BY DEBBIE PAGE
Board Chair Dorothy Hensley began the March meeting of the Drug-Alcohol Coalition of Iredell by sharing the news that Executive Director Shane Nixon resigned. The board regretfully accepted his resignation and wished him the best.
DACI Project Coordinator Kristin Blumenstein reminded coalition members that April is Alcohol Awareness month. Alcohol misuse can interfere with normal brain development and cause decreased school performance, increased involvement with the legal system, use of other substances, and greater risk of injuries.
Parents and community members particularly need to focus alcohol misuse prevention efforts toward youth.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), prevention efforts over the past two decades have made steady progress in reducing alcohol misuse among youth and young adults by using comprehensive, evidence-based approaches with communities, states, and federal partners.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found current drinking declined from 34.6 percent in 2002 to 18.5 percent in 2020 among 12 to 17 year-olds and among 18 to 25 year-olds declined from 77.9 percent to 69.5 percent.
However, A Talk It Out NC survey last year indicated parents are waiting too long to start conversations with their children about the dangers of underage drinking.
On average, parents first have conversations about alcohol with children at age 11, but Talk it Out NC recommends age 8. Just over half of parents wait until their children are age 12 or older to start having conversations about alcohol.
The survey also found that parents appear to be the most influential factor to help prevent underage drinking because alcohol is introduced to their kids earlier than parents realize.
Over half of students reported being embarrassed or afraid to talk to their parents about alcohol and underage drinking.
Some 93 percent of students think underage drinking would stop if parents talked more to their children about alcohol and the dangers of underage drinking. Fifty-eight percent of middle school students reported trying alcohol, a 22 percent increase compared to a 2017 study.
The survey also found that social media, mental health, and negative alcohol-related trends influence underage drinking habits. Students normalize underage drinking by posting on social media while consuming alcohol.
Forty-one percent reported that friends are posting on social media with alcohol, including 12 percent who are doing it “often.” About 10 percent of students say they have turned to alcohol to feel better as a coping mechanism, and nearly half say when teens drink alcohol, they likely to drink enough to pass out.
Blumenstein noted that the teens she encounters want to know the data and make informed decisions. She suggested parents and those who work with teens use the free “Talk. They Hear You” campaign resources at https://store.samhsa.gov/?f[0]=format:871 to talk to young people about alcohol misuse, especially in this upcoming prom and graduation party season.
BROADENING DACI FOCUS
DACI has a Drug-Free Communities grant, focusing on youth vaping and youth drinking. The grant has seven focus areas: providing information and education, providing support to reduce risk, changing consequences (incentives/disincentives), modifying and changing laws/policy, building skills through training, enhancing access and reducing barriers to services, and modifying physical design in the community to reduce risk or enhance protection.
Blumenstein felt DACI did well with information, support, and building skills but asked coalition members to brainstorm how to broaden its efforts in these and other areas. Some suggestions adding DACI alcohol misuse awareness stickers and QR codes to cups in social drinking districts, recruiting businesses to become misuse awareness partners and create underage drinking awareness, and creating posters on vaping and drinking for school display.
In policy changes, promoting limits on vape shops in a town, limits on amount of tobacco products sold in a transaction, and requiring ID scans for tobacco and alcohol use were suggested. Raising awareness of social host laws and consequences of providing alcohol to minors was also discussed.
Fact sheets for parents about social host laws and underage drinking harms and prevention and distributed through school newsletters and websites were also suggested. Asking law enforcement to visit establishments that serve alcohol to thank them for their efforts to prevent underage drinking and over-serving and give them DACI provided flyers or fact sheets for customers was another idea.
Members also suggested conducting a Survey Monkey poll of members’ efforts in these seven areas for DACI to join and build upon.
WHAT ARE SOCIAL HOST LAWS?
A lot of the discussion surrounded educating the public about social host laws, about which many seem unaware. Social host liability in North Carolina applies to all guests, whether they are minors or of legal age to drink alcohol.
If someone serves alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated and will drive after the social occasion has ended, the host can be legally liable for any injuries or damages that result from the guest’s intoxicated driving.
Hosts should use reasonable care in a social situation, starting with inviting responsible guests who will not drink and drive. Hosts should stop serving alcohol later in the event, make food and other non-alcohol beverages available, offer another safe ride home for guests, and offer a place to stay if the guest cannot drive safely.
North Carolina law allows an injured party to pursue claims against everyone whose negligence contributed to the injury.
Social host liability claims are very fact-specific, focusing on evidence that the host knew or should have known a guest was intoxicated, including knowledge of how many total drinks were consumed by the guest at the party; knowledge that the guest had been drinking somewhere else earlier; evidence that the typical signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech, were obvious; and evidence of whether the host knew, or should have known, the guest was going to drive.
These evidentiary requirements would be investigated in a discovery process, including interrogations and depositions, if a lawsuit is filed.
Homeowners can protect against liability to a certain point with homeowners insurance, with additional liability protection up to $1 million, or with event-specific insurance. Adequate insurance can ensure that, if an accident happens, that personal assets are protected from any judgment.
Otherwise, an injured party can collect against the real estate, personal property, bank accounts, stocks, and bonds of the inebriated person who caused injury or damage or the host who provided alcohol.
PROVIDING ALCOHOL TO MINORS ILLEGAL AND HARMFUL
Blumenstein said that from surveys and interviews DACI has conducted, a significant number of parents think that drinking at home is safer. “We want that paradigm to shift a little bit and realize there is a lot more to it, like injured brain development and what can happen after they leave your house.”
Parents often feel pressured to allow underage drinking or provide alcohol to their kids, thinking if they drink at home, parents can oversee it and keep them out of trouble. Others might say if they provide alcohol, kids are not using fake IDs or buying it from a sketchy source.
Though some states allow minors to drink alcohol at private parties with parental permission, North Carolina does not. According to NC Alcohol Law Enforcement officials, any adult who allows a minor to consume alcohol or should have known that underage drinking is occurring in their home can be criminally charged with misdemeanor aiding and abetting.
Drinking at home is not “safer” for teens. Talk It Out NC revealed that in a meta-analysis of 13 studies published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, troubling evidence emerged to refute the benefits of allowing teens to drink at home.
The study concluded parents should not allow children to drink alcohol because kids who have strict rules regarding alcohol consumption are less likely to have misuse problems as adults. Refusing to give a child alcohol is the best option for the safety of the child and family.
Serious legal consequences can occur if alcohol is provided to minors. Parents should express zero tolerance for underage drinking to keep their children healthy and safe, according to Talk It Out NC.
UPCOMING COALITION MEMBER EVENTS
♦ The Christian Mission and I-Care will host a Poverty Simulation on Tuesday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Selma Burke Recreation Center in Mooresville. The three-hour immersive experience allows participants to walk in the shoes of someone facing poverty, an eye-opening experience. Registration (www.thechristianmission.org/poverty) for the poverty simulation closes April 18.
♦ Foundation of Hope Ministries is having a health fair at The Cove Church in Statesville. G4G will provide lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. FOHM is inviting area agencies to set up as vendors to provide information and education. Contact Karen Kidd at fohminc1@gmail.com for more vendor or event information.