1. THE SCOPE OF ALCOHOL PREVENTION IN KENTUCKY
Adolescence is a time of heightened risk-taking and as alcohol and drugs enter the picture, parents are faced with a unique set of challenges. They can simply sit back and hope their kids will “get through it,” or they can take an active role in learning about alcohol and drugs and helping their kids do the same.
Research has shown that kids who have conversations with their parents and learn a lot about the dangers of alcohol and drug use are 50% less likely to use these substances than those who don’t have such conversations.
The longer children delay drinking and drug use, the less likely they are to develop any problems associated with it. That’s why it is so important to help your child connect the dots and make smart decisions about alcohol and drugs.”
Tara McGuire
Alcohol Prevention Enhancement Site, Bluegrass Prevention Center
Facebook.com/KYPrevention
Twitter.com/KYPrevention

2. Enhance prevention of underage drinking w/ resources & training
 ALCOHOL PES MISSION:
Enhance prevention of underage drinking w/ resources & training
Empower communities to implement policies at the local level that will have a positive, lasting effect
AUDIENCE: We serve ALL of Kentucky including coalitions, prevention professionals, educators, law enforcement, governmental officials, parents, coaches and our youth
The Alcohol Prevention Enhancement Site serves all of Kentucky’s 120 counties, and maintains a website and social media pages and

3. 14 Regional Prevention Centers
Kentucky Alcohol Prevention & Enforcement
State, Regional & Local Resources:
14 Regional Prevention Centers
The KY Department of Behavioral Health Prevention & Promotion Branch funds…
14 Regional Prevention Centers
6 topic focused PES (Prevention Enhancement Sites) serving 120 counties statewide: Faith-Based, Substance Exposed Infants, Marijuana, Tobacco, Suicide and Alcohol
A list and hyperlinks to these and numerous other KY Alcohol Prevention and Enforcement State, Regional and Local Resources is available at
6 PES SITES: Alcohol, Marijuana, Tobacco, Suicide,
Faith-based, & Substance Exposed Infants

4. PROBLEM: Alcohol remains the most widely abused substance among young people in Kentucky.
KIP (Kentucky Incentives for Prevention) is a statewide self-reported survey of youth in the 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades conducted every two years by REACH of Louisville, Inc.
ATOD means Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use

5. THE MAJORITY OF KY YOUTH
ARE NOT DRINKING!

6. Alcohol effects the Individual, Family and Community
Underage Drinking’s Risks
Death youth in U.S. per year (CDC 2013)
Brain Damage (NIH 2013)
Memory Loss = 12% (KIP 10th Gd. 2016)
Alcohol Dependence (NIH 2013)
DEATH – KY passed a Medical Amnesty Law in 2013, meaning that if an individual calls 911 during an alcohol emergency (ex.- suspected alcohol poisoning) and corporates with emergency personnel, they will not be charged with state offenses as Providing Alcohol to a Minor, Minor in Possession of Alcohol or Public Intoxication
BRAIN - Alcohol affects the structure and function of the brain as it develops, particularly the neural connections in the brain’s reward pathway. The brain develops until about age 21 to 25.
MEMORY LOSS - Often good intentioned parents believe they are keeping their kids safe by “taking away the keys” and allowing youth to drink inside their home. However, the youth indicated on the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Statewide Survey memory loss or blacking out was the most common reported consequence of their drinking/drug use; whereas, car crashes were the least reported consequence.
ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE – Age of onset of drinking prior to age 21 substantially increases the risk of alcohol dependency later in life. Youth who begin drinking prior to age 15, are 4 times more likely to become alcohol dependent than those who wait until they are at least 21.
Consequences of Underage Drinking (CDC, 2017)
Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience
School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades.
Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities.
Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk.
Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses.
Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity.
Disruption of normal growth and sexual development.
Physical and sexual assault.
Higher risk for suicide and homicide.
Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning.
Memory problems.
Abuse of other drugs.
Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects.
Death from alcohol poisoning.
KYPrevention.com

7. 320 deaths (23% of all KY overdose deaths)
Alcohol Overdose in Kentucky….
320 deaths (23% of all KY overdose deaths)
were attributed to alcohol overdoses
~KY Office of the State Medical Examiner Report, 2016
Explain these are more than just numbers. Each number represents an individual’s, a family’s, a community’s story.
Tell a story about consequences related to underage drinking if one is available from your experience.

