Alcohol is the drug of choice among America's youth. And when youth drink, they tend to drink heavily. Underage drinkers consume on average four to five drinks per occasion about five times a month. By comparison, adult drinkers ages 26 and older consume on average two to three drinks per occasion about nine times a month. Underage drinking can result in a range of adverse short- and long-term consequences, including academic and/or social problems;physical problems such as hangovers or illnesses;unwanted, unintended, and unprotected sexual activity;physical and sexual assault;memory problems;increased risk of suicide and homicide;alcohol-related car crashes;unintentional injuries from burns, falls, and drownings;and death from alcohol poisoning. Research has shown that starting to drink at an early age is associated with alcohol dependence and related problems during adult life. Data from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Study indicate that among persons who began drinking before the age of 14, 45% developed diagnosable alcohol dependence later in life, compared with 10% of persons who waited to start drinking until they were 21 or older. The military has long recognized that alcohol use can have substantial negative effects on the health, productivity, and welfare of its personnel, as well as decreasing the military's ability to carry out its mission. And because of the special conditions of military life, such as living away from family and friends or working in high-risk environments, alcohol use rates may be higher among military personnel than among civilians, and the negative effects associated with this use may be correspondingly higher. Each military Service has developed its own alcohol prevention and treatment programs, based on the unique needs and circumstances of its personnel. Air Force leadership, for example, acknowledges the health and safety consequences of alcohol abuse among its personnel and has made combating this problem a top priority. Underlying all Air Force efforts in this regard is the fundamental recognition that alcohol misuse is incompatible with Air Force core values and represents a threat to Air Force missions, morale, and discipline. Air Force personnel most at risk for alcohol abuse are the junior enlisted Airmen, ages 17 to 24. While this population comprises only one-third of the Air Force, it accounts for 81% of the Air Force's alcohol-related incidents?.and for the past five years, there has been no decline in these incidents. Heavy drinking and binge drinking are particularly pressing problems;for example, 40% of junior Airmen report that heavy drinking negatively impacts their work performance. In addition to the negative effects of alcohol use on the individual Airman, base commanders are also concerned with the impact of their personnel's drinking on the surrounding communities. This use of alcohol affects these communities in a number of ways. For example, although drinking often has a positive impact on selected businesses in the neighboring communities (e.g., bars, restaurants, and nightclubs), alcohol abuse can have negative impacts, as well -- the most common problems are underage drinking, crime, vandalism, public disturbances, noise, fights, physical attacks, traffic crashes, and drunk driving. Other costs to the community include added demands on social services, including emergency room transports and extra police patrols. NIAAA's research on college drinking has identified several strategies that may be effective in addressing drinking in the military environment. Campus/community coalitions, for example, are similar to those between military bases and their surrounding communities, and the issues that college presidents and base commanders deal with that involve their neighboring communities are virtually identical. The Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) issued a solicitation, ?Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Discretionary Program: Grants awarded in response to this solicitation seek to reduce the availability of alcoholic beverages to, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages by, persons who are serving in the United States Air Force and are under the age of 21. OJJDP has awarded grants to 4 states in response to this solicitation: Arizona, California, Montana, and Hawaii. Each state has identified an Air Force base(s) that will participate in this project, forming coalitions with their surrounding communities. Work performed under this contract will include the evaluation of all activities developed at each of the sites mentioned above.
