All North Carolina communities support safe and responsible use of alcohol.
Why Is This Important?
Alcohol use is responsible for approximately 3,500 deaths annually among youth under age 21 in the United States, shortening their lives by an average of 60 years
Underage alcohol use occurs in a context of significantly problematic adult use nationwide. Approximately 95,000 individuals of all ages in the United States die from alcohol attributable causes each year, making excessive alcohol use the third leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. 2022 NC SHIP, pg. 76.
Story Behind the Curve
Alcohol consumption increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in the United States. The increase could substantially increase the long-term alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and mortality. 2022 NC SHIP, pg. 77
Partners
Addiction Professionals North Carolina |
https://www.apnc.org/ |
Centers for Disease Control’s Community Guide on Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption |
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/topic/excessive-alcohol-consumption |
Forensic Tests for Alcohol- NC DPH Branch |
https://publichealth.nc.gov/chronicdiseaseandinjury/fta/index.htm |
Mothers Against Drunk Driving North Carolina |
https://www.madd.org/north-carolina/ |
National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association (NABCA) |
https://www.nabca.org/ |
North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) |
https://www.ncahec.net/about-nc-ahec/statewide-work |
North Carolina Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) Informed |
https://ncfasdinformed.org/about-us/about-ncfasd-informed |
North Carolina Preventing Underage Drinking Initiative (PUDI)- Talk It Up. Lock It Up! |
https://www.ncpudi.org/https://www.ncpudi.org/resources/talk-it-up-lock-it-up/ |
North Carolina Substance Use Disorder Federation |
https://sudfederation.org/ |
Recovery Communities of North Carolina (RCNC) |
https://www.rcnc.org/ |
The Center for Alcohol Policy |
https://www.centerforalcoholpolicy.org/ |
The Center for Prevention & Counseling- Too Smart to Start |
https://centerforprevention.org/too-smart-to-start/ |
What Works
- Consider laws around beer and wine couponing
- Education for family practitioners about how to talk about alcohol consumption and resources for addressing excessive drinking
- Education for parents about securing alcohol at home
- Expand access to treatment through Medicaid eligibility
- Hold alcohol retailers liable for intoxicated or underage customers who cause injury to others
- Increase alcohol excise taxes
- Increase funding for compliance checks
- Increase number and access to programs like Fellowship Hall
- Integrate Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) into medical settings
- Reduce density of alcohol retailers
- Reduce the days and hours designated for alcohol sales
- Screen adults for excessive drinking and conduct brief intervention for those that screen positive
- Support and maintain state-controlled alcohol sales
Description of Indicator Data
NC State Center for Health Statistics, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
Additional Data Needed at Local Level
- Map of points of liquor sales in community
- Number of criminal offenders under the influence when crime was committed
- Number of emergency room visits for alcohol-related injuries and conditions
- Economic cost of alcohol-related injuries and conditions
- Availability of alcohol from illegal sales and practices
- Availability of inpatient and outpatient treatment and counseling programs
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) locations and meeting times
- Expand the NC Alcohol Data Dashboard
Measures
Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.