The National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine has released a report on underage drinking. It outlines strategies for preventing drinking problems in children and teenagers. The report comes a week after lawmakers and the governor agreed on the state’s biennial budget. As New Hampshire Public Radio’s Raquel Maria Dillon reports, the national recommendations put the state budget in a new light.
When Lisa Mure (Moo-RE) taught high school, she overheard her students’ stories about beer parties. She saw them come to class hung over and apathetic. And she worried…
MURE :14 what made me nervous was I didn’t see anybody talking about the problem and yet I saw it everyday with a significant # of my students. And parents weren’t saying this is not ok.
Now Mure tries to inform teenagers that underage, binge drinking is not only illegal – it’s harmful, and addictive. She’s now the project coordinator for Linwood-Newfound-Pennybaker Community Coalition. She coordinates early intervention programs for teens who’ve been caught drinking.
MURE :12 if we didn’t have that these kids would just get a fine down at the courthouse, be out of school for 10 days if it was a school violation, not getting education that might help them make a different choice.
Local studies show that one in four New Hampshire high school students have their first alcoholic drink before the age of 13. (That’s not counting a sip of wine at a family event.) Mure says kids who start drinking younger are more likely to develop alcohol abuse problems. But there are few treatment options, especially in northern New Hampshire.
MURE :10 Our agencies are always strapped for money so every time they get hit the services get cut back and the waiting list for treatment gets even longer.
BUNKER :05 at least 14 treatment programs in NH have closed in the past 10 years.
John Bunker is president of New Futures, a non-profit anti-drug and alcohol abuse organization. Bunker says insurance companies are less likely to cover those treatment programs these days. They’re under pressure from employers to keep healthcare premiums down. He says fewer treatment options affects kids in two ways:
BUNKER :15 they don’t have opp to get help they need for their own problems. They restrict the opportunity for parents who probably also may have a problem with drug and alcohol abuse as well.
In New Hampshire underage drinking rates are consistently higher than national averages. But the state spends only half the national per capita average for alcohol services.
BRUNING :12 our budget didn’t get cut as much as many in part because we have gotten historically so little money. We are a very small budget in terms of the state budget picture.
Alice Bruning is in charge of drug and alcohol prevention programs in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Recovery. She says between her office and the governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, the state spends about 2 million dollars per year on prevention programs.
The Institute of Medicine’s report says state and federal government should spend more on community-based alcohol abuse prevention programs. It also recommends hiking excise rates on alcohol, especially beer.
BRUNING :15 it will be very difficult for us to meet expectations of this report and other best practice guidelines for alcohol and drug prevention with resources we have.
State spending dropped even further this budget cycle. A few years ago, Senate Bill 153 earmarked a percentage of state liquor revenue for alcohol prevention programs. According to the formula, the fund was supposed to get about 4 million dollars. But this year only about 900-thousand dollars went into the fund for community prevention programs.
John Bunker of New Futures says the state needs to fund more alcohol abuse prevention and treatment. But he adds that parents, teachers, and store owners, need to get involved too.
BUNKER :11 it’s underage drinking that we’re concerned about, and that’s a youth issue. But it’s adults who produce advertise, distribute, and provide alcohol to youth.
In Plymouth, Lisa Mure says her coalition has had success on a local level, especially with a program called Project Monitor.
MURE :15 we started it 2 years ago in Plymouth area and it’s an anonymous tip line for people to call in about underage drinking parties. It’s been really successful. We’ve had a handful of parties that have been thwarted by people calling in.
Mure says parents need to recognize that alcohol abuse isn’t a teenage rite of passage, it’s a dangerous unhealthy problem.
For NHPR News, I’m RMD.
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