Terra Duncan, left, and Ashley Luck of Telegraph Coffee and Tap are supporting the Churchill Community Coalition's mission to reduce underage drinking.
The Churchill Community Coalition has forged into partnerships with local businesses to reduce underage drinking in Churchill County.
Underage drinking affects every community, and the cost is more than monetary.
Death: Between 2006 and 2010 approximately 4,300 young people under the age of 21 died from excessive drinking.
Declining Academic Performance: Youth who use alcohol may remember 10 percent less of what they have learned than those who don’t drink 16 percent to 18 percent of teen drinkers have missed school or work due to alcohol use.
Date Rape and Assault: Among college students, underage drinking was involved in 97,000 incidents of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape and 690,000 students were assaulted by students who were drinking.
It’s common knowledge the legal drinking age is 21 years old. With that being known, underage drinking is still a problem youth and adults face. In the United States people from the ages of 12 to 20 drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed. More than 90 percent of said alcohol is being consumed by binge drinking.
Binge drinking is ingesting a lot of alcohol very quickly in order to feel the effects of the alcohol faster. Youth who start drinking before 15 years of age are six times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age 21.
The community coming together is needed to limit the access of alcohol to the youth and also mindful of what activities our youth are engaging in.
Local businesses have adorned the sign to help further the coalition’s mission to greatly reduce underage drinking in the community. The Churchill Community Coalition would like to acknowledge the following businesses for their involvement and care for the youth in our community by partnering with us in our efforts to keep alcohol out of the hands of our youth:
AB Food and Liquor Store, City Liquor & Food, Azteca Grill & Bakery, Big Horn Saloon, Dotty’s Casino, Golden Rice Bowl, Julio’s Mexican Restaurant, Maine Street Café, Pizza Barn, Sandwinds Sports Bar, Telegraph Coffee Lounge, The Depot, The Slanted Porch, VN Pho, Waterhole, and The Wok. The coalition is hoping others will join us in this mission. For inquiries, visit www.churchillcoalition.com.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm