Talk It Up. Lock It Up!™ North Carolina Preventing Underage Drinking Initiative (NC PUDI)

NC PUDI has created the Talk It Up. Lock It Up!™ initiative to address the issue of underage alcohol access in private homes. We are asking adults to make their home a NO underage drinking zone by monitoring and securing their alcohol at home. What is Talk It Up. Lock It Up!™

Why Talk It Up. Lock It Up!™? Many youth access alcohol in the place that they should be the safest; home! The most common sources of alcohol for youth under the age of 21 is taking it from their, or someone else’s, home.

Underage Drinking in North Carolina

North Carolina students in grades 9-12 reported: 34.3% had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasions in the past 30 days. 17.6% had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (binge drinking) in the past 30 days. 18.2% had their first drink of alcohol before age 13.

Costs of Underage Drinking Underage drinking cost the citizens of North Carolina $1.5 billion in 2010.

Harms of Underage Drinking During 2009, an estimated 41 traffic fatalities and 1,693 nonfatal traffic injuries were attributable to driving after underage drinking in NC. In 2009, an estimated 60 homicides; 26,800 nonfatal violent crimes such as rape, robbery and assault; and 67,400 property crimes including burglary, larceny, and car theft were attributable to underage drinking in NC.

Affect on Youth Youth who start drinking before age 15 are 5 times more likely to develop an alcohol abuse problem Until the early twenties, the brain continues to develop and alcohol exposure at that time damages the parts of it that control cognitive abilities. Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.

Why Focus on HOME?

Where is access happening? 56% of underage drinkers got their alcohol from someone else’s home and 29% of underage drinkers accessed alcohol from their own home. In fact, 2/3 of teens, aged 13-18, said it is easy to get alcohol from their homes without adults knowing about it.

Who controls the home? As an adult, you have a critical role in shaping the habits of the children in your care. Research states that your talking to youth, disapproving of the behavior, and taking action to prevent it is a huge factor in whether or not the youth around you will use alcohol.

What can adults do? Know the number of drinks you have, where they are, and how much is in them. Regularly check to make sure that no alcohol has been taken. Make sure that alcohol is never located where small children could accidently drink it Alcohol should be secured in places not accessible by youth – i.e. Locked coolers, mini-refrigerators, cabinets, etc.

What can adults do? This access is 100% preventable with small actions from monitoring alcohol to securing alcohol in places unreachable by youth.

Consequences to Adults A person under the age of 21 caught purchasing, attempting to purchase or possessing alcohol will be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor. Sentencing is left to the judge's discretion. The Division of Motor Vehicles revokes that person's driver's license. A 19 or 20-year-old caught possessing beer or wine can be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor and if found guilty could be fined up to $200 and lose his or her driver's license. For the first offense, a person convicted of selling or providing alcohol to someone under the age of 21 must pay a $250 fine plus $100 in court costs and do 25 hours of community service. Reference: NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety Based on GS 18B-302, 18B-302.1

Consequences to Adults For the second offense, a person convicted of selling or providing alcohol to a minor must pay a $500 fine plus court costs, and do 25 hours of community service work. In addition to fines and court costs, those convicted of breaking the state alcohol laws may have to pay attorney's fees and an increased insurance premium of 400% or more. It is illegal for anyone to loan his or her ID to someone else to obtain alcohol. Upon conviction, DMV will revoke the loaner's driver's license for a year. Reference: NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety Based on GS 18B-302, 18B-302.1

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