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Crime & Safety

Napa Teens, Officials Meet About Alcohol Abuse

Teenagers admit to binge drinking and say parties are the best way to obtain alcohol, according to county authorities.

Underage drinking is a nationwide problem and Napa is no exception, according to statistics from alcohol abuse studies.

In an effort to address youth drinking, about 50 people attended a "town hall" meeting Tuesday night at in Napa.

The gathering was hosted by the Napa Valley Friday Night Live organizations, groups that partner with law enforcement, education and the community to prevent underage drinking.

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“It is not cool to let your child drink in front of you,” Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein told the attentive audience as he recalled a case several years ago in which a Lake Berryessa mother thought it was OK to let her 17-year-old daughter drink with her.

“She let her daughter take the car to pick up her best friend who lived up the hill,” Lieberstein said.

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“When she was driving back down the hill, she lost control of the car and ran off a cliff. The car overturned several times, killing the driver’s best friend.

“That girl has to live the rest of her life knowing she killed her best friend.”

Lieberstein said if alcohol abuse was reduced or eliminated, it would have a big impact on his job:

“I would have a lot less to do,” he said.

Seventy to 80 percent of crimes are related to alcohol and drug abuse, and drinking to excess can also lead to fighting, sexual assault and alcohol poisoning.
Lieberstein continued.

Napa County Board of Supervisor Bill Dodd said that according to a survey, 40 percent of Napa County 11th graders admitted to drinking within the past 30 days.

“And 42 percent said they had their first drink by the age of 15,” he said.

“Underage drinking is not the rite of passage. It is the No. 1 cause of deaths in people under 21, and it is preventable,” Dodd told the audience, adding that teens say the No. 1 place they get their alcohol is at parties.

Underage drinking can become a lifelong problem. According to the Napa County Catalyst Coalition, which seeks to combat substance abuse among youth, research shows that people who start drinking before 15 years old are four times more likely to have addiction issues later in life.

Dr. Jim Kooler, administrator of the California Friday Night Live partnership, said “Issues effecting underage drinking are different today. Products are different. We want our kids today to make good choices.”

The consensus of the speakers at the meeting was that parents need to be involved with their children’s lives and talk to them about the ramifications of drinking, drinking and driving and getting into a car where the driver has been drinking.

There is also a need to crack down on stores selling alcohol to minors and parents, siblings and friends who buy alcohol for underage youth.

The social host laws, which are strictly enforced, impose fines on hosts who allow gatherings where underage drinking occurs. Citations and fines for violators of the law can be from $500 to $1,000.

Other facts distributed at the meeting about alcohol abuse include:

  • Alcohol dependence is highest in the 18- to-24-year-old group.

 

  • Children who start drinking at the age of 15 are more likely to develop alcohol abuse problems than those who start drinking at 21.
  • Other risks of underage drinking are risky behavior, including injury to self and others, DUI, unprotected sexual activity and alcohol poisoning.

Sixteen percent of Napa County ninth graders and 29 percent of 11th graders reported binge drinking, according to a California Healthy Kids Survey.

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