Each year in Georgia, approximately 158 deaths are attributed to excessive alcohol use by individuals under 21. In our state, alcohol is the drug of choice among youth and consumption isn’t just limited to college and high school students. In 2011, 34 percent of Georgia’s middle school students reported having at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days.

With so much at stake for our children, we need to put more emphasis on teaching them the dangers of alcohol before they ever pick up that first drink.

We recently unveiled a new campaign in your community aimed at preventing underaged drinking. The goal of "Give Yourself a Chance" is to educate local youth on the risks associated with alcohol use and empower them to resist the pressure to drink they often get from peers and media messages. This campaign is funded by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

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Additional Resources

Youth Health Information including topics on Adderall, alcohol, cold medicine, OxyContin and medical marijuana (courtesy of Drug Watch).