Thanks to Susie Amundson for passing along these educational opportunities for SPF SIG grantees!

Underage Drinking Costs:

Tragic health, social, and economic problems result from the use of alcohol by youth. According to the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center (UDETC), underage drinking is a causal factor in a host of serious problems, including homicide, suicide, traumatic injury, drowning, and high-risk sex, to name a few. In addition, underage drinking cost U.S. taxpayers $62.0 billion in 2010 alone. Check out UDECT’s analysis of problems and costs associated with underage drinking in the U.S. and find out the consequences of underage drinking in Alaska at http://www.udetc.org/UnderageDrinkingCosts.asp

What Is A Social Host?

All of us have overheard adults say that they’d rather their teenagers drink at an adult-chaperoned home than on a back road or a beach. Adults who host parties where alcohol is served to youth on their property are dubbed social hosts. In efforts to hold adults responsible for contributing to illegal and unhealthy underage drinking, some communities are adopting social host ordinances. Because after all, underage drinking is also very much an adult problem! For up-to-date information and resources related to social hosting, check out MADD’s link at http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/social-host