Stop. Think. Don’t let minors drink.

According to a 2019 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 29% of high school students surveyed nationally said that they drank alcohol during the past 30 days and just over 40% reported that someone gave it to them. Unfortunately, both nationally and locally, most teens currently report that it is easy to get alcohol.

In fact, the Milton Coalition’s 2019 Community Assessment found that 73% of Milton high school students surveyed reported that alcohol was easy to get, and older siblings were a primary source. The same assessment also reported that nearly half of Milton parents were unfamiliar with the commonwealth’s “Social Host Liability Law” which holds them legally accountable for serving alcohol to minors.

Studies have found that drinking under the age of 21 is strongly associated with changes in brain development, alcohol dependence later in life, and unintentional injuries, such as car crashes, falls, burns, and drowning. Yet, underage drinking is not inevitable.

One way to prevent teens from drinking is to cut off easy access to alcohol. For example, one approach to reducing alcohol-related problems in youth centers on initiatives aimed at changing not the behavior of youth, but the environment in which drinking occurs, such as local alcohol vendors and restaurants with carry-out service or adults who provide alcohol to minors.

To raise awareness, this upcoming holiday season, many Milton restaurants and liquor stores have partnered with the Milton Coalition to remind adults that alcohol does not belong in the hands of those under 21 through a Sticker Shock Campaign. These Milton liquor stores and restaurants with carry-out service have been including the “Stop. Think. Don’t Let Minors Drink.” stickers on their packaging.

Contributed by Maile Panier-Langer. For more information on talking to youth of all ages about alcohol and drugs, go to the Milton Coalition website at www.milton-coalition.org.