Visit the
Teacher Pages on www.samhsa.gov website. The Resource guide is called “Reach
Out Now” and identifies the six actions parents and caregivers can take to
help children make wise decisions about alcohol use. The six actions are:
- Establish and
maintain good communication with your child
- Get involved, and
stay involved in your child’s life
- Make clear rules and
enforce them with consistency and appropriate consequences
- Be a positive role
model
- Teach your child to
choose friends wisely
- Monitor your child’s
activities
Remember the good news,
most youth do not drink alcohol, delaying onset is a key factor and it
works! You can make a difference.
CSAP (Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention) Western Center for the Application of Prevention
Technologies (Western CAPT) has published the following information
Resources for Underage Drinking Issues
By Jack Wilson, MBA, CPP
Edited by Kris Gabrielsen, MPH, CPS
Underage drinking is a
complex problem that has concerned our society for generations. Alcohol is
the drug of choice for many youth. It is a leading contributor to injury and
death, and is the main cause of death for people under age 21 [1]. It
continues to be an important prevention issue for our society. This issue of
the Tip of the CAPT is dedicated to providing helpful resources on this
issue for schools, parents, youth , and prevention professionals.
Start Talking Before They Start Drinking
www.stopalcoholabuse.gov
StopAlcoholAbuse.gov is a comprehensive portal of Federal resources for
information on underage drinking and ideas for combating this issue. People
interested in underage drinking prevention-including parents, educators,
community-based organizations, and youth-will find a wealth of valuable
information here.
Alcohol and Development in Youth—Multidisciplinary Overview
www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publication/arh283/toc28-3.htm
The resource covers a broad scope of issues. It is rather technical in
nature and includes information on
- The Scope of the
Problem
- Developmental Issues
in Underage Drinking Research
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2004/2005). Alcohol
and development in youth: A multidisciplinary overview. Alcohol Research &
Health, 38(3). Retrieved February 3, 2006 from
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh283/toc28-3.htm
- The Effects of Alcohol on Physiological Processes and Biological
Development
- Genetics, Pharmacokinetics, and Neurobiology and Adolescent Alcohol Use
- Psychosocial Processes and Mechanisms of Risk and Protection
- Environmental and Contextual Considerations
- Interventions for Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorders in Youth
Reach Out Now
http://teachin.samhsa.gov
Teach Out Now is a collaboration by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and Scholastic Inc. to provide school-based, underage alcohol use
prevention materials in time for Alcohol Awareness Month each April. Reach
Out Now Teach-Ins are an opportunity for prominent national, youth, State,
and local leaders-using a research-based curriculum and other resources to
teach fifth and sixth graders, parents, teachers, and the community about
the dangers of underage alcohol use and encourage young people to make
healthy decisions.
The Cool Spot
http://thecoolspot.gov
Focused on middle-school aged students, this site provides information on
alcohol, peer pressure, the right to resist, and “Real Life.” It is
colorful, age appropriate, and good place for youth to get information.
Too Smart to Start
http://toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov
An underage alcohol use prevention initiative for parents, caregivers,
and their 9-to-13 year-old children. Sections are broken out for youth,
parents, communities, and partners (other organizations and sites addressing
the underage drinking issue).
College Drinking - Changing the Culture
www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov
This is a one-stop resource for comprehensive research-based information
on issues related to alcohol abuse and binge drinking (defined as drinking
five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., within a few hours) on at
least 1day in the past 30 days) among college students. It is broken into
section on Stats & Summaries, NIAAA College Materials, Supporting Research ,
and Other Alcohol Information. There is information in this site for college
students, college parents, faculty, high school administrators, and high
school students and their parents. http://store.health.org/catalog/facts.aspx?topic=159&h=issues
High Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence
Prevention
www.edc.org/hec
This is the US Department of Education’s website that provides
publications, information and assistance, training, and evaluation on
alcohol and other drug abuse and violence prevention.
For more information, visit:
http://captus.samhsa.gov
Or call (888)734-7476 Funded by the US Department of Health and Human
Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM (NIAAA) ALCOHOL
ALERT: WHY DO ADOLESCENTS DRINK, WHAT ARE THE RISKS, AND HOW CAN UNDERAGE
DRINKING BE PREVENTED?
NIAAA Alcohol Alerts are quarterly bulletins that disseminates important
research findings on a single aspect of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. This
January 2006 bulletin presents a detailed overview of the subject of
underage alcohol use and includes recommended prevention strategies and a
selection of promising prevention programs.
Why do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage
Drinking Be Prevented?
Today, alcohol is widely available and aggressively promoted throughout
society. And alcohol use continues to be regarded, by many people, as a
normal part of growing up. Yet underage drinking is dangerous, not only for
the drinker but for society, as evident by the number of alcohol-involved
motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, and other injuries.
People who begin drinking early in life run the risk of developing
serious alcohol problems, including alcoholism, later in life. They also are
at greater risk for variety of adverse consequences, including risky sexual
activity and poor performance in school.
Identifying adolescents at greatest risk can help stop problems before
they develop. And innovative, comprehensive approaches to prevention, such a
Project Northland, are showing success in reducing experimentation with
alcohol as well as the problems that accompany alcohol use by young people.
The document is available in both html and PDF (for printing) formats:
Click Here: HTML Format
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