MOUNT GILEAD — The Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Prevention- DAAP Coalition of Morrow County, is pleased to join Drug Free Action Alliance and honorary chair, and national sports icon, Clark Kellogg to share the message; Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking.

Some facts:

• Each day, approximately 8,000 youth across the nation will take their first drink of alcohol. Alcohol is the leading drug problem among young people. Underage drinking is strongly linked to delinquent behaviors, including stealing, illicit drug use and problems at home and at school.

• Underage drinking also plays a significant role in increased sexual behavior, including unwanted, unintended and unprotected sexual activity, sex with multiple partners and teenage pregnancy.

• Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse alcohol later in life, than those who begin drinking at or after age 21.

• Heavy alcohol use by adolescents has long-term effects on brain development. These health and safety risks have real consequences that most parents try to protect their children from.

• Yet 31 percent of youth report obtaining alcohol from their parents, while another 27 percent say they got it from other adults.

DAAP of Morrow County is partnering with Drug Free Action Alliance to encourage parents, educators, businesses, community organizations and others to learn more about the health and safety risks along with the potential legal ramifications of allowing underage drinking to occur.

Through this initiative, DAAP of Morrow County is calling on our community to help address the various factors that contribute to underage drinking, including community norms, access and availability, media messages and policy and enforcement.

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Submitted

Information available at www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.