Press Release

Chocolate Treats Promote Underage Drinking Prevention

By Dawn Cleave, Kittitas County Community Network Board Chair

What does chocolate have to do with underage drinking prevention? During the month of October, coffee shops throughout Kittitas County will distribute chocolate coins on top of each drink served. These coins carry the message, “The cost of underage drinking is your child’s brain, start talking before they start drinking.”

Underage drinking has long been considered a rite of passage, or just something that kids do. However, the United States Surgeon General has requested a call to action due to the latest research on brain development and trends in drinking behavior in young people. Underage drinking is not a harmless coming-of-age pastime.

A new campaign in Kittitas County seeks to provide parents with thought provoking information, as well as practical tools for improving communication and involvement with their kids. The year-long, “Start Talking Before They Start Drinking” campaign will emphasize “bite sized” strategies that parents can use to prevent underage drinking. The first phase of the campaign will begin in October, and provide parents with information about the latest research related to adolescent brain development and the effects of alcohol on the developing brain.

We know that many kids start drinking in middle school. In Kittitas County, one out of five 8^th graders report drinking alcohol regularly (Healthy Youth Survey 2006). Also, research published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse finds that more kids use alcohol than use tobacco or illicit drugs, and more children are killed by alcohol than all illegal drugs combined.

Current research shows that children who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to develop alcohol problems, than those who start after age 21. The chances of becoming dependent on alcohol decreases by 14% for each year of delay in the onset of alcohol use.

Why does this campaign target parents? We know that parents are the #1 influence on their child’s decision to use or abstain from alcohol and drugs. We also know that children who report a close and supportive relationship with their parents have a much greater chance of success in life, and are less likely to use alcohol and drugs. Supporting parents by providing helpful and relevant tools for making parenting easier and more effective, is an excellent way to strengthen our community and strengthen kids.

Educating parents about underage drinking and strengthening parenting skills are strategies in the county-wide collaborative plan to prevent substance abuse. Other prioritized strategies in the plan for preventing substance abuse in Kittitas County included strengthening prevention and enforcement in schools, strengthening youth pro social involvement, strengthening and enforcing laws and policies that address underage and adult drinking and substance use, and involving the community in addressing methamphetamine use.

The “Start Talking” campaign is one part of a comprehensive and collaborative effort by schools, law enforcement, community groups, concerned citizens, youth, and parents to decrease underage drinking. This “Start Talking” column will appear weekly and will feature information on underage drinking prevention from people you know in your community.

The Kittitas County Community Network and the Network Board, through a federal Drug Free Communities grant, will be implementing this campaign over the next year. For more information on the “Start Talking Before They Start Drinking” campaign, go to www.kccn-dfc.com.