March 28, 2006

HEALEY LAUNCHES STATEWIDE EFFORT TO PREVENT UNDERAGE DRINKING

New campaign urges parents to talk to their children about underage drinking

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today launched a statewide campaign against underage drinking at a town hall meeting that included over 200 parents, teachers, local officials and community activists. The forum, the first of over 40 that are organized across the Commonwealth, provides an important opportunity for communities to come together to learn why adolescents drink, what the risks are, and how underage drinking can be prevented.

“Throughout history, town halls have proven to be a valuable opportunity for Massachusetts citizens to voice their opinions and change their communities for the better,” said Healey. “We want to encourage parents to educate themselves about the problems associated with alcohol use and recognize the importance of initiating and continuing a dialogue with their children.”

Healey, Chairman of the Governor’s Interagency Council on Substance Abuse and Prevention, said that over the past month 48 percent of all high school students reported consuming alcohol and 27 percent indicated they had engaged in binge drinking (five or more drinks). Annually, more than 300,000 Massachusetts youths drink alcohol and last year underage drinkers consumed 15.6 percent of all alcohol sold, totaling $564 million in sales.

Minors who drink before they turn 15 years old are four times as likely to develop alcohol dependence as those who start drinking after age 21. Massachusetts ranks in the top five percent of states with the highest alcohol and drug abuse rates.

Additional facts:

Fifty eight percent of all fatal crashes among youth between the ages of 15 to 20 were alcohol related;

Nationally, an estimated $53 billion in social costs each year are associated with underage drinking including $19 billion in traffic crashes and $29 billion in violent crime;

In Massachusetts, the social costs associated with underage drinking are approximately $1.4 billion;

More young people drink alcohol than smoke tobacco or use all other illegal drugs combined;

Sixty five percent of eighth graders say it’s easy to get alcohol, and nearly half of them have tried it; and

Forty five percent of Massachusetts sixth graders reported that alcohol was easy to obtain with over 10 percent stating that they typically got it from home.

Research has shown that the strongest approach to prevent underage drinking is a coordinated effort by parents, teachers, law enforcement officials and the community at large. The comprehensive initiative outlined by Healey includes grassroots community meetings in addition to radio and transit ads.

Healey added, “Our goal is to underscore the importance of early, ongoing communication with children to help them make healthy life choices.”

“We want to send a wake-up call to parents that any underage drinking involves risk, not just drinking and driving or binge drinking,” said Michael Botticelli, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Sometimes parents are not as concerned about underage drinking as they are about other risky behaviors.”

Last May, Healey unveiled the state’s substance abuse prevention plan, a strategic blueprint that included efforts to boost substance abuse and prevention programs. To assist parents and communities in their prevention efforts, Healey today awarded five grants worth $150,000 to communities in Lynn, Quincy, New Bedford, Holyoke and Fitchburg. The grants fund CASASTART, an intervention program that allows schools, social service agencies and police to collaborate and intervene in the lives of at-risk children before they fall into substance use or juvenile delinquency. In total, the program will serve over 150 children between the ages of 8 to 12 and their families.

Mayor William Phelan of Quincy praised the new program saying, “We often deal with the problems of children too late in their lives. We congratulate Lieutenant Governor Healey for recognizing the value of early intervention and the importance of a caring community that coordinates all of its resources to ensure that children will succeed.”

Healey also said the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget includes an additional $11.6 million in substance abuse funding which will help combat underage drinking.

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