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Ipril 7,1999
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Alcohol Awareness And
Underage Drinking
G uest O finion B> B arbara C imaglio
D irector of the A lcohol and D rug
A buse P rograms
Alcohol abuse has been called
“the most intractable problem among
youth.”
Surveys, statistics and events
such as the riot at Seaside at the start
o f spring break, bear that out over
and over. And it’s not a big surprise.
Alcohol is heavily advertised, easily
available, inexpensive, and too often
seen by young people as just a fun
thing to do.
A 20-year-old was quoted in The
Oregonian after the Seaside incident
as saying people come to the coastal
city “to drink, have fun, meet girls and
get in fights.”
Also, parents too often say they are
relieved to find out their son or daugh
ter is only drinking beer, and not using
drugs. Alcohol is a drug, and alcohol
abuse can lead to consequences as
serious as using other drugs.
Too many young people are tak
ing the drinking problem further by
binge drinking, having more than five
drinks in a sitting. Binge drinking
S u b sc r ibe to
(E fje
P o r tla n d
(O b eeru er
The Portland Observer can be sent directly to your home for only $60.00
per year. Please fill out, enclose check or money order, and mail to:
S ubscriptions
The Portland Observer • PO Box 3137 • Portland,OR 97208
Name:
Address:.
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Zip-Code: .
T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver
i’«
A p ril is N a tio n a l A lc o h o l
.w areness M onth, sponsored by
le N atio n al C ouncil on A lcohol-
tin and D rug D ependence. The
iregon L iquor C ontrol C om m is-
ion jo in s w ith N CA D D to focus
tten tio n on underage drinking
nd binge drin k in g in O regon and
cross the nation.
H ow often have you heard this:
W hy the concern? W h at’s the
ro b le m ? K id s w ill be k id s,
'h e y ’re gonna try alcohol. I did,
nd I tu rn ed out o k ay .”
I f y o u r k id s a re d rin k in g ,
(ley’re p ro b ab ly drin k in g to get
runk. A ccording to a 1998 sur-
ey o f 50,000 students by U niver
ity o f M ichigan scien tists, one-
hird o f high school seniors re
torted b ein g drunk at least once
luring a 3 0 -d ay period.
W hy be concerned? A lcohol-
elated traffic crashes are the sec-
ind leading cause o f teen deaths.
U cohol can also be linked to teen
leaths by dro w n in g , accidents,
u icid es or hom icides.
A n o th er survey tells about 9.5
nillio n A m ericans, betw een the
tges o f 12 and 20 w ho had at least
>ne drink last m onth. A little more
han h a lf o f those surveyed w ere
iclf-described binge drinkers con-
luming five or m ore drin k s in a
ow on a single occasion.
W hat you can do about under
age drinking. W e need the help o f
all adults - p a re n ts, teach ers,
co ach es, h e a lth p ro fe ssio n a ls,
clergy - to inform young people
about the dangers o f underage
and binge drinking. M ost young
people do n ’t know that you can
over dose on alcohol ju st as e a s
ily as you can on other drugs
We ask adults to underscore
the value o f abstinence for kids.
M any kids have not learned tech
niques or answ ers to w ithstand
the pressure o f friends to drink
alcohol.
W e urge adults to explain to
young people o f legal age how to
u se a lc o h o l m o d e ra te ly as a
com plem ent to a meal and at social
gatherings or celebrations. M any
d o n ’t know that a 12-ounce can o f
b eer has the sam e am ount o fa lc o
hol as a shot o f w hiskey or a 5-
ounce glass o f wine.
O ur goal is to help create a
healthy alcohol-free adolescence
for every child in O regon. I f we
pay attention now , we may not
have to pay later for enorm ous
and staggering social, econom ic
and health costs caused by the
early use o f alcohol.
Shirley H assberger, OLCC R e
gional M anager, Portland 503-
872-6394
among college students has reached
epidemic levels, and has resulted in
several highly publicized deaths.
It seems almost unbelievable, but
more than 60 percent of male college
athletic team members and more than
40 percent o f female team members
reported binge drinking within two
weeks o f a recent national survey.
Those are frightening numbers by
any standards, and should be a wake
up call to college administrations,
students and their parents.
Gov. John Kitzhaber has pro
claimed April as Alcohol Awareness
Month in Oregon. Alcohol Aware
ness Month is an annual event dur
ing which prevention and treatment
experts, and concerned citizens, do
their best to increase public aware
ness o f the dangers ofalcohol abuse.
This year’s national focus in on
reducing binge drinking, and here in
Oregon w e’re asking people to help
reduce all underage drinking.
The governor recognizes the
im portance o f reducing alcohol
abuse, and specifically has made a
reduction in underage drinking one
o f his priorities.
Like its partner in crime, tobacco,
alcohol is a devastation drug prob
lem in Oregon. Both are insidious,
addictive drugs that are advertised
as ways to help us relax and enjoy life.
In some ways, alcohol can be more
sinister because its short-term effects
can be so sudden and destructive.
