AGE 1ST USE OF ALCOHOL
<14 yo (vs. 21 yo)
4 ½ times more likely to develop a SUD
7 times more likely to be in MVA
12 times more likely to be injured
11 times more likely to be in physical fight
3 times more likely to attempt suicide
Strong Predictor of Rx Drug Misuse (Hermos
2008)
When develop a SUD, it’s more severe and
develops much faster

UNDERAGE DRINKING: A
MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH
ISSUE
DRINKING AND DRIVING
SUICIDE
SEXUAL ASSAULT
HIGH RISK SEX
PHYSICAL FIGHTS
INJURIES UNDER THE INFLUENCE
NON-DRINKERS AFFECTED…”PASSIVE
DRINKING”

Alcohol Related Problems
College Students…2001
(Hingson et. al. 2002)
Deaths 1,700
Injuries 599,000
Assaults 690,000
Sexual Assaults 97,000

Youth Risk Behavior Survey
2003
1 million HS Frequent Binge Drinkers
2 million aged 12-20 yo
Frequent Binge Drinkers more likely to:
Be drunk at school 31% vs 0%
Use MJ at school 29% vs 1%
Get D’s or F’s 30% vs 4%

Livonia Teen Drinking Survey
• Unscientific
• www.saveouryouthtaskforce.com
• 74 young people responded

How do Livonia teens get alcohol?
Older friends 80%
Older sibling 80%
Provided at parties 78%
Home (without parents knowing) 62%
Fake ID 34%
From parents 30%
Friend's parents 23%

Where do Livonia teens drink?
Parties (without parents) 99%
At home 58%
Parties (with parents) 38%
Driving around 27%

Why do Livonia teens drink?
Everyone's doing it 70%
Nothing fun to do 41%
Bored 38%

Why do Livonia kids get
away with drinking?
Parents are clueless 91%
Parents are ok with it 38%
Parents don't want to argue 30%
Parents believe everyone
26%
does it

Project Alert 2007
During the past 30 days, how many
times did you consume alcohol?
100 86.14
80
Percent
60
40
10.89
20
1.32 0.99 0.66 0
0
None 1-2 Times 3-5 Times 6-9 Times 10-19 20+
Times Times
7th Grade Behavior

Monitoring the Future 2008
Over your lifetime, have you consumed alcohol?
80 71.9
70
58.3
60
50
Percent
38.9
40
30
20
10
0
8th grade 10th grade 12th grade
Lifetime Use

Search Institute 2007
During the last 12 months, how many
times did you consume alcohol?
44
50
40
Percent
30
20 13 11
10 8
7
10 4 3
0
None Once Twice 3-5 6-9 10-19 20-39 40+
times times times times times
9th Grade Behavior

Search Institute 2007
During the last 30 days, how many
times did you consume alcohol?
66
70
60
50
Percent
40
30
11
20 8 8
4 3
10 1 0
0
None Once Twice 3-5 6-9 10-19 20-39 40+
times times times times times
9th Grade Behavior

Search Institute 2007
Over the last two weeks, how many times have you
consumed five or more drinks in a row?
100
78
80
Percent
60
40
20 7 6
4 2 2
0
None Once Twice 3-5 times 6-9 times 10+ times
9th Grade Behavior

Search Institute 2007
How upset do you think your parents would be if they
found out you were drinking?
70 59
60
50
Percent
40
30 22
20 12
5
10 1
0
Not at All A Little Somewhat Very Extremely
9th Grade Attitudes

Search Institute 2007
In the last 12 months, how many times have you been
to a party where other kids were drinking?
60
48
50
40
Percent
30
17 14
20 12 10
10
0
Never Once Twice 3-4 Times 5+ Times
9th Grade Behavior

Search Institute 2007
In the last 12 months, how many times have you
ridden in a car whose driver had been drinking?
80 69
60
Percent
40
12
20 8 6 6
0
Never Once Twice 3-4 Times 5+ Times
9th Grade Behavior

Search Institute 2007
If you had an important concern about alcohol, would
you talk to your parents about it?
25 22 22 22
18
20 16
Percent
15
10
5
0
No Probably Not Not Sure Probably Yes
9th Grade Attitudes

Search Institute 2007
How often do your parents ask you where
you are going and with whom you will be?
60 52
50
40
Percent
31
30
20 10
5
10 2
0
Never Seldom Sometimes Most of the All of the time
time
9th Grade Attitudes

