Targeting the Increasing Social Issue of Underage Drinking - Case Study Example

A Proposed Plan of Action for Targeting the Increasing Social Issue of Underage Drinking Among the Youth of the State of New Jersey Introduction and Statistics The state of New Jersey, with its rich historical significance, and majestic landmarks, has always played a great role in the country’s progress, and has therefore earned the fitting title “Pathway of the Revolution.” Over 100 wars have been fought at the soil of this state, but today this state is engaged in another kind of war; a critical fight against the increasing percentage of underage drinking (The State of New Jersey, 2011). The growing issue of youth alcohol abuse can be resisted by instigating a statewide comprehensive awareness program, utilizing the resources of Department of Health and Department of Education, involving primary and secondary school administrations, engaging the misinformed parents, and signing up well known and relatable role models. According to the latest statistics from US Census Bureau, the amount of population between 10 to 24 years old is approximately 1,726,672, which shows that there are more than a million individuals above the age of 10, and below the legal drinking age of 21 years old (US Census Bureau, 2010). Furthermore, according to the research conducted by the Department of Human Services of New Jersey, an alarming fact discovered is that the local youth have professed “experimenting with alcohol at a rate above that reported nationally.” Also, it is found that the average age, among the youth, of consuming alcohol for the very first time is 11 years, whereas, around 407,000 individuals are committing underage drinking every year (Division of Addiction Services, 2008). Additionally, other surveys of New Jersey high school students have indicated that around 72.1 percent have consumed a kind of alcoholic beverage at some instance in their lives, and also, female students reported to an increased underage drinking as compared to male students. At the same time, the white and Latino students professed to a greater alcohol use as compared to African American and other ethnic students (Division of Addiction Services 2009, p. 15). In an another study conducted within the high schools, by the New Jersey Department of Education, it was found that the alcohol related incidents, such as violence and vandalism, have increased 14 percent between the years 2007 and 2009 (Hendricks 2010, p. 8). In addition to the large number of the youth involved in alcohol abuse, the massive cost associated with this societal dilemma is definitely an eye opener. According to the latest research conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, in collaboration with Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, just in the year 2010, the total cost of juvenile drinking to the state residents was $1.5 billion. Out of which, around $9 million were ‘pain and suffering costs,’ which included violence, injuries, fetal alcohol syndrome, traffic accidents, and other social crisis. Furthermore, around $441 million were the costs related to lost work, and most importantly the direct medical costs resulted due to youth drinking was around $160 million (2011). These facts not only show the gravity of this situation, but also highlight the need for a comprehensive program, which involves students, parents, educators, and the society as a whole. Desired Goals and Objectives A number of preventive measures can be introduced to reduce the juvenile drinking, such as, zero tolerance policy towards the underage alcohol sale, random screenings carried out in high schools, and reducing the early age introduction to alcohol. But, it must be noted that this issue is not similar to other societal concerns, such as substance abuse, unsafe sexual intercourse, bullying etc., where the effort is usually focused towards complete elimination. In this case, we are dealing with an action, which when carried out by adults, and consumed in moderation, becomes an entirely natural, festive, and a communal act. Therefore, to combat this issue, effort should be in creating an involved program, which not only promotes increasing awareness among the targeted audience, and society as a whole, but also utilizes repeated messaging to ensure maximum exposure and long lasting results. For example, the results from numerous juvenile anti tobacco policies have shown that “a comprehensive, multifaceted approach is likely to be more effective than any single approach” (Bonnie & O’Connell 2004, p. 91). Therefore, the best way to achieve this goal is by creating an attention-grabbing awareness campaign, which involves the collaboration between the responsible governmental institutions and state schools management, adopts an understanding rather than a threatening tone, and involves charismatic and relatable icons, from the modern culture, to serve as role models. It should be noted that currently a number of organizations, such as MADD, NCADD-New Jersey, UDETC, etc. are involved in the implementation of creative campaigns regarding underage drinking predicament. Similarly, many media campaigns are being run to uproot this issue that has been plaguing the society, and causing distress and dismay on every level. Therefore, keeping in mind the success and failure of other campaigns, currently a program is desirable, which addresses the youth in their ‘lingo,’ and ultimately projects the image of drinking as ‘uncool.’ It should be kept in mind, that during teens, the kids are heavily influenced by what is currently ‘in’ and what is ‘out’. For example, if a teen idol has started wearing chastity bracelet, a lot of diehard fans will follow and will vow to abstain from intercourse. That’s why, it would be beneficial to choose local personalities, who believe in the same ideology, and are willing to commit their time and effort for this program. A beloved and well known local fireman, or a famous sports player, or a media person from New Jersey, will serve as an impressive spokesperson. By engaging these local celebrities, it will be possible to portray alcohol abstinence in a positive light. To summarize, the overall objective of this campaign, comprehensively detailed in the next section, is to reach around 1,200,000 students in 2,500 primary and secondary schools, all over the New Jersey state, and provide them with the necessary knowledge regarding the alcoholic consumption, in a light and friendly tone, so that they can make an informed and ultimately the right decision (State of New Jersey, 2011). The Proposed Model of the Program First of all, this campaign will involve a strategic partnership between the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Department of Health. Both of these governmental organizations are individually involved in various campaigns against driving while intoxicated, substance use, and underage drinking. However, a strategic alliance will result in the pooling of all the intellectual capital, availability of much better resources, and a far more effective outreach program. A committee, involving officials from both departments, who have previous work experience in developing programs regarding social issues, should be chosen. These officers should be given the responsibility of compiling previously done extensive research, and designing the structure of this campaign. According to the Department of Education website, currently there are 603 school districts in the state of New Jersey, and contains a total of 2,500 schools, out of which are 2,015 elementary schools, and 485 are secondary schools (2011). These schools will serve as the primary target of this campaign, which will include information sessions for the school students, visits from the spokesperson, a weekly class especially devoted to the topic of underage drinking, and meetings with the victimized families of the youth delinquency. Again, it should be remembered that primary objective is to avoid a preaching tone, and instead utilize a youth-friendly outlook, and use relevant language and other visual and verbal cues. In addition, the program also needs to target the parents, by urging them to foster an alcohol free environment for their children. Many parents mistakenly believe that introducing their young children to the alcoholic beverages; with in the safety of their home, will somehow save kids from the future temptations. But, this has been statistically proven that children, who were early exposed to the alcohol, at an early age, are more likely to develop drinking problems, later on in life. It has been found that as compared to individuals who start drinking at 21, the children who are exposed to drinking before the tender age of 15 are four times more prone to delinquent behavior, and also have two and half times more chances of becoming alcohol abusers (Office of Applied Studies, 2009). Therefore, information sessions should be designed for parents to make them realize the perils of providing liquor to the underage children. Instead, parents should be educated to maintain a disciplined policy, letting minors realize that this activity is carried out by adults, and they have whole life in front of them for drinking. Parents should not consider themselves as helpless; in fact it is the attitude of considering youth drinking as inevitable, which renders them powerless over stopping their children. Lastly, the officials need to find the appropriate role models to carry out the campaign’s message, and to convey it to the impressionable youth. As mentioned above, the role models should belong from New Jersey, and should be living the lifestyle that synergizes with the intended message of the campaign. The aforementioned model can be successfully created and implemented with the productive partnering of the two state departments; Health and Education. The Department of Health can provide the up-to-date data related to the health care costs associated with youth drinking, and other related facts, such as yearly number of deaths and other injuries, due to this issue. The Department of Education can coordinate with the school’s management and successfully execute this program. This campaign will certainly provide both social and monetary benefits to the state, where latter are discussed in detail in the next section. Cost Savings Analysis of the Program By examining some of the results obtained from the previous campaigns, an approximate percentage decrease in the underage drinking can be projected. For example, a five year awareness program that was introduced by the Northern Illinois University, regarding student’s ideas about drinking and driving, resulted in an 18 percent decrease in drunk drivers (DeJong, 2005). Also, after looking at some of the other state and institutional programs, which usually resulted between 14 to 20 percent decrease, it is safe to predict that this campaign can result in a decrease of around 16 percent in youth drinking. In the beginning, it was mentioned that every year, statewide, roughly 407,000 individuals are committing underage drinking, and after applying the 16 percent decrease, it can be approximately deduced that around 65,120 students will be saved from this dangerous action. Furthermore, looking in the terms of cost, we already saw that there is a direct health care cost of around $160 million associated with underage drinking. A 16 percent decrease will result in the savings of around $25.6 million in health care costs, alone. Overall, after considering the ‘pain and suffering,’ and ‘work related’ costs, the residents of the New Jersey state will save a total amount of $0.24 billion. The cost savings are huge, but will not equal the other qualitative benefits, such as, reduced alcohol related traffic accidents, vandalism, teen pregnancies, violence etc. The last section will describe the potential funding sources for this campaign. Funding Sources In the year 2009, the State of New Jersey created a comprehensive master plan to combat the widespread substance abuse, including alcohol, tobacco, and other mainstream drugs. This plan mentions a number of government initiatives, readily offering financial support for social campaigns, such as the one planned above. The document mentions a governmental agency by the name of Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA). It is an independent body established in 1989, and provides funding to various departments and organizations, to support their fight against the increasing exposure of youth to the risky substances (GCADA, 2009). This agency can prove to be a potential direct source of funding for the proposed campaign. Furthermore, both Department of Health and Education have received, for various initiatives, direct funding from GCADA, and have other financial resources as well, therefore these two departments can also serve as probable future donors. Conclusion To conclude, it can be stated that no matter how much work is currently being done, there is an immediate need to reach out to the endangered youth in an open and understanding manner. There is a reason that campaigns, such as, “Got Milk,” earned raving reviews, and yielded effective results, which is because, these promotions were cleverly designed, properly funded, and were widely relatable. Therefore, it is imperative that relevant governmental agencies should be contacted, and an appropriate campaign is designed, which involves students, teachers, parents, and other society members, to work towards providing a safe and healthy environment for our youth. References Bonnie, R. J., & O’Connell, M. E. (Eds.), (2004). Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Washington, DC: The National Academic Press. Department of Education. (2011). New Jersey Public Schools Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.nj.gov/education/data/fact.htm DeJong. W. (2005). The Role of Mass Media Campaigns in Reducing High-Risk Drinking among College Students. Boston, MS: Boston University School of Public Health. Division of Addiction Services. (2008). Childhood-Underage Drinking. Retrieved from http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/das/prevention/underage/ Division of Addiction Services. (2009). 2008 New Jersey High School Risk & Protective Factor Survey. New Brunswick, NJ: New Jersey Department of Education. GCADA. (2009). New Jersey Comprehensive Statewide Master Plan for Alcoholism, Tobacco and other Drug Abuse December 2009. Retrieved from http://slic.njstatelib.org/slic_files/digidocs/n222/n2222009.pdf Hendricks, R. R. (2009). Commissioner’s Annual Report to the Education Committees of the Senate and General Assembly on Violence, Vandalism and Substance Abuse in New Jersey Public Schools. Trenton, NJ: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. (2011). Underage Drinking in New Jersey: The Facts. Retreived from http://www.udetc.org/factsheets/NJ.pdf Office of Applied Studies. (2009). Treatment Episode Data Set -- Admissions (TEDS-A), 2009. Retrieved from http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/SAMHDA/studies/30462 The State of New Jersey. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.nj.gov/nj/about/ US Census Bureau. (2011). Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk Read More