Data collected also showed that if a state had

data collected also showed that if a State had restrictions, the overall underage and binge
drinking was lower. These finding are important merely because it shows that not all underage
college students are drinking and with that being said, having more restrictions in college could
ultimately lower statistical view of underage drinking.
How to Reduce Underage Drinking
It is obvious that underage drinking is a problem within the United States, so the
important question to ask is what steps can be taking to help reduce it? There have been
numerous approaches that have been developed in order to prevent underage drinking. These
approaches range from schools getting actively creating curricula in order to prevent alcohol, to
activities outside of schools. Communities have even created different approaches to help reduce
any commercial or social access to underage drinkers. Like many issues, it is very important to
develop effective programs that can contribute to preventing alcohol abuse amongst underage
drinkers, but in order for that to take place individuals need to identify the meaning of alcohol
abuse and underage drinking.
Bonnie O’connell brought to light that the U.S Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) lacked the support in dealing with youth drinking. Their main focus has been on
drug abuse programs, supporting those programs 25 times more than funding underage drinking
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(O’connell, 2003). It wasn’t until Congress forced the HHS committee to develop a cost-
effective strategy that would help reduce underage drinking. The results were that they had
identified five potential goals that they needed to focus on to evaluate the effectiveness of
producing a comprehensive strategy in order to prevent and reduce underage drinking.
Many researchers and clinician have developed approaches to assist with preventing
underage drinking. In order for this to be effective they identified important characteristics of
intervention strategies. Below is a section and table composed by design to summarize
knowledge regarding “prevention approaches, including school, extracurricular, family, policy,
and community strategies” (Komro & Toomey, (n.d.).
Key Components of Strategies to Prevent Underage Drinking
Type of Strategy Key Components
School Strategies
Based on behavioral theory and knowledge of risk and protective
factors
Developmentally appropriate information about alcohol and
other drugs
Development of personal, social, and resistance skills
Emphasis on normative education
Structured, broader-based skills training
Interactive teaching techniques
Multiple sessions over multiple years
Teacher training and support
Active family and community involvement
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Cultural sensitivity
Extracurricular
Strategies Supervision by positive adult role models
Youth leadership
Intensive programs
Incorporation of skills building
Part of a comprehensive prevention plan
Family Strategies
Improvement of parent-child relations using positive