Newsletter Special Edition:
April is Alcohol Awareness Month!
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SAPCA Recognizes Alcohol Awareness Month
April is Alcohol Awareness Month in the United States. Are you aware that most teenagers in the City of Alexandria do not use alcohol? From 2011 to 2019, teen alcohol use decreased 52%. That is a trend to get behind!
With the help of caring adults such as parents, coaches, neighbors, teachers, employers, and youth group leaders, youth will continue to choose themselves and their futures instead of choosing alcohol. How? By talking with trusted adults about stressors -- such as friends, mental health, and school -- that can impact their choices.
School is stressful. Pressure to do well comes from parents, peers, teachers, and post-graduation employers and colleges. Instead of dismissing school-related stress (or adding to it) consider working together to address stress by supporting youth to manage their time to best plan and prepare for studying, tests, and big projects. Time management strategies should include periods of rest and relaxation, which teens' developing brains need in order to recover and build resiliency.
Mental health concerns for youth have increased tremendously since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Loneliness, anxiety about health, and concern for their community and the world have many young people feeling weighed down. This month and year-round, check in with teens in your life regularly and connect them to a licensed counselor or therapist if needed.
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True or False: Alcohol affects your brain’s development.
True. The human brain is not fully developed until age 25. Even small amounts of alcohol impact brain development. How much alcohol affects brain development is different for every person and varies based on several factors, including family history, traumatic life experiences, and decision making.
True or False: Alcohol use can lead to other drug use.
True. One of the reasons that alcohol use is regulated by law is that drinking alcohol can cause people to say or do things they might ordinarily never do. Drinking to excess can also lead to the use of other drugs. You may not believe it, but because attitudes and behaviors become distorted when alcohol is consumed, drinking alcohol can lead to making other choices that may impact your health, relationships, and future.
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Own Your Personal Power -- Get Involved!
Alcohol Awareness Month is a great opportunity to learn the facts about the health, legal, and social consequences of alcohol use. SAPCA invites youth, parents, and other caring adults to help recognize Alcohol Awareness by:
Together, we can ensure that youth in Alexandria have the information and tools to make informed choices about their health and future so they can thrive today, tomorrow and in the future.
To learn about other ways to support local efforts to prevent youth substance use and misuse, contact Emma Beall at emma.beall@alexandriava.gov
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Surround Yourself With Like-Minded Peers
Take a look around you. Are you surrounded by supportive and kind friends, or by people who pressure you to say or do things that make you feel uncomfortable?
Having a great group of friends with whom you share values and beliefs is a great way to stay alcohol-free. Unsure where to start? Talk to a parent or another trusted adult so you can brainstorm ways to surround yourself with friends that will support you to be your best self.
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Practice Saying "No"
The word "no" is a short sentence, but it can be very difficult to say. Practicing saying no, just like studying algebra and perfecting your jump shot, will improve your performance.
If someone asks you to make a decision that could impact your health, safety, or future, say no and suggest an alternative. For example, "No. Let's go to the park and kick the ball around." Or, "No. Let's go grab some pizza."
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Supportive Adults Are the Best Role Models
Children and teens notice what adults say and do -- even if it seems like their attention is focused elsewhere. In addition to discussing the facts and consequences of youth alcohol use, it is important that parents and caring adults model healthy decision-making. Today is the day to begin having conversations with the youth in your life to prevent youth alcohol use, together.
- Tell the truth about the risks of youth alcohol use to set youth up for success. Since the brain is not fully developed until age 25, teens that use alcohol are more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder. Additionally, individuals with a family history of alcohol use disorder are five times more likely to develop a substance use disorder themselves.
- Remind youth that when they go to a friend's house, you expect them to say "no" if offered a drink that contains alcohol.
- Think about what you'll say if a teen asks, "Can I have a sip of your drink?" Consider talking with other adults in your life, including family and friends, to make sure you are all in agreement about how to respond to this question.
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U.S. deaths involving alcohol rose 25.5% during the first year of the pandemic, a new study finds.
In contrast, the average annual increase in alcohol-related deaths between 1999 and 2017 was 2.2%, CNN reports. In 2020, there were 99,107 alcohol-related deaths, including motor vehicle crashes that occurred as a result of driving under the influence of alcohol. In 2019, there were 78,927 alcohol-related deaths.
“We’re not surprised. It’s unfortunate, but we sort of expected to see something like this,” said lead study author Aaron White of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “It’s not uncommon for people to drink more when they’re under more duress, and obviously, the pandemic brought a lot of added stress to people’s lives. In addition to that, it reduced a lot of the normal outlets people have for coping with stress, [like] social support and access to gyms.”
While this information is difficult to process, it is imperative to understand if we want to maintain past local data trends highlighting that the majority of youth in Alexandria do not use alcohol.
In response to stress, sometimes individuals turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. We as a community need to plan, support, and promote activities and programs that don’t include alcohol. Here are several positive activities families can enjoy together this month:
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Check out SAPCA's "I don't drink because..." prevention campaign. Alexandria City High School students created these short videos to encourage youth to be alcohol free. The videos also reinforce and raise awareness of the social norm that the majority of youth in Alexandria do not drink alcohol, a trend to get behind.
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Solve clues in SAPCA's Alcohol Awareness Month Scavenger Hunt by May 6 to receive a SAPCA swag bag and be entered into a raffle for a $50 Target gift card!
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Spread the word about SAPCA's Alcohol Awareness Month Art Contest open to middle and high school students. Entries are due by May 6 at 11:59 p.m. Three winning entries will be selected to receive a SAPCA swag bag and a $25 gift card!
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Parents & Caring Adults Make All the Difference
Did you know that parents are the most powerful influence on their child's behavior? No, really! Research suggests that children that have strong relationships with their parents and discuss topics openly and honestly are less likely to use alcohol.
Here are some tips on cultivating communication windows with your child:
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Have dinner together. Sitting at the dinner table, with phones away, gives everyone the opportunity to talk about their day, what is stressing them out, and what brings them joy. For more information on making family meals an easy weekly event, visit The Family Dinner Project.
- Need to have a difficult conversation? Go for a walk together to reduce distractions from phones, TVs, or other screens. Also, the neutral territory and lack of eye contact can make the difficult conversation seem less threatening.
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Be a positive role model. Want your child to read books for pleasure, instead of only reading assigned texts? Pick up the newest book by your favorite author. Want your children to eat their vegetables? Ask them for help in mixing up your favorite salad. The same goes for drinking alcohol. If you want your children to treat alcohol with respect, model responsible adult alcohol use.
- Share power by involving children in decision making. Work together to plan meals for the week, ask for help completing your grocery list, or involve them in the cooking process.
To further show that you want a relationship based on trust and openness, consider signing a family agreement on avoiding alcohol, available in English and Spanish. Check out the sample pledge below as one tool to start the discussion about healthy-decision making with your child.
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Did you know that drinking alcohol affects your brain?
Check out this YouTube video from Ask, Listen, Learn to explore alcohol's impact on the developing teen brain. |
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COVID-19 Reminders
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) strongly urge everyone to help end the pandemic by wearing a mask over both your nose and mouth, washing your hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. Approximately 1 in 20 Alexandrians who have tested positive for COVID-19 have required hospitalization, so without these critical steps, additional lives may be at risk. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Every Alexandrian can take precautions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Learn more about how to protect yourself and those around you at alexandriava.gov/coronavirus
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Emma Beall, MPH
SAPCA Coordinator
O: 703.746.3670
C: 571.302.1022
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Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria
123 N Pitt St, Suite 225
Alexandria, VA 22314
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