April Is Alcohol Awareness Month

For over 28 years the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) has sponsored alcohol awareness month in April. This year, the focus is on underage drinking, which costs the lives of 6500 individuals under the age of 21 due to accidents related to alcohol consumption. Of course, thousands more are injured and or affected by alcohol use and abuse by those under 21.

Alcohol is the leading substance of abuse in those under 21 and the scary reality is that, according to NCADD, children that begin to drink under the age of 15 have a four times greater chance of developing an alcoholism problem then those who start drinking at 21 – the legal age in United States. Further, beyond the sheer cost in loss of life, underage alcohol use and abuse is estimated to cost the United States about $62 billion each and every year.

We can begin to turn the tide in underage drinking by spreading a message of abstinence to those are underage. Further, educating adults with an alcoholism problem can often help them seek the treatment they so desperately need and in doing so help their children and loved ones avoid a similar fate.

This month, and every month, we should be aware of the effects of alcohol. While it is a legal drug for those over the age of 21, it is still a dangerous substance when consumed in excess and abused. Alcohol destroys lives and families and this April we ask that you take a look at the alcohol consumption habits of those around you as well as keeping a closer eye on the young people in your life, so that we can start to reverse the damage that underage drinking can and has caused.