One of SAMHSA's first acts was to establish the Interagency Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking. Part of the work of this committee has been to identify promising practices in reducing underage drinking. SAMHSA then issued its first report in April, 2004, summarizing all federal agency activities focused on the problem.

For federal agencies, collaboration is the key to success.

In addition to a host of federal agencies working on this problem, SAMHSA is also looking for input from many other interested parties, including advocacy groups and the alcohol beverage industry itself. The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) has representatives from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This committee coordinates federal efforts and acts as a resource for the development of SAMHSA's plan for combating underage drinking.

A number of advocacy groups are also collaborating with the committee. These include: Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Students Against Destructive Decisions, National Liquor Law Enforcement Association, and the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free. The alcohol beverage industry groups include the American Beverage Institute, the Beer Institute, the Beer Wholesalers Association, the Century Council, and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

In November 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in partnership with the Ad Council, launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to prevent underage drinking. The campaign aims to encourage parents to speak to their children about alcohol in an effort to prevent and reduce underage drinking. "Over the years we have made great progress in reducing tobacco and illicit drug use among our nation's young people," said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. "Underage alcohol use has been a tougher and more persistent problem. However, I think the solutions are well within our grasp. These new ads will help us create and sustain a strong national commitment to prevent and reduce underage drinking" (NIAAA PSA press release 10/31/05).

Throughout this event you'll see more about all of these groups and how they're working to reduce underage drinking.

The Role of Schools in Preventing Underage Drinking

Like other forms of substance abuse, alcohol use and abuse contributes to academic problems for students, and discipline and safety problems for schools. Fortunately, schools clearly play a key role in preventing underage alcohol use and should be included in all comprehensive, community-based efforts to reduce underage drinking. There is a wide range of activities that schools can undertake to prevent underage drinking that include, policy development, implementing alcohol prevention curricula, creating a safe and supportive school environment, developing after-school programs, and working in partnership with the community on alcohol prevention.

As a prevention coordinator, one of your primary roles is to continually "make the case" to administrators, teachers, parents, and community members, that safe and drug-free school will enhance effective learning and teaching. You must identify concrete ways that prevention programming will provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. By highlighting the intrinsic connections between healthy behavior, academic achievement, and school safety, you will be better able to garner the programmatic support you need to implement and sustain your prevention programs.

This five day event examines the issue of underage drinking and provides participants with examples, tips and resources on how to address this issue in their schools and communities. The training will identify "best practices" and highlight effective programs. The training will also provide suggestions for engaging law enforcement and the judicial system as active partners in the effort to reduce underage drinking. A variety of resources for parents, teachers and community groups will also be provided for your use.

During this event, you will have the opportunity to do the following:

• Understand the origins and impact of underage drinking.
• Become aware of and familiar with the vast resources available to you through government agencies.
• Explore the factors that promote alcohol use among youth.
• Recognize the proven links between underage drinking and other problems, including adult alcoholism, failure in school, and other health problems.
• Review the latest research on underage drinking.
• Learn about model approaches and strategies that schools can take to address this issue.
• Examine policy issues and national efforts to reducing underage drinking.
• Explore ways to involve students in evidenced-based substance abuse prevention activities.

References for this page:

Curie, Charles G. "SAMHSA Report to Congress -- Development of a Plan for Combating Underage Drinking." ICCPUD_Report_42002.pdf. April 2004. Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free. 3 March 2005. Website: http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org/en/emplibrary/ICCPUD_Report_42004.pdf

Curie, Charles G. "Chapter 1: Prevention of Underage Drinking: Federal Agency Programs Currently in Operation." Report.pdf. April 2004. The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. Website: http://camy.org/washington/iccpud/Report.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD). (2005). Start talking before they start drinking. Available: http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/