports alcohol is the number one youth drug problem in America and more young people die from alcohol related incidents than from all other illicit drugs combined.
  
  
• A2005 online teen survey found that teens reported their parents are the number one providers.
  
  
• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic crashes are the number one killer of teens, and 28 percent of fatal traffic crashes involving teen drivers are alcohol related.
  
  
• Pediatric research reports that among drinkers, those who had their first drink before the age of 13 were twice as likely to have unplanned sex, and more than twice as likely to have unprotected sex.
  
  
• Kids and their developing brains handle alcohol differently; with teens, alcohol negatively affects all parts of the brain, including coordination, emotional control, thinking, decisionmaking, speech and memory.
  
  
• Teen drinkers are at greater risk for developing alcoholism at some point in their lives.
  
  
• And finally, it is simply against the law.

The prevention task force media campaign is just one of several projects supported by a federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant awarded to the task force: police party patrols; alcohol sales and service compliance checks; educational programs for middle school students; and parent forums.

The task force wrote, advocated for and ultimately saw the passage of its municipal Social Host Liability ordinance, which holds those who host underage drinking parties be charged with a violation.

The task force campaign is focusing on facts such as, teen drinkers are at greater risk for developing alcoholism at some point in their lives.