Update: A Year of “Reducing Underage Drinking”

A year after the National Academies of Science (NAS) Institute of Medicine released the seminal report “Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility” (on September 10, 2003), efforts are underway to implement the recommendations on both local and national levels, yet underage drinking is still a severe problem with no coordinated federal response.

While America is certainly more captivated by the memory of a different September anniversary, this one-year milestone is a good time to reflect on the status of underage drinking in our country. Some current efforts:

• In July, a bi-partisan group of U.S. senators and representatives introduced the “STOP Underage Drinking Act” in an attempt to advance many of the NAS's recommendations. The bill calls for improved enforcement of drinking laws, steps to reduce alcohol's availability to teens, and more resources for local community efforts. It also begins the process of developing an adult-oriented media campaign, and improves monitoring of the amount of alcohol advertising reaching youth. To learn more about the bill and take action go to: www.cspinet.org/booze/040726STOPAA.htm
  
• FACE, a national non-profit organization that supports sensible alcohol practices, is offering a public awareness and action tool that uses the NAS report as a roadmap to create local change. “A Fork in the Road” includes a CD-ROM with engaging PowerPoint presentations. Preview and order at www.faceproject.org or call 1-888-822-3223.
  
• The Center to Prevent Alcohol-Related Problems Among Young People was created earlier this year at the Boston University School of Public Health with a $10 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). One of the Center's research projects will explore why persons who begin drinking at younger ages are more likely to experience health problems as adults, while another will investigate the after-effects of binge drinking on college students' academic performance.
  
• The National Alliance to Prevent Underage Drinking is an ad hoc coalition of public health, law enforcement, religious, treatment and prevention, and other organizations whose goal is to “support and promote implementation of a comprehensive science-based national strategy to reduce underage drinking” as set forth in the NAS report. The National Alliance will serve as a catalyst for underage drinking prevention advocacy, and monitor the effectiveness of federal efforts to address the issue. National organizations interested in joining can contact Kim Hennemeyer at kimh@cspinet.org