Deschutes coalition targets young-adult binge drinking
Most (70 percent) of Oregon young adults in a recent survey say they don’t binge drink – but that leaves enough who do to prompt a new effort in Deschutes County to reduce the potentially tragic figure.
The Shared Future Coalition’s new video public service announcement is part of a larger grassroots awareness campaign designed to reduce underage and binge drinking among young adults.
The Shared Future Coalition is a group of community stakeholders whose mission is to foster the legal and safe use of alcohol in Deschutes County.
A 2012 survey of Oregon young adults (ages 18 to 25) revealed that 70 percent of people in this age group say they don’t binge drinking.
According to the study, a large gap exists between young adult perceptions of peer binge drinking and the actual rates of their peers’ behavior.
The statistic contradicts the popular opinion that most 18- to 25-year-olds do binge drink.
The public service announcement (available at the website: www.sharedfuturecoalition.org) goes on to define binge drinking as four or more drinks for women, or five or more drinks for men, in about a two-hour period. It encourages young adults to get the facts and take action to “kick binge drinking.”
Raising awareness that more young adults are choosing not to binge drink aligns with current research which indicates that positive social norms have a preventative impact on individual choices.
The awareness campaign is being launched out of concern for the health and safety of the nearly 30 percent of Oregon young adults who say they are binge drinking.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youth is done while binge drinking.
Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including injuries, alcohol poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancy and a variety of long-term negative health consequences.
The coalition’s campaign is launching in online media venues which connect specifically with 18- to 25-year-olds in Deschutes County. The audience is encouraged to both learn the facts about binge drinking, and to share them with friends.
This approach represents an expansion of previous awareness campaigns, which only had a limited presence in online media.
Anyone in Deschutes County can also help promote the coalition’s awareness campaign by sharing messages from the Shared Future Coalition on its YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/sharedfuture and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharedfuturecoalition.
For more information, contact Deschutes County Health Services Coalition Coordinator Julie Spackman at (541) 388-6619 or send email to julie.spackman@deschutes.org .
