[brendascott]

Research has shown that young people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop a dependence on alcohol than those who start drinking at age 21.

Since youths are faced with ongoing decisions about alcohol use, helping them become confident about delaying the onset of use is critical to establishing lasting changes in their behaviors and attitudes about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. That is why most high schools have an alcohol awareness group to discourage underage drinking.

Different programs have been placed in many of the high schools in the U.S. and typically involve teaching underage drinking prevention as a part of general curriculum. Most groups use teen-on-teen discussions about how to prevent drunk driving. They watch movies, listen to testimonies and read stories of accidents that have happened as a result of underage drinking.

According to principals, using an alcohol awareness group to clearly outline students’ goals, has helped their high schools reduce the number of accidents that occur, create responsible students, improve classroom performance and heighten the rate of graduates.


Setting Goals

Most of the curriculum in high school awareness classes centers on individual goals and how to achieve them. It encourage healthy-negative concepts to encourage young teens to change the way they think about and deal with underage drinking, it promotes teens who make more responsible choices when it comes to alcohol consumption, and it gives students the opportunity to look at the real-world social and legal consequences that involve teens and alcohol.

These programs help teenagers see the real truth about underage drinking through dramatic court cases that are exposed such as: accidents and injuries caused by intoxication, vandalism and assault fueled caused by underage drinking and the impact on future success and well-being that alcohol can have on an underage drinker.

Most importantly, the programs are targeted to all students, whether they participate in drinking or not. It is an excellent method to encourage the disuse of alcohol and drugs for students abusing them, and it is a critical deterrent for students who have yet to start.