Last Updated on December 10, 2019 by Valarie Ward

It’s no secret, North Carolina is one of many states battling an underage drinking problem.

Earlier this year, we covered the facts about underage drinking on college campuses. And they were surprising to many.

A party stigma is permeating college culture. Students see alcohol and drinking as a necessary rite of passage.

What’s North Carolina doing about the problem? Earlier this year, a campaign targeting underage drinking was launched. WLOS News 13 covers the campaign in this two minute video:

Here’s our take on the report:

Almost one-third of middle school students admit to trying alcohol. Statewide, one young person dies every week in a drinking related accident.

These statistics are just the tip of the iceberg that is our state’s underage drinking problem. Beneath the icy waters, hidden like the ice that sank the “unsinkable” Titanic, is an expanding chunk of jagged ice threatening to destroy the futures of our youth on impact.

The underage drinking problem in NC caught the attention of the Governor and the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Commission. In an effort to raise awareness, a public campaign targeting underage drinking has been launched to save lives.

One of the major goals of the program has been to bring more parents into the conversation.

• A survey of 500 parents and 300 underage kids between 11 and 13 paints the picture of our state’s underage alcohol consumption.
• 37% of parents think underage drinking is a serious problem.
• 57% of kids said they feel underage drinking is a very serious problem, they want to talk to their parents about it, but their parents feel underequipped and avoid the conversation.

Parents admit to feeling unqualified and underequipped for discussing alcohol with their children. Many are scared even to touch on the subject, thinking a discussion could cause more harm than help. But this attitude is not shared by everyone.

The earlier we talk to our youth about alcohol, the more likely they are to avoid the dangers of alcohol later in life.

Addressing College Level Underage Drinking

According to USA Today, since early 2015, an underage drinking pilot program has launched in six NC universities. The program works alongside our state’s ABC Commission, the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Colleges see many of their freshman students leaving school thanks to drug or alcohol issues. The pilot program initiative is a proactive means of ending the exodus through education and treatment.

Our role in this state-wide initiative is to provide the substance treatment underage drinkers and drug users need to recover. Our goal is two-fold; it involves needed treatment and education.

We are excited about our newest service, Drug Education School (DES). It provides yet another tool for helping our youth combat drugs with needed education.

You can help further North Carolina’s underage drinking campaign and the drinking pilot program simply by talking to your child about alcohol.

How?

Follow our blog. In the coming weeks, we’ll delve into how you can feel qualified and equipped to tackle this topic with your teen.