Boys & Girls Clubs of Mitchell County receives an alcohol prevention grant and our goals are to help reduce the early onset of alcohol use among 9-20 year olds as well as reduce access. We continue conducting a Positive Social Norms strategy within the communities of Thomasville and Camilla to raise public awareness and understanding about underage youth alcohol use and abuse, which has short-term and long-term effects. We also want to encourage our youth to make healthy and safe choices.

I hope everyone is practicing safety as we maneuver through this critical time.
       
We have been asked to practice “social distancing” because of the Coronavirus, in addition, let us help our underage youth practice “social distancing from alcohol”. Make no mistake, youth are exposed to alcohol, and they are curious about it; maybe now more than ever because schools are closed, majority of them are home alone and/or with other youth each day as the Coronavirus becomes more prevalent in our community. We are asking parents to talk with their youth, they will listen, before they are presented with the option to drink or not to drink. It is crucial to arm them with the information they need to make the right decisions: Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix. Youth need to know that not only does alcohol affect their developing brains, but it’s also illegal to consume before the age of 21. It is important to have these conversations early and often, building a strong relationship with your youth so the conversations about responsibility continue as they grow up.

Alcohol is an addictive drug and can cause brain damage and lead to many other health conditions.  There are negative consequences with underage drinking, which includes, but not limited to unsafe sexual activity, unintended pregnancy, drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, violent crimes, date rape, and suicide.  In large quantities, alcohol can kill. The earlier one starts to use alcohol, the more likely he/she is to become dependent on or abuse alcohol as well as become addicted (www.cdc.gov).  As adults/parents, one of our tasks is to talk with and educate our youth about drinking alcohol.  Education alone won’t eliminate alcohol use/abuse, but it will certainly help to develop a prevention plan and to identify a potential problem before it gets out of control.