Your Choice-Live, Inc. is a program developed in direct response to the growing number of young people who are abusing drugs and alcohol. Due to recent budget cuts, many schools have eliminated their alcohol and drug awareness programs. Your Choice-Live, Inc. has the potential to reach approximately 35,3641 students and families currently in the Waukesha County school districts who lack education about the effects of alcohol and drugs during this important time of life and lack the skills necessary to make healthy and safe choices. Additionally, Your Choice-Live, Inc. provides reinforcement to youth who make the choice to abstain by featuring speakers who share their stories on making healthy choices as well as those of recovering youth.
According to Center for Disease Control, approximately 293,000 underage youth consume alcohol each year and more than 2 million teenagers abuse prescription drugs.2 In Wisconsin alone, 26% of our youth had 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row (i.e. binge drinking) in the past 30 days. Moreover, twenty percent were offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property in the past 12 months.2 Of the 94,465 underage youth who have a serious alcohol problem and need treatment, 84.5% don’t get treatment (79,592).3
The Nation Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic survey found that “Young people who begin drinking before age 15 are 4 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and are 2 ½ times more likely to become abusers of alcohol than those who begin drinking at age 21”.4
Underage drinking and drug use are causal factors in a host of serious problems, including homicide, suicide, traumatic injury, drowning, burns, violent and property crime, high risk sex, fetal alcohol syndrome, and alcohol poisoning not to mention the need for treatment for substance abuse and dependence. Because of the effect drugs and alcohol have on our youth, Your Choice-Live, Inc. understands the importance of raising the awareness of youth and parents regarding the dangers associated with drugs and alcohol, removing barriers to securing help for families in need, and restructuring resources making them accessible and affordable.
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1 Wisconsin Department of Instructions. (2010) Public Enrollment by District by Grade (PEDGr).
2Center for Disease Control (CDC). (2007). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS).
3The Alcohol Cost Calculator, For Kids, www.alcoholcostcalculator.org (April 27, 2010)
4Grant, B.F., & Dawson, D.A. (1997). Ago at onset of alcohol use and its associations with DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey. Journal of Substance Abuse 9: 103-110
5Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). (2009). Underage Drinking in Wisconsin