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Alcohol Awareness Month: Let's Talk!

April 17, 2017  |  Alcohol, Alcoholic, Coping, Counseling, Drinking, Emotional wellbeing, Recovery, Treatment

When it comes to alcohol use,  you may not hear about a lot of conversations about the topic among families and friends. 

But that's probably not quite accurate. According to a recent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) blog post, the use of alcohol among adolescents and young adults has been on the decline for the past ten years. There have also been similar declines in binge drinking and heavy drinking among this age group. Clearly, something must be working right!

But the news isn't all good among young people. SAMHSA reports an uptick in past-month use (a.k.a., current) drinking among 16 - 20 year olds. Because this includes college students, the efforts to prevent drinking among this age group are increasing. Town hall meetings are among the most widely used tactics to reach them - and they are doing things in places where they are held. The report indicates that in 2014, 83 percent of Town Hall meeting participants reported gaining new knowledge to help them prevent underage alcohol use.

There's still a lot to do, but it's good news that prevention efforts are paying off for teens. For more information, visit the SAMHSA website.