40 Developmental Assets
1. Family Support- Family life provides high levels of love and support.
Support
2. Positive Family Communication - Young person seeks advice/counsel from parents.
3. Other Adult Relationships- Young person receives support from 3+ non-parent adults.
4. Caring Neighborhood- Young person experiences caring neighbors.
5. Caring School Environment- School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
6. Parent Involvement in School- Parents are actively involved in school success.
External Assets
Empowerment 7. Community Values Youth- Young person perceives that the community value youth.
8. Youth as Resources- Young person are given useful roles in the community.
9. Service to Others- Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
10. Safety- Young person feels safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.
Boundaries & 11. Family Boundaries- Family has clear rules/consequences and monitors students behavior.
Expectations 12. School Boundaries- School provides clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighborhood Boundaries- Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring youth behavior.
14. Adult Role Models- Parents/other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
15. Positive Peer Influence- Young person’s best friends model responsible behavior.
16. High Expectations- Both parents and teachers encourage the young person to do well.
Constructive 17. Creative Activities- Young person spends 3+ hours per week in lessons in the arts.
Use of Time 18. Youth Programs- Young person spends 3+ hours per week in sports.
19. Religious Community- Young person spends one+ hours per week in religious institution.
20. Time at Home- Young person is out with friends 2 or fewer nights per week.

40 Developmental Assets
Commitment 21. Achievement Motivation- Young Person is motivated to do well in school
To Learning 22. School Engagement - Young person is actively engaged in learning
23. Homework- Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
24. Bonding to School- Young person cares about his or her school.
25. Reading for Pleasure- Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.
Internal Assets
26. Caring- Young person places high value on helping other people.
Positive
27. Equality/Social Justice- Young person places high value on promoting equality.
Values
28. Integrity- Young person acts on convictions and stands up for his/her beliefs.
29. Honesty- Young person “tells the truth even when it is not easy.”
30. Responsibility- Young person a accepts and takes personal responsibility.
31. Restraint- Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use drugs.
Social 32. Planning/Decision Making- Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
Competencies 33. Interpersonal Competence- Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
34. Cultural Competence- Young person has knowledge of cultures/races/ethnicities.
35. Resistance Skills- Young person can resist negative peer pressure/dangerous situations.
36. Peaceful Conflict Resolution- Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.
Positive 37. Personal Power- Young person feels he/she has control over “things that happen to me.”
38. Self-Esteem- Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
Identity
39. Sense of Purpose- Young person reports that “my life has a purpose.”
40. Positive View of Personal Future- Young person is optimistic about personal future.

Search Institute 2007
During the last 30 days, did you
consume alcohol once or more?
65
70
60
50
37
Percent
40
30
15
20
4
10
0
0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets
9th Grade Risk-Taking Behavior by Asset

Search Institute 2007
During the last two weeks,
did you get drunk?
60
50
50
40
Percent
30 22
20
7
10
0
0
0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets
9th Grade Risk-Taking Behavior by Asset

Livonia Public Schools Substance Abuse
Education, Prevention and Intervention Efforts
Elementary Middle School High School
• Health Class • Health • Health
Curriculum
Class Class
• Elementary
Curriculum Curriculum
Student
Assistance • Student • Student
Program
Assistance Assistance
• D.A.R.E. at
Program Program
Cooper and
• Police • Police
Johnson
• Red Ribbon Liaison Liaison
Week
Officer Officer
• Red • Red
Ribbon Ribbon
Week Week

Be a Parent
Not a Pal

100% of all alcohol consumed by minors came
from an adult.
Alcohol is the number one drug used by youth.
In Michigan, it is estimated that underage alcohol
use costs $2 billion.
Approximately one in four parents have allowed
their own child to drink under their supervision.
Approximately one in twelve parents have allowed
someone else’s child to drink under their
supervision.

Underage Drinking:
Myth and Fact

Myth: All teenagers will drink at some point, no
matter how hard we try to stop them.
Fact: Although underage drinking is a serious
problem, 81 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have
chosen not to drink in the past year.

Myth: My son or daughter knows everything
about drinking, so we don’t need to talk about it.
Fact: Many teenagers have dangerous
misconceptions about alcohol--for example,
they don’t realize that wine coolers have the
same alcohol content as a shot of distilled
spirits, or they think they can sober up by
drinking coffee or getting fresh air.

