 |
|||
|
|
|||
Too Smart to Start Implementation Guide
|
Introduction
TOO SMART TO START is a public education initiative that provides professionals and volunteers at the community level with materials and strategies to help them conduct an underage alcohol use prevention initiative. The materials contained in this guide are designed to help you plan, develop, promote, and implement a local initiative to educate 9- to 13-year-olds and their parents about the harms of underage alcohol use and to support parents and caregivers as they participate in their children’s activities. The hallmark of the Too Smart To Start program is its flexibility in the way it can be implemented in the local community. Too Smart To Start is not intended to be prescriptive. Rather, it offers information on the alcohol use behaviors of 9 to 13 year olds, a consistent message, and basic materials and strategies to deliver the core behavioral messages. The expectation is that local specific data will be added to Too Smart To Start information, messages, and materials, and elements will be tailored or adapted to the locality. Too Smart To Start has three objectives:
Research shows that most 9- to 13-year-olds do not currently use alcohol. In fact, according to the 2001-2002 PRIDE Survey, 94 percent of fourth through sixth graders did not consume beer in the last year.1 However, delaying the onset of alcohol use among this age group is key; more than 40 percent of people who begin drinking before age 15 will develop alcohol abuse problems or alcohol dependence sometime in their lives.2 Drinking at such an early age can have profound effects on children’s physical and psychological development. It is easier to prevent children from beginning to use alcohol than it is to intervene once patterns of behavior are firmly established. 1 PRIDE, Inc. (2002, May 7). 2000-2001 Pride national summary: Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, violence, and related behav-iors grades 4 thru 6. Retrieved June 5, 2002, from www.pridesurveys.com/ue00.pdf 2 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free. (2002). Making the link: Underage drinking and violence. Retrieved February 4, 2003, from http//www.alcoholfreechildren.org/stats |
||
Public Domain Notice
All material appearing in this guide is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). However, this publication may not be reproduced or distributed for a fee without specific, written authorization of the Office of Communications, SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated. Suggested citation:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Too Smart To Start Implementation Guide. Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 03-3866. Rockville, MD, 2003.
Copies may be obtained, free of charge, from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI). NCADI is a service of SAMHSA. For copies of publications, please write or call:
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345, (301) 468-2600, 1-800-729-6686, TDD 1-800-487-4889
Electronic Access to Publication
This publication can be accessed electronically through the Internet World Wide Web connection at: www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov