Utahs Strategy to Eliminate Drunk Driving: By Eliminating Underage Drinking

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Utahs Strategy to Eliminate Drunk DrivingBy
Eliminating Underage Drinking

• Lifesaver Conference 2008
• Portland, Oregon

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Utahs Underage Drinking Facts

• In Utah, the average age of the first sip of
  alcohol is 12 years of age and the first regular
  use of alcohol is 14 years of age
• The intention to use all substances increases, as
  youth get older. Intention to use peaked in the
  12th grade, with 28.1 of 12th graders indicating
  intention to use alcohol. From 6th grade to 8th
  grade, intention to drink alcohol doubles (from
  10.1 in the 6th grade to 20.4 in the 8th grade)
• The substance that youth perceive as easiest to
  get is alcohol with 43.3 of all Utah youth
  having the perception that alcohol is easiest to
  get. 70.5 of 12-grade students perceive alcohol
  as easy to get

Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Survey
administered in the spring of 2005. The SHARP
Survey involved the surveying of Utah students
from each of the 13 Division of Substance Abuse
and Mental Health (DSAMH) Local Substance Abuse
Authority (LSAA) Regions and was conducted by
Bach Harrison L.L.C
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Facts You Should Know about Underage Drinkers

• Binge drinking begins in the six grade in Utah
  the beginning of DUIs
• Kids drink to get drunk
• Number of drinkers binge drinking days increase
  with age
• 18-20 year old drinkers have the highest level of
  alcohol dependence
• A 16-20 year old intoxicated male is the one of
  the most dangerous drivers
• Kids are at a much higher crash risk at every BAC
  level, especially the lower ones
• Most violent crashes come from 19/20 year olds
• 2x the arrest rate for DUIs vs the rest of the
  population

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Binge Drinking Days in a Month
Zero Tolerance - No Alcohol
Source U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. The Surgeon Generals Call to Action to
Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Office
of the Surgeon General, 2007.
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Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Survey
administered in the spring of 2007. The SHARP
Survey involved the surveying of Utah students
from each of the 13 Division of Substance Abuse
and Mental Health (DSAMH) Local Substance Abuse
Authority (LSAA) Regions and was conducted by
Bach Harrison L.L.C
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Utah Developed a Plan to Include Many Important
Partners

• There are people in your state already working on
  this problem. Theres not enough
  funding/resources from each of us alone to tackle
  underage drinking.
• With combined funding/resources we have the
  ability to make drastic changes.
• Remember The message is more important than the
  logo

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Find a Stable/Robust Funding Source

• When talking to key stakeholders and political
  leaders in the state, educate them about the
  long-term effects of alcohol on the adolescent
  brain
• Addiction/alcohol dependence - Forty percent of
  kids who begin drinking before age 13 will
  develop alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency
  Delaying the onset of drinking by five years
  decreases the risk by 50 and Only 7 of those
  who begin drinking at age 21 become alcoholics
• Lack of Treatment - Only 16 will receive
  treatment
• Moral Responsibility - Adults facilitate underage
  drinking and they have an obligation to spend
  money to protect our kids
• Utilize alcohol taxes or profits
• 1 for every person in the state
• 25 to compliance checks
• 75 to media campaign
• Solution Total Community Mobilization

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EASY (Eliminate Alcohol Sales to Youth) Law

• The E.A.S.Y. Law (S.B. 58) was passed by the 2006
  Legislature and may be viewed in its entirety at
  the Legislatures website www.le.state.ut.us .
• Mandatory statewide server training
• Mandatory youth alcohol compliance checks
• Limits youth access to alcohol in grocery and
  convenience stores
• Graduated penalties for non-compliance
• Statewide media campaign
• To alert youth, parents, and communities of the
  dangers of alcohol to the developing teen brain
  and increased addiction from early use

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(EASY) Statewide/State-Funded Compliance Check
Program

• Studies have shown that the most effective way to
  reduce alcohol sales to minors at grocery and
  convenience stores is to increase the frequency
  of random compliance checks by law enforcement
  using underage buyers.
• Law enforcement agencies are authorized to
  conduct up to four (4) random alcohol sales
  compliance checks a year for each retail store
  location using underage youth to attempt to
  purchase alcohol.
• The actual costs of any compliance check by a
  municipal or county law enforcement agency, and
  any administrative costs associated with
  reporting the compliance check are totally
  reimbursable.

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EASY Program FY2008

• Compliance Rate 84 (State-wide)

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MEDIA CAMPAIGN

• Alert parents of the negative health risks of
  underage drinking.
• Communicate that parental involvement is the
  best way to keep
  children alcohol free.
• Provide proven skills to increase parental
  effectiveness.

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Sobering Facts About Underage Drinking

• Brian Damage
• The brain goes through dynamic change during
  adolescence (ages 12-21) and can seriously damage
  long- and short- term growth processes
• American Medical Association 2003 Fact Sheet

Interference
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Parents Under-Estimate Influence
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What parents may not realize is that children
say parental disapproval of underage drinking is
the key reason they have chosen not to drink.
U.S. Dept of Human Services
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Public and Private Partnerships - Car
Dealerships, Associated Foods, Waste Management,
Billboards, Magazines, Newspapers
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• Bonding
• Boundaries
• Monitoring

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Bonding

• Research indicates that children are less
  likely to drink when their parents are involved
  in their lives and when children and parents feel
  close to each other. Family conflicts and lack
  of bonding increase the risk of drinking.
• Have daily positive communication
• Eat dinner together (35 less likely to use
  alcohol or drugs)
• Notice your childs emotional well-being

Elephant
(Hawkins JD, Graham JW, Maguin E. et al.1997,
Journal of Studies on Alcohol 58(3)280-290.
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Boundaries

• Boundaries are the rules and expectations that
  define what parents expect their children to do
  or not to do. Unclear rules or lack of rules can
  leave kids vulnerable to underage drinking.
• Teach risks of underage drinking.
• Help kids to choose friends wisely.
• Set clear rules and expectations about no alcohol
  use.

Halo
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Monitoring

• The part of the brain that encourages impulsivity
  and risk-taking develop very early in a teen but
  the part of the brain that provides
  impulse-control and good judgment doesnt finish
  developing until about age 21-25.
• To improve parental monitoring
• Know your childs activities
• Insure an alcohol-free environment
• Monitor when unsupervised
• They need your help to stay alcohol free

Hang Glider
Pillow Talk
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Thank you! Please visit our website
www.ParentsEmpowered.org
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Contact Information

• ParentsEmpowered Media Campaign
• Doug Murakami, Utah Department of Alcoholic
  Beverage Control
• Email dmurakami_at_utah.gov
• Phone [phone]
• EASY (Compliance Checks)
• Helen Knipe, Utah Department of Public Safety
  Highway Safety Office
• Email hknipe_at_utah.gov
• Phone [phone]