Underage drinking target of town hall meeting

MAT-SU — Local officials and agencies are having a meeting of the minds to brainstorm ideas for curbing underage drinking in the Mat-Su Valley.

The United Way of Mat-Su Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Education Committee, Mat-Su Health Services and Mat-Su Borough School District are co-sponsoring a town hall meeting tonight to raise awareness about underage drinking. Panelists from Governor Palin’s office, the school district, law enforcement and other community groups will attend.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the AT&T Sports Center along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Stephanie Allen, executive director of United Way Mat-Su, said the meeting will be an opportunity for people of all ages to come together and discuss underage drinking in the community. The event is part of a national series of more than 1,600 meetings sponsored by Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson.

“We want to get people involved in making a meaningful, long-term change in our community,” Allen said.

For United Way, the issue came to light following a community survey conducted in 2005 by the McDowell Group. With three of the top concerns residents voiced being related to substance and alcohol abuse, it became clear there is a serious problem in the Valley, Allen said.

With that in mind, the United Way and other organizations teamed to create the United Way of Mat-Su Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Education Committee. About 40 organizations are involved and the coalition includes members from the behavioral health, law enforcement and education sectors.

“For the past year it’s been a very active planning time for the coalition,” she said.

Allen said the coalition has been researching and collecting data about underage drinking in the area. Overall, the idea is to create a “simple, sustainable system” for addressing the problem, she said. The Mat-Su Health Foundation provided a $130,000 grant for the project.

In addition to raising awareness, Allen said tonight’s meeting will also focus on the impacts of underage drinking and finding solutions to the problem.

“We need to protect youth and invest resources in youth so they can be healthy and productive,” she said.

Jim Holen, a counselor with Mat-Su Health Services, shares a similar view. For Holen, the key is to invest in youth early to help prevent kids from becoming involved with alcohol.

Although Holen and Allen believe it’s important to be proactive, they agree underage drinking is already negatively impacting the community.

“The Valley has a high incidence of substance abuse, and alcohol abuse has been identified in a community survey as the top social concern for residents.”

In addition to the survey, Alaska State Troopers report that in 2007, 248 minors were cited for underage drinking in the Mat-Su Borough. Of those 248 citations, 38 percent of those cited were driving a vehicle.

Holen said the McDowell survey shows that alcohol, methamphetamine and marijuana use are all issues of concern for Valley residents, but alcohol abuse tops of the list.

Not only are teens drinking illegally, Holen said the problem gets worse; they’re getting drunk and hoping into the driver’s seat.

“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.

According to the 2007 Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a survey conducted by the Department of Education and Early Development and the Department of Health and Social Services, 23.5 percent of high school students report riding in a vehicle driven by a drunk driver no longer than a month prior to the survey. Another 73.6 percent admit to drinking alcohol at least once in their lives. Twenty-six percent admit to drinking heavily — five or more drinks in a couple of hours — at least once in a one-month time frame.

For more information about underage drinking, people may attend tonight’s meeting. The AT&T Sports Center is located at the intersection of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and Double B Street. The meeting will include free refreshments, door prizes and entertainment.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.