Myth: What parents say or do won’t make any
difference; teenagers only listen to their friends.
Fact: Parents can be very influential. A study of
adolescents and their families conducted by the
Research Institute on Addictions revealed that both
adolescent girls and adolescent boys whose parents
supervise their friendships and activities are less likely
to engage in problem behaviors, including drinking, and
that this was true regardless of race or income level.

Myth: He only drinks beer. It’s a phase--he’ll get over
it, just like I did.
Fact: Adolescents who begin drinking before age 15
or younger are four times more likely to develop
problems with alcohol use and dependence than those
who begin drinking at age 21 or older. Many engage in
binge drinking, which is drinking five or more drinks
on one occasion. Some people mistakenly believe that
beer and wine are light in alcohol content; in fact, they
have the same alcohol content.

What is a Drink?
A standard drink is 12
grams of alcohol,
which is equal to:
One 12-ounce bottle of
beer
One 12-ounce wine cooler
One 5-ounce glass of wine
1.5 ounces of 80-proof
distilled spirits

Myth: It’s okay for young people to drink, just as
long as they don’t drive. The worst that can happen is
they’ll wake up with a terrible hangover.
Fact: Wrong: The worse thing that can happen is
that they won’t wake up at all. A person can drink
enough to kill him or herself in a couple of hours by
drinking a large amount of alcohol quickly. When the
blood alcohol content reaches a certain concentration,
heart rate and respiration can shut down. Drinking also
increases the risk of injury from car crashes, falls,
burns, drowning, and suicide, as well as the chance that
a young person will commit a crime or become a victim
of crime.

Myth: One drink does not affect driving.
Fact: Youthful age has been cited as one of the most
important variables related to crash risk. Young drivers
are inexperienced not only in driving but also in
drinking and in combining the two activities. According
to one study, each 0.02-percent increase in blood
alcohol content (BAC) above 0.00 percent places 16- to
20-year-old drivers at greater risk for a crash than older
drivers. Roadside surveys indicate that young people are
less likely than adults to drive after drinking; however,
especially at low and moderate BAC’s, their crash rates
are substantially higher than those of other groups.

Myth: Alcohol is not such a big deal, compared with
illicit drugs.
Fact: Alcohol is a factor in the three leading causes of
deaths among 14- and 15- year-olds: unintentional
injuries, homicides, and suicides.

THE GOOD NEWS
Teens continue to list their parents as a key source of
information regarding risky behavior, including
underage drinking.
Most teens list “at home” or “at a friend’s house” as the
most common place they use alcohol. These are two
places where adults, particularly parents, have a great
deal of control. If we know where they are using
alcohol, we can stop the behavior.

Most teens list weekends as the most common time
they use alcohol. This gives adults, particularly parents,
an opportunity to intervene with teen’s use of alcohol.
If we know when they are drinking, we can stop the
behavior.
The percent of teens who drink alcohol has gone down
in the last 25 years.
We are making a difference!

The Facts Are Clear:
Using alcohol during the developmental years of
adolescence is dangerous. With increased chances for
addiction later in life, increased chances of risky
behavior, decreased school performance, increased
chances for violence, unplanned and risky sexual
activity, legal issues, and a good chance to generally
make a fool out of themselves, teens would be better
off not using alcohol. It is our job, as adults, to help
them make that choice easier.

Underage drinking is not a minor problem.
Helping end it is everybody’s business.

QUIZ
TIME!

Do you….
Tell your
child that
you
disapprove
of underage
drinking?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Monitor Teens while
they are in your home?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Set a curfew and consistently
enforce house rules?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Inquire of another
parent about a
gathering or party to
verify safe situations
and supervised
homes?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Welcome
telephone calls at
your home
verifying
supervision of
gatherings at your
own home?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Check levels of open
Do you….
alcohol beverages
in your home?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Talk to your
teen daily?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Attempt to meet
your child's
friends and their
parents as their
environment
changes?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Call authorities
or other
parents to
report unsafe
situations,
parties or
gatherings?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

Do you….
Help your child
figure out how to
handle risky
situations with a
plan of action?
a) Always (3)
b) Sometimes (2)
c) Never (1)

How Does Your Score Compare?

Banner Design Contest
Be Drug-and-Alcohol-Free

1st Place: Kelsey Rygiel

2nd Place: Lauren Wilson

3rd Place: Samantha Hirzel

Honorable
Mention:
Missina Ormsby’s
Digital Imaging &
Design Students