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Strategies & Approaches › Reduce Availability

Reduce Availability: Introduction

It is against the law in all 50 States and the District of Columbia for people under 21 years old to buy or publicly possess alcohol. Despite the fact that it is illegal, underage drinking is prevalent and starts early. The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years old for boys and 13 years old for girls. Some children start drinking at even younger ages. By the time they are high school seniors, more than 80 percent of all teens have used alcohol at some point and approximately 64 percent have been drunk.

Underage drinkers obtain alcohol illegally in several ways. Many young people are given alcohol by a family member or take alcohol from the family liquor cabinet or home refrigerator. They may receive it from friends at parties, which usually take place at private homes with or without parental supervision, or in outdoor venues such as public parks, parking lots, or other open spaces. Other young people use fake IDs, or even walk into a store and buy alcohol without ever being asked for identification; some ask friends or siblings to make the purchase for them.

California youth were asked how difficult it is to obtain alcohol and where most student users get alcohol.

15.8% of 7th graders, 35.8% of 9th graders, and 49.8% of 11th graders reported it was “very easy” to obtain alcohol.
Youth perceive that students get alcohol most easily at parties/social events, from friends, or at home.

National data shows even more alarming trends:

64% of 8th graders and 84% of 10th graders believe that alcohol is readily available to them for consumption.

The most documented principle in alcohol use prevention is this: Make it harder for young people to get alcohol, and they will drink less. Communities can make alcohol less available by promoting responsible adult behavior and holding adults accountable when they provide alcohol to minors; by raising the price of beer, wine, and liquor; or by reducing the number of places where alcohol is sold or served.

The following strategies and approaches to reducing alcohol availability are highlighted in this section:

For additional strategies and approaches for changing policies, see the following:

What You Can Do: Community
What You Can Do: Parents
What You Can Do: Agencies
What You Can Do: Schools

References:
Underage Drinking Prevention Action Guide and Planner. 2001. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Available at: http://media.shs.net/prevline/pdfs/phd858.pdf#search=%22underage%20drinking%20prevention%20action%20guide%20and%20planner%22. Accessed on [08/25/06]

L Underage Drinking in California: California Town Hall Meetings. Community Prevention Institute. March, 2006. Available at: http://www.adp.cahwnet.gov/Prevention/townhall/pdf/CA%20Underage%20Drinking%20Survey%20Data%20Report.pdf. Accessed on [08/25/06]

Johnston LD, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG, and Schulenberg JE. 2006. Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2005. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Bonnie, R.J. & M.E. O’Connell (eds). 2003. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.

A Guide to Zero Tolerance and Graduated Licensing: Two Strategies that Work. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Available at: http://www.udetc.org/documents/Guide2zero.pdf#search=%22a%20guide%20to%20zero%20tolerance%20and%20graduated%20licensing%22. Accessed on [09/06/06]

Drinking in America: Myths, Realities, and Prevention Policy. U.S. Dept. of Justice. Available at: http://www.udetc.org/documents/Drinking_in_America.pdf. Accessed on [09/05/06]

The Relationship Between Alcohol Availability and Injury and Crime. Available at: http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/alcohol_and_health/alc_availability.htm. Accessed on [01/09/06]

Alcohol Restrictions at Community Events. Alcohol Epidemiology Program. University of Minnesota. Available at: http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/policy/atevents.shtm. Accessed on [08/29/06]

Wagenaar AC, Harwood EM, Toomey TL, Denk CE, Zander KM. 2000. Public opinion on alcohol policies in the United States: Results from a national survey. Journal of Public Health Policy, 21(3):303-27.

Highlight on Underage Drinking. Alcohol Policy Information System. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Available at: http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BDA5E054D-FB8E-4F06-BBBC-6EED9F37A758%7D. Accessed on [09/08/06]

Underage Drinking Prevention Action Guide and Planner. 2001. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Available at: http://media.shs.net/prevline/pdfs/phd858.pdf#search=%22underage%20drinking%20prevention%20action%20guide%20and%20planner%22. Accessed on [08/25/06]

Alcohol Home Delivery Restrictions. Alcohol Epidemiology Program. University of Minnesota. Available at: http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/policy/homdeliv.shtm. Accessed on [09/01/06]

Johnson, K.D. Underage Drinking: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Problem-Specific Guides Services. U.S. Dept. of Justice. Available at: http://www.popcenter.org/problems/PDFs/underage.pdf#search=%22statistics%20on%20alcohol%20free%20events%20and%20underage%20drinking%22. Accessed on [09/01/06]

Alcohol Epidemiology Program. Alcohol compliance checks: A procedures
manual for enforcing alcohol age-of-sale laws. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2000.

Shoulder Tap Program. 2003. Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. Available at: http://www.abc.ca.gov/programs/Shoulder_tap.html. Accessed on [09/06/06]

A Practical Guide to Preventing and Dispersing Underage Drinking Parties. 2005. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation: Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.

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