8. FY17 KY ALCOHOL-RELATED POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Lifetime Alcohol Use by Youth: Decreased 5.9% (KY YRBS, )
Alcohol 30-Day Use: Decreased 1.6%, & were below the national average (KIP 10th Gd., ; Monitoring the Futures, 2016)
Binge Drinking in Past 2-Weeks: Decreased 1.6% (KIP 10th Gd., )
18-25 Year Olds Who Reported Past 30-Day Binge Drinking: Decreased 2% (CDC KY BRFSS Report, )
Youth Ease of Access to Alcohol: Decreased 2.8% (KIP 10th Gd., )
#Teenage Drivers involved in Alcohol-related Collisions: Decreased by 7 (KSP, )
Total Alcohol Related Collisions: Decreased 1% (KSP, )
STATE OF ALCOHOL PREVENTION IN KY – KY alcohol-related outcomes achieved:
KY 10th grade alcohol 30-day use decreased by 1.6 percentage points in 2016 (19.4%) vs (21.0%) (KIP Survey by REACH, Inc., ). KY youth 30-day alcohol use according to another survey decreased by 1.9 percentage points in 2015 (28.5%) vs (30.4%) (KY Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, ).
KY 10th grade binge drinking in the last two weeks decreased by 1.6 percentage points in 2016 (10.4%) vs (12.0%) (KIP Survey by REACH, Inc., ). KY youth binge drinking according to another statewide survey decreased by 1.7 percentage points between 2015 (17.7%) and 2013 (19.4%) (KY Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, ).
The KY 10th grade alcohol 30-day use (19.4%) 2016 rates (KIP, 2016) were below the 2016 national average (19.9%) (Monitoring the Futures Study, 2016).
KY 10th grade youth access to alcohol decreased by 2.8 percentage points in 2016 (51.5%) vs (54.3%) according to youth self reported data if they wanted to get some alcohol it would be "sort of easy" or "very easy" to access (KIP Survey by REACH, Inc., ).
KY adults who reported binge drinking decreased 0.7 percentage points between 2015 (12.7%) and 2014 (13.4%) (CDC KY BRFSS Report, ); and was substantially below the national median percentage in both years. These are the most recent years of data available for this survey.
KY year olds who reported high-risk binge drinking in the last 30 days decreased by 2 percentage points between 2015 (32%) and 2014 (34%) (National Survey on Drug Use & Health; CDC KY BRFSS Report, ). These are the most recent years of data available for this survey.
The number of teenage drivers involved in alcohol-related collisions decreased by 7 between 2015 (283) and 2014 (290) according to the most recent available State Police reported data (KSP Traffic Collisions Report, ).
(8) 4,269 alcohol-related collisions occurred on KY roadways, killing 175 and injuring 2072 in 2015; however, the percent of total alcohol-related collisions decreased by 1%, the total killed increased by 12%, and the total injured remained unchanged from the previous year according to the most recent available Kentucky State Police (KSP) Report (KSP Traffic Collisions Facts Report, ).
(9) Lifetime alcohol use by KY youth has decreased by 5.9 percentage points between 2015 (56.8%) and 2013 (62.7%) (KY Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, ). *See Appendix G KY YRBS
(10) The percentage of alcohol retailers checked found in-compliance by refusing to sell alcohol to youth under-21 when checked during the KY Alcoholic Beverage Control's (KY ABC) Operation Zero Tolerance Compliance Check operations increased by 1 percentage point between 2016 (88%) and 2015 (87%); and increased during the same period in 9 of 14 KY regions and in 40 of the 67 KY counties checked in (KY ABC, ). *See Appendix D - Compliance Checks RPCs and Appendix E - Compliance Checks by County

9. MUCH STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE
DESPITE THESE POSITIVE OUTCOMES….
MUCH STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE
Alcohol remains the most widely abused substance among young people (KIP, 2016)
1 in 2 youth say alcohol is easy to access (KIP 10th Gd., 2016 )
1 in 5 youth reported alcohol use, & 1 in 7 said they'd been drunk in the last 30-days (KIP 10th Gd., 2016)
5.5% of adults reported heavy drinking; & 12.7% reported binge drinking (KY BRFSS, 2015)
320 alcohol overdose deaths (23% of all KY overdose deaths) occurred in 2016 = 96 more alcohol overdose deaths than in 2015 (KY Office of Drug Control Policy Report via the State Medical Examiner Report, )
On average, an alcohol-related crash occurs in KY every 4 hours, & one person dies as result every 2 days (KSP, 2015)
Despite these positive outcomes achieved, much still needs to be done to reduce underage and high risk alcohol use and related negative consequences in Kentucky.
(1) Alcohol remains the most widely abused substance among young people in grades 8, 10, and 12 in Kentucky (KIP Survey by REACH, Inc., 2016). *See Appendix F KIP Survey
(2) Alcohol was listed among the top statewide most frequently detected drugs in the blood of drug related death victims in 2013 (182 deaths and 25% of all KY overdose deaths detected alcohol), 2014 (224 deaths and 28% of all KY overdose deaths detected alcohol), and 2016 (320 deaths and 23% of all KY overdose deaths with toxicology data available (1,404 total overdose deaths) detected alcohol (ethanol) (KY Office of Drug Control Policy Report via the State Medical Examiner Report, ).
(3) 1 in 2 (52%) KY 10th graders and 2 in 3 (67%) of 12th graders say alcohol is easy to access (KIP Survey by REACH, Inc., 2016). *See Appendix F KIP Survey
(4) 1 in 5 (19%) KY 10th graders reported alcohol use, and 1 in 7 (16.5%) said they'd been drunk in the last 30-days (KIP Survey by REACH, Inc., 2016). *See Appendix F KIP Survey
(5) The Kentucky Plan for Coordinated Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion showed Kentuckians experience a high burden of chronic diseases compared to the nation overall, and indicated excessive alcohol use as a modifiable risk factor for 5 of the 10 indicated chronic diseases listed; including, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes. In 2015, 5.5% of Kentucky adults reported heavy drinking (vs. 5.9% nationwide); 12.7% reported binge drinking (vs. 16.0% nationwide); 33.9% have doctor-diagnosed arthritis (vs. 26.0% nationwide); 6.0% have coronary heart disease (vs. 4.2% nationwide); and 12.5% have diabetes (vs. 10.0% nationwide) (KY BRFSS Survey, 2015).

10. Great things don’t just happen… They are made to happen.
WHAT CAN SCHOOLS/ COMMUNITIES DO?
KYPrevention.com has a lot of great resources – sample projects and research
The Alcohol PES is available to provide technical assistance and training on implementation of evidenced-based cost-effective prevention initiatives
Focus on evidenced-based prevention that decreases risk and increases protective factors or resiliency for youth
Expand beyond one-time events (ex- classroom presentations), scare tactics (ex- mock crash exhibits or ghost outs), and awareness only campaigns (Ex- when youth are faced with life decisions about drugs they’re not going to think back to the socks they wore during Red Ribbon Week’s Crazy Socks Day- ha ha) to ensure all prevention strategies conducted are a part of a comprehensive long-term approach
Tara McGuire
Alcohol Prevention Enhancement Site, Bluegrass Prevention Center
Facebook.com/KYPrevention
Twitter.com/KYPrevention