SAMHSA’s YouTube Channel Features Underage Drinking Video Series

By Riggin Waugh

Just in time for Alcohol Awareness Month, SAMHSA’s YouTube channel features several new videos produced by states and territories as part of a unique initiative to increase awareness of underage drinking and mobilize young people, their families, and their communities.

The initiative is a call to action to inform audiences about state and local initiatives and resources. So far, there are 23 videos from 21 states and 2 territories up on YouTube. More are in production.

Listed below are a few of the latest state/territory underage drinking prevention videos developed with production support from SAMHSA:

• (Alaska) Underage Drinking Prevention in Alaska: A Collective Responsibility
  The Alaska video emphasizes that all members of a community share the responsibility of preventing underage drinking and showcases a variety of prevention initiatives being implemented across the state.
• (Colorado #1, #2, and #3) Underage Drinking: It’s an Adult Problem
  Colorado produced three short videos describing the prevalence and consequences of underage alcohol use and emphasizing the key role adults play in preventing it. The first video illustrates the fact that social gatherings offer excellent opportunities to teach youth responsible alcohol use behaviors. The second calls attention to youth access to alcohol and offers guidelines for keeping youth safe and healthy. The third features tips for responsible alcohol consumption by adults 21 and older in the presence of those who are underage.
• (Delaware) Time to Re-Think Teens and Drink
  This video raises awareness of the prevalence of underage drinking in Delaware, reviews the consequences associated with it, and reinforces the message that parents are the greatest influence in their children’s lives.
• (West Virginia) A Time for Action: Preventing Underage Drinking in West Virginia
  This video challenges attitudes that tolerate and enable underage alcohol use in West Virginia and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and the need for prevention to be enacted on a local level.
• (Wyoming) Underage Drinking Prevention in Wyoming: A Call to Action
  The focus of this video is on the three strategies used to change the social norms that surround underage alcohol use in Wyoming: adopting underage drinking ordinances, educating the community about underage alcohol use, and ensuring that community events remain safe for youth.

The state/territory video initiative to prevent underage alcohol use supports SAMHSA’s Strategic Initiative #1: Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness, which states, “prevention of underage drinking is a priority for states, territories, tribal entities, universities, and communities.”

Look for these and other videos on SAMHSA’s YouTube channel.