COUNTY News:
April is Underage Drinking Prevention month and April 21 is highlighted as a reminder to parents to talk with their kids about alcohol.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, young people who drink are:
- More likely to be victims of crime, to be in accidents, and to struggle in school;
- More likely to be sexually active; and
- Four times more likely to become dependent on alcohol.
Despite the data on the effects of early alcohol use, many parents still believe drinking in the home is a safe alternative. According to the 2015 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, 30 percent of Los Alamos High School students who chose to drink alcohol reported drinking in their own home and 48 percent reported drinking in another person’s home. Research shows that adults can make a difference and that parents have a significant impact on whether a child chooses to use alcohol in the first place.
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility’s #TalkEarly campaign was created to empower parents to be confident about their own decisions regarding alcohol use; to model healthy, balanced behaviors; and to start talking with their kids about alcohol from an early age. Their website includes infographics, activities, videos, and helpful tips for how to start a family conversation.
https://www.responsibility.org/start-a-conversation/responsibility-kids/talk-early/
This April, members of the Los Alamos County DWI Planning Council are participating in the Sticker Shock campaign to remind community members that providing alcohol to minors is illegal and could have short and long term harmful effects on our community’s youth.
Watch for an ad at the Reel Deal Theater created by LAHS’s Film Class, which is taught by Libbi Lovejoy.
The DWI Planning Council invites all community members to join us in our efforts to protect our youth from the consequences of underage drinking.
For more information about the DWI Planning Council, contact Coordinator Kim Gabaldon at kim.gabaldon@lacnm.us or 505.662.8068.
For more information about the LAPS Healthy Schools Initiative, contact Kristine Coblentz at k.coblentz@laschools.net or 505.663.2263.
