State Targets Youth Access to Prevent Underage Drinking

ALBANY, NY (02/18/2010)(readMedia)-- State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo today announced $540,000 in grants for 27 prevention programs to eliminate youth access to alcohol and prevent underage drinking.

"Half of high school seniors have had a drink within the past month – most are getting alcohol from someone they know and drinking at home or a friend's home," Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo said.

"We also know that kids start drinking alcohol as early as 13 years old – according to a recent OASAS youth survey, one third of youth or 32 percent have tried alcohol (more than a sip or two). By having prevention providers and law enforcement work together in their communities, we can prevent the alcohol from getting into the hands of our children."

The OASAS 2008 Youth Development Survey of 92,000 students indicated that 49 percent of high school seniors admitted to drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. In addition, 31 percent of seniors reported at least one episode of binge drinking during the past two weeks (consumption of five or more drinks at one time).

Among the two-thirds of 11th to 12th graders who drank in the past year, 31 percent obtained alcohol from an adult they knew 21 years of age or older, 21 percent from someone under 21 and 16 percent obtained it from home.

Additionally, of the 22 percent of 7th to 8th graders who drank in the past year, 37 percent obtained alcohol from home.

Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo continued, "These grants will help focus our efforts on preventing underage drinking by not only eliminating youth access to alcohol, but by educating parents and community members about where alcohol is obtained and where youth are partying. By addressing access and building awareness we can prevent underage drinking and save lives."

Under the grant, OASAS-funded prevention providers will expand the involvement of local law enforcement; raise public awareness about the problem of adults purchasing and providing alcohol to minors and prevent the service of alcohol to minors.

OASAS has administered the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Grant since 1998. The OASAS Prevention, Community and Law Enforcement Partnership grants, which total about $20,000 annually to each provider, foster collaboration between prevention providers and law enforcement to conduct environmental strategies such as party patrols, compliance checks, shoulder tap details (undercover operations conducted with decoy youth tapping patrons on the shoulder and asking them to buy alcohol for them) and responsible beverage server training. The 27 prevention programs will be eligible for continued funding in 2011 based on meeting programmatic and reporting requirements.

Since the inception of the OJJDP EUDL grant program, more than 2000 prevention and law enforcement professionals in New York have received training on underage drinking prevention strategies.

OASAS oversees one of the nation's largest addiction services systems of prevention, treatment and recovery with 1,550 prevention programs which serve 110,000 New Yorkers on any given day.

For information or assistance with an alcohol, substance abuse or problem gambling, call the addictions helpline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or go to the OASAS web site at www.oasas.state.ny.us. To report underage alcohol sales or an underage drinking party, please call 1-866-under21.

The award recipients include:

2009 EUDL Prevention, Community, and Law Enforcement Partnership Sub-Grantee Recipients