In Lapeer County, Michigan, youth alcohol use and crash data reflected a problem with the underage population. The county is a rural area situated close to two large population centers: Detroit and Flint.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of the project was to make people (both adults and youth) more aware that alcohol use was on the rise and that young people were drinking. It was hoped that the increased awareness would change attitudes and acceptable norms for youth alcohol use. This, in turn, would lead to a decrease in injuries and deaths from youth alcohol-related traffic crashes.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

In 1993, a steering committee was formed in the county. The steering committee consisted of representatives from coalitions from each school district. The coalitions included law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, parents, clergy, school representatives and community leaders. The effort was called Alcohol In School Is Stupid (AISIS). The approach was three-pronged: law enforcement activities, educational presentations and community activities.

The law enforcement activities included an increase in citations written for "minors in possession" and alcohol stings. Students from the SADD chapters in the high schools worked with law enforcement in the stings (about 4 each year) to attempt to buy alcohol from local establishments.

Steering committee members were trained by nationally recognized experts in alcohol-related programs, community interventions and parenting skills. These trained individuals then served as master trainers to spread their knowledge and ideas to coalition members. Target audiences for education presentations included youth, faculty and parents.

An active parent support network was initiated in the community, offering a safe-home alternative for youth parties. A safe house phone directory was published in each school district listing parents who had pledged to hold chaperoned parties that were drug-, tobacco- and alcohol-free.

One of the many community activities of AISIS was the organizing a root beer tent for the Lapeer Days Festival. This tent provided an alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free environment for families.

The media featured the program with articles on the alcohol stings and the school programs. The extensive coverage kept the message fresh and brought "publicity" to those who had been selling alcohol to underage youth.

The program was supported by the passage of the state's zero tolerance law in November 1994.

RESULTS

The program continues as a vital part of the community's programs. AISIS became part of the county's substance abuse agency with its own office and provides wrap-around sevices to all youth. Parenting classes are ongoing. A 24-hour relay fundraiser helps support the program and provides small scholarships for students who want to attend statewide seminars on substance abuse. The acronym AISIS now stands for Any Illegal Substance Is Silly to expand activities to drugs and violence.

The judge in the county was awarded national recognition by the National Coalition Against Drunk Driving for his work with this program, law enforcement and the judicial system. Any youth charged with "minor in possession" had his/her license revoked.

Youth alcohol use has decreased by almost 20 percent, measured by the decrease of alcohol-related motor vehicle injuries and fatalities . Alcohol-related crashes have decreased by 50 percent. The 1995 graduation season had NO youth alcohol violations at parties and NO youth alcohol-related fatalities. The 50 percent illegal buys at some establishments dropped to almost zero.

At the end of the three-year project, citizens, schools, coaches and even students had begun reporting suspected youth alcohol incidents to coalition members and to the AISIS office.