skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, September 25, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Nevada organization calls for greater Latino engagement in politics; Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to change course on transgender rights; Nebraska Tribal College builds opportunity 'pipelines,' STEM workforce.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

House Republicans deadlock over funding days before the government shuts down, a New Deal-style jobs training program aims to ease the impacts of climate change, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas appeared at donor events for the right-wing Koch network.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An Indigenous project in South Dakota seeks to protect tribal data sovereignty, advocates in North Carolina are pushing back against attacks on public schools, and Arkansas wants the hungriest to have access to more fruits and veggies.

VA Group Voices Concerns about Underage Drinking

play audio
Play

Friday, April 14, 2023   

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Virginia groups are doing their part to educate people about alcohol abuse.

The state ranked 22nd for excessive drinking in the latest America's Health Rankings report. Around 17% of Virginia adults say they've had bouts with binge-drinking more than once a month, which lines up with the national average.

Experts also worry about underage drinking. In the 2022 Monitoring the Future survey, more than half of high school seniors said they had a drink in the past year.

Barrye Price, president and CEO of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, is not surprised, since minors have easy access to alcohol.

"If you say, 'what do most houses have?' It's not cigarettes, you know, it's not marijuana, but most houses have alcohol," Price pointed out. "Beer in the fridge, wine and spirits, and I don't know anybody who doesn't have a bar in their house."

He added parents could lock up the liquor the way they would a firearm, but it appears the pandemic lowered parents' guard with underage drinking. A 2021 study found 16% of parents who never let their kids have alcohol before the pandemic, relaxed the rules during the shutdowns.

At the federal level, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act provides funding for many programs to inform youths about the dangers of underage drinking. Along with the programs, Price thinks parents are the greatest counteroffensive for keeping kids sober.

"You know, I remember as a kid, when I'd come in, my mother would always want to look me in the face, smell my breath, get close to me, and see if I'd had alcohol," Price recounted. "I tell you that I think we have to continue to do that -- you know, as parents -- to make sure our youth aren't getting involved."

And for adults, the latest federal guidelines recommend drinking alcohol only in moderation, meaning two drinks or fewer per day.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Peter Sussman is among three patients with disabilities who have asked to intervene in a lawsuit challenging California's End of Life Option Act. (Nancy Rubin)

Health and Wellness

play sound

California's medical aid-in-dying law is back in court. Three patients with disabilities and two doctors are asking to intervene in a lawsuit …


Environment

play sound

A new federal jobs program aims to mobilize tens of thousands of young Americans to address the growing threats of climate change. The American …

Social Issues

play sound

Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago says its student body and campus are growing - and so are its options for people to study in STEM fields…


The Student Assistance Program in some Ohio schools connects students with tools in order to remove obstacles to learning, and is now incorporating mental-health resources. (Rosalie Murphy/Kent State NewsLab).

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Nathalia Teixeira for Kent State News Lab.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration…

Social Issues

play sound

Maine's new Office of Affordable Health Care holds its first public hearing this week, and people are being strongly encouraged to participate…

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, about one in five of the young people held in juvenile facilities is awaiting trial and has not been found guilty or delinquent. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The number of children locked behind bars in Alabama has declined, but their advocates said more needs to be done to create alternatives to …

Social Issues

play sound

This coming Saturday, North Dakotans will get a chance to see how election workers go to great lengths to ensure a safe and secure voting process…

Environment

play sound

Scientists at Purdue University have been experimenting to create adhesives designed to be easier on the environment. So many products from …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021