Press Release Contact: Terri Garrett, Coalition Member/Ohio County Rotary/Wheeling Human Rights Commission, (304)234-3609, garretthrc@yahoo.com
Did you know that April is Alcohol Awareness Month? Alcohol abuse is a serious problem among youth in Ohio County. As an example, 72% of Ohio County students from the 11th grade reported using alcohol within the past year. Other examples of alcohol abuse in our community include college students who binge drink at local bars, pregnant women who drink and put their babies at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), professionals who drink after a long day’s work, and senior citizens who drink out of loneliness. Do you know of anyone who fits in these categories?
Alcohol abuse affects many people in our community and across the country in various ways. Alcohol can have negative health effects on our bodies, especially on our children during critical years of growth and development. In fact, youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to develop a substance abuse problem as adults. Drunk drivers endanger our safety and our children’s safety. Last year, 119 people were charged with a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) in the City of Wheeling alone. Alcohol dependency and addiction limits one’s ability to cope with everyday life stressors, especially during these difficult economic times. Unfortunately, treatment and recovery (though important) present a lifelong challenge for people who have alcohol dependency and addiction.
If we as a community can work together to promote prevention strategies such as social marketing campaigns (look for “Choose A Clear Mind” billboards this month), prevention education with schools and social organizations (e.g. DARE and “Choose a Clear Mind” curriculums in Ohio County middle and elementary schools), and training (responsible beverage server practices for area managers, law enforcement officials and community members in TIPS-Training Intervention ProcedureS going on this month), then we can raise community awareness and eventually change our community’s social norms.
The Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (OCSAPC) continues to work on preventing underage drinking and alcohol abuse in our community. We invite all concerned community members to our Parents Promote Prevention planning meeting to be held at Bridge Street Middle School at 5pm. Dinner will be provided- please contact Julia Charvat at (304) 233-2045 ext. 305 if you would like to attend!
