21 for a Reason by Bernards Twp. Municipal Alliance

PRESENTED THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE

What is the Municipal AllianceAgainst Substance Abuse?
Community volunteer coalition
Our mission is to provide consultation, programs, training, and resources to members of the Bernards Township community with the goal of preventing and reducing the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Our Community Goals: ESP!
To educate about the damaging and addictive effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
To support events & programs which provide healthy alternatives to substance use
To create a community-wide presence in the identification of problems and in designing effective measurable solutions

*Survey taken 2/09
Prior 30 Day Use: 2009 ADAS

Delayed First Use
Chronic Problems: Alcoholism, liver damage, brain damage
Short Term Problems: Drunk driving deaths, DUI, binge drinking & alcohol poisoning injuries, sexual assault, academic decline & failure
* The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, 2006

Delayed Legal Drinking Age
Since the drinking age in New Jersey was raised to 21 in 1983, the number of young people killed in drunk-driving accidents has dropped nearly 78%*
*Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey

Common Parental Beliefs About Under-Aged Drinking:
Belief #1:
“It will teach responsible drinkingbefore college”
Belief #2:
“If I take away the keys, they won’t drink and drive so they’ll be safe”
Belief #3:
“Teens are young; their bodies can handle it”
Belief #4:
“Kids will be kids; underage drinking is inevitableand there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Belief # 1: Teach Responsible Drinking
Alcoholuse prior to college correlates to heavy drinking during college*
Alcoholism
Drunk driving, DUI
Riding with an intoxicated driver
Injuries
Sexual Assault
Drop in school performance
* From the Harvard School of Public Health “College Alcohol Study” - Henry Wechsler, Ph.D.

Belief # 2:Taking Away the Keys
Drinking in high school, especially in males, is a strong predictor of binge drinking in college*
Binge drinking causes:
1,400 deaths
500,000 injuries
70,000 sexual assaults
110,000 arrests each year
*National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

University of Virginia lacrosse players George Huguely and Yeardley Love
In May 2010, Huguely was charged with the murder of Love after he beat her to death while intoxicated.

The brain matures through age 25.
Drinking during this time can cause long-term andirreversible damage*
Areas of the brain affected by alcohol use:
Prefrontal cortex= Judgment, reasoning,impulse control,retaining and learning information
Hippocampus = memory, learning
* American Medical Association
Belief # 3:Their Bodies Can Handle It

15 year-old male
Heavy drinker
15 year-old male
nondrinker
Adolescent Brain Activity

Drinking to intoxication can negate as much as fourteen daysof training
Players that drink are twiceas likely to become injured than non-drinkers
A hangover reduces athletic performance by 11.4% and performance is effected up to four days after drinking
*American Athletic Institute
Athletes…

Belief # 4:Is teenage Drinking is Really Inevitable?
Nationally,
57%of high school seniors did NOT use alcohol in the past month.
*American Drug & Alcohol Survey, 2009

“A child who reaches age 21 without
smoking, abusing alcohol or using drugs
is virtually certain never to do so.”
- Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and President of The National Center on Addiction & Substance Abuse at Columbia University

Social Host Video
Social host laws and consequences
of underage drinking

Teens rely most on the adults in their lives to help them make tough decisions and provide good advice¹
Teen behavior is strongly associated with their parents’ behavior²
Teen behavior is related to parents’ expectations: when parents expect the worst, teens will deliver²
Teens in Bernards Township reported unclear rules at home³
¹ Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).
² National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents; Columbia University
³ 2005 Student Stressor Survey
What Parents Need to Know

Use the 40 Developmental Assets
Do your children know what your expectations are regarding drugs and alcohol?
Are you involved in your children’s activities? Do you share with them your interests and values?
Do you model good behavior?
Do you teach them what to look for in a good friend?
Do you monitor their activities?
When setting rules are you clear, specific, consistent, and reasonable and do you recognize good behavior?
What Can we Do?

Delaying the age of first drink protects your children’s futures.
Remember…

For information about the
Municipal Alliance
And delaying the age of first use, visit:
www.bernardsalliance.org
For information about
BuildingYouth
And the 40 Developmental Assets, visit:
www.bernardsassets.org

Kathy Kelly
Vice Chair - Municipal Alliance
Community Assets Coordinator
908-204-3068
kathy.kelly@bernards.org

American Athletic Institute. Retrieved from http://www.aaisport.org/
American Medical Association. Brain Damage Risks. Retrieved from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/no-index/physician-resources/9416.shtml
Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Still Growing After All These Years: Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Television, 2001-2005 (Washington, D.C., 2006).
DeWitt, D.J., Adlaf, E.M., Offord, D.R., Ogborn, A.C. (2000). Age at First Alcohol Use: A Risk Factor for the Development of Alcohol Disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 157:745-750, May American Psychiatric Association
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (1995). College Students and Drinking, Alcohol Alert No. 29, Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey
QEV Analytics, Ltd. (2009). National survey of American attitudes on Substance abuse XIV: Teens and parents. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
SAMHSA. Start talking before they start drinking: A family guide.
Wechsler, H. Findings of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Retrieved from http://www.thegordiefoundation.org/getdoc/ae6cd5de-c5f3-4a7c-8745-03cff5526c6d/Wechsler_paper.aspx
References

21 for a Reason by Bernards Twp. Municipal Alliance

by designsquared on Jan 13, 2011

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21 for a Reason by Bernards Twp. Municipal Alliance — Presentation Transcript