The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

NCADD News Release

For More Information, Contact: Ames Sweet, Director of Communications 212/269-7797, ext. 16

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For Immediate Release April 11, 2002

ALCOHOLISM IS A DISEASE, NOT A RITE OF PASSAGE NEW YORK, NY -- Alcohol is the drug most frequently used by American teenagers. It is consumed more frequently than all other illicit drugs combined and contributes to an estimated 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year on college campuses across the nation, according to a report issued by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “It’s time for the nation to acknowledge that alcoholism is a disease, not a rite of passage,” says Stacia Murphy, President of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. “America’s adults can no longer evade the serious consequences of underage and excessive college drinking. Alcohol is constantly marketed to underage drinkers and is strongly associated with athletic and social events popular with high school and college students. Establishments knowingly serve underage drinkers at happy hours, two-for-one and all-you-can-drink specials, often with a wink and a nod to fake identification. And, sadly, many underage drinkers are often first presented with alcohol in their own living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens.” “Most of us in the medical profession are not against drinking socially,” says Dr. Nicholas Pace of the Medical/Scientific Committee at the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. “What we are against is a society that promotes the heavy use of drinking without considering its many negative consequences. Then, when people get sick from the drug alcohol, the uninformed turn their backs on these people calling alcoholism a moral failure rather than a medical disease.” Binge drinking, the most prevalent form of underage drinking, is as common as it was in the early 1990s, indicating that efforts to combat the phenomenon have so far failed. “You've seen the footage on television news programs and print publications,” says Murphy, “Young men and women literally pouring beer and other alcoholic beverages down their throats without any regard for the tragic consequences that typically follow from this kind of behavior. These students think they're having a great time, being ‘grown-up.’ Unfortunately, as many as 360,000 of the nation’s 12 million undergraduates will ultimately die from alcohol-related causes. This is more than the total number who will be awarded advanced degrees.” While the issue of underage drinking is a complex problem, one that can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools, community leaders, and the children themselves, there are three areas which have proven to be effective in prevention of underage drinking: curtailing the availability of alcohol, consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations, and changing norms and behaviors through education. In addition, the alcohol beverage industry has a responsibility to discourage underage drinking and to curtail advertising and marketing that appeals to underage youth. According to Murphy, “As a society, we’ve got to do a far better job persuading our citizens and our young people that alcohol use is a dead end, that they are playing Russian roulette, not only with their own lives, but with the lives of friends, neighbors, and loved ones. Education and strong parental supervision are the ways to head off and heal the devastating consequences of underage and excessive college drinking.” Founded in 1944, NCADD fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions. With offices in New York and Washington, DC, NCADD provides education, information, help and hope to the public, and advocates prevention, intervention, and treatment through a nationwide network of 95 Affiliates. For more information, visit: www.ncadd.org. ###

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)