Dear Editor:
April is national Alcohol Awareness Month and this year’s focus is on underage drinking.
National studies find that alcohol is the drug most frequently used by high school seniors, and its use is on the rise. Boys usually try alcohol for the first time at just 11 years old, while the average age for a girl’s first drink is 13.
The San Benito County Office of Education conducted a Healthy Kids survey in 2001-02 and its findings correlate with national statistics in that 19 percent of seventh-graders surveyed admitted to drinking at least one full drink by age 12.
Underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen automobile accidents and contributes to youth suicides, homicides and fatal injuries.
Additionally, alcohol abuse is linked to as many as two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes of teens and college students and is a major factor in unprotected sex among youth, increasing their risk of pregnancy and of contracting HIV or other transmitted diseases.
Regrettably, high school students lack essential knowledge about alcohol and its effects.
According to national studies, an estimated 5.6 million junior and senior high school students are unsure of the legal age to purchase alcohol; one-third do not understand the intoxicating effects of alcohol, and more than 2.6 million do not know a person can die from an overdose of alcohol.
The issue of underage drinking is a complex problem that can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools, community leaders, and the children themselves.
However, there are three areas that have proven to be effective in prevention of underage drinking – curtailing the availability of alcohol, consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations, and changing cultural misconceptions and behaviors through education.
The San Benito Prevention Coalition was formed to address some of these issues. We encourage community members who want to help us in this endeavor to join us. We may be reached at 636-4382 or fn*@ga****.com.
Lucia Aguilar-Navarro
San Benito Prevention Coalition community liaison-youth council advisor