Alcohol impairs driving judge
ment, wreaking havoc on our high
ways. Nationwide more than 2,300, or
about 40 percent, o f the motor vehicle
crash deaths among youths 15 to 20
years old were alcohol-related. Often
the victims o f alcohol-related crashes
are innocent drivers and passengers
in other vehicles.
Any family with an alcoholic
knows well how quickly alcohol can
destroy the entire family because of
stress induced by the alcoholic ’ s lack
o f ability to control his or her life.
It will take a major change in our
culture to have a significant impact
on the alcohol problem. For example,
we need to make it socially unaccept
able to drink in connection with sports
and music events, especially where
children are present, and we need to
stop access to alcohol by anyone
under 21.
You can help.
If you’re a parent, set a good ex
ample and talk to your kids. 1 f you use
alcohol, drink in moderation and ex
plain to your kids the importance o f
responsible drinking and that under
age drinking is unacceptable.
And, parent or not, you can help
reduce underage drinking by sup
porting efforts by local coalitions,
schools and law enforcement offi
cials. If you see a minor with alcohol,
report it, and talk to your friends
about the need to stop kids from
getting alcohol.
Information is available from many
sources about how to help. Call the
Oregon Prevention Resource Center
in Salem at 1-800-822-6772. And if
you know some one who needs help
with an alcohol problem, call the O r
egon Partnership at 1-800-923-HELP.
Barbara C imaglio is director o f the
state Office o f Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Programs in the Department
o f Human Resources.
Tobacco-Prevention and Education Efforts
G uest O pinion B y E linor H all
A dministrator of the H ealth D ivision
For people who want kids to grow
up smoke-free, the statistic was as
troubling as it was startling. It showed
that, as early as 1991,6-year-old chi 1-
drencouldidendfyJoeCamelas readily
as Mickey Mouse. Worse, they iden
tified “Old Joe” with tobacco.
Now, however, we also have good
news on the tobacco-recognition front.
In the first two years that the state
Health Division has run ads warning of
tobacco’s dangers, w e’ve found that
74 percent of adults and 84 percent of
teens recall one or more ofthem. This is
a phenomenally high rate of recall.
The ads include the billboard in
which one cowboy says to the other,
“Bob, I’ve got emphysema,” and a
TV ad about a woman who, because
ofthroat cancer, now smokes through
a hole in her throat.
Using new tobacco-tax revenues from
voter-approved Measure 44, the state is
spending less than $2.5 million a year on
advertising. This is a lot o f money, to be
sure, but it is dwarfed by the tobacco
industry's estimated $60 million annual
promotion budget in Oregon.
We have a lot more work to do to
stop what Oregon physicians say is
responsible for more than 6,600deaths
annually (the population o f Lincoln
City on the coast). About one in four
Oregonians smoke, including an es
timated 60,000 children and teens.
Here’s some ofO regon’s progress
in the past two years:
•35,000 fewer Oregonians are
smoking.
•Oregon’s annual tobacco con
sumption is down 500 million ciga
rettes, or about 11 percent.
■600 lives and $ 150 million ayear
will be saved in Oregon’s future for
each year this reduction is sustained.
W hat is behind these results?
Besides the advertising people in all
36 counties have formed tobacco-
free coalitions.
In Josephine County, for example,
coalition members distributed mate
rials at the annual Boatnik parade.
Clackamas County published a guide
to smoke-free restaurants. Benton
County defended a new no-smoking
ordinance for worksites and indoor
public places. Douglas County de
veloped information for restaurateurs
wanting to go smoke-free.
Wasco-Sherman honored a local
billboard company for not accepting
tobacco advertising. D eschutes
County produced a local TV show
called “Smoking: Truth or Dare. "And
several coalitions sponsored appear
ances by former Winston cigarettes
model David Goerlitz.
Across Oregon, students in 57
school districts are receiving a com
prehensive program that includes a
prevention curriculum, school poli
cies, family involvement, staff train
ing and help to quit.
An amazingly high number of
smokers, 75 percent, say they want to
quit. The tobacco Prevention and
Education Program will help them.
Part o f tobacco-tax revenue is being
used foratoll-free “quitline” : 1 (877)
270-STOP. The line received 1,500
calls in January alone.
Only a few days ago, the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Pre
vention issued the first national sci
entific review ofOregon’s effort. The
CDC concluded that Oregon’s suc
cesses come from a combination o f
these stepped-up efforts to make the
public aware o f tobacco’s hazards
and an increased tobacco tax. Itcalled
Oregon’s program a national model.
Although the manufacturer agreed
to stop using Joe Camel to promote
smoking, the well-advertised figure
will undoubtedly long be a recog
nized tobacco icon.
We seek recognition o f a different
sort: to ensure that Oregonians who
don’t smoke know it pays not to start;
that Oregonians who do smoke rec
ognize the deadly consequences; and
that Oregonians who want to quit
understand that help is available.
Elinor Hall is administrator o f the
Health Division in the Oregon De
partment o f Human Resources, the
state’s health and human services
agency. I f you want a copy o f a fuller
report about Oregon’s Tobacco Pre
vention and Education Program, write
Hall at 800 N.E. Oregon St., No. 21,
Portland97232.
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