Coalition Partners with Law Enforcement to Reduce Holiday Underage Drinking

With the advent of mobile devices and the internet, people don't send as many letters as they used to. During the holiday season, organizations might send out an appeal letter asking for a special donation. Children send letters to Santa Claus. This year, a Tennessee coalition and its police chief wrote letters to more than 100 retailers asking them to save lives.

It was a big “ask,” but the coalition behind the letter-writing campaign, the Power of Putnam, says the simple strategy has worked.

Letters signed by their police chief Robert Terry asked merchants who sell alcohol, both at stores and at bars, to refrain from selling alcohol to anyone younger than 21. They enclosed a copy of the law that prohibits alcohol sales to minors. They even offered to train employees on responsible beverage sales and service and suggested signage verbiage.

The Power of Putnam Coalition Coordinator, Bill Gibson, said the letters were just a simple way of reminding business owners of their responsibilities while helping to reduce underage access.

“We know that alcohol consumption increases during the holidays. In the south, there is a rite-of-passage mentality that it’s OK to drink at home,” Gibson says.

A recent study by Brigham Young University found that by the 12th grade, more than 65 percent of teens have at least experimented with alcohol.

Although the letter offered resources and a friendly tone, wishing them “happy and prosperous” holidays, the chief of police also reminded merchants that the laws would be enforced if broken.

Although there are no statistics yet on if their letters made a difference in the lives of young people in Putnam County, Gibson feels it was an effective way of reaching out to businesses.

“Positive relationships with businesses have been built,” he added. “Several establishments are calling to say they appreciate it, they are on board and they want signage.”

Compliance checks will also continue throughout the new year.

December has been proclaimed by President Obama as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. More than 10,000 people were killed last year in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, including 753 in December alone. Gibson says their coalition hopes to prevent any underage person from drinking, let alone driving while under the influence or being a passenger in a vehicle with someone who has been drinking.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds. And the use of alcohol or drugs increases teens' crash risks. In a comprehensive study on unsafe driving by high school students, 30 percent of seniors reported driving after drinking heavily or using drugs, or riding in a car whose driver had been drinking heavily or using drugs, at least once in the prior two weeks.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign provides free, online resources for coalitions and parents of teens to get more information on ways to prevent drugged driving in your community.