Press Release

Underage Drinking and Violence

Leslie Strawn, Prevention Specialist ASPEN

Throughout our lives we are all faced with challenges and choices. For teenagers, one of the hardest choices to make is deciding what to do when approached with drinking. With the media portraying drinking as a “right of passage” or “the cool thing to do” we need to be conscious of the consequences that can come with underage drinking if we do not educate teens on the issues and responsibilities of alcohol use.

Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug among youth and can lead to violence against others and violence towards themselves. Adolescents, age 12 to 17, who use alcohol, are more likely to report behavioral problems, especially aggressiveness, delinquent, and criminal behaviors, according to the findings of a new study released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

According to the Healthy Youth Survey in Washington, more than 1 in 4 eighth graders who report drinking in the past month also report carrying a weapon compared to 1 in 20 who did not drink. Students in grades 8, 10, and 12 who report recent alcohol use are more than twice as likely to have been in a physical fight in the past year, than those who do not drink.

Alcohol use can also intensify the ever present pressures in teen dating relationships. Dating violence can have serious effects such as emotional problems, physical injuries, and possible death. Women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest per capita rates of intimate violence, nearly 20 per 1000 women. (Bureau of Justice Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence, May 2000). Dating violence can take many forms; it may not always be physical violence. Emotional abuse may take the form of extreme jealousy, insults, put downs, threats, or attempts to control a person’s every move. Sexual abuse, which is classed as any kind of unwanted sexual advance or contact, including unwelcome kissing or sexual comments, is another form of dating violence.

There are several questions you can ask yourself to help decide if your son or daughter is in a violent relationship: Does he or she have unexplained injuries? Does he or she get frequent phone calls demanding his or her whereabouts at all times? Has he or she given up his or her favorite hobbies? Does he or she feel nervous or fearful around his or her partner? Has there been a sudden change in his or her appearance or style of clothing? If you answered “yes” more than once, it is important to address the issue of dating violence with your teen now.

So how do we help our teenagers avoid alcohol use and violent relationships? Be supportive, listen without judging, make a safety plan, learn about the issues you need to talk about, and be a good role model when it comes to alcohol use and violence. There are great websites and local resources available for parents and teens to learn more about dating violence: www.ndvh.org, www.ncvc.org and www.rainn.org. ASPEN is available here in Kittitas County 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Leslie has worked very closely with ASPEN for three years and is now a prevention specialist with ASPEN. She has lived in Ellensburg for five years.

The Kittitas County Community Network/Drug Free Communities Coalition and the Community Network agency, through a federal Drug Free Communities grant, are implementing the “Start Talking Before They Start Drinking” campaign as a community service for parents. For more information go to www.kccn-dfc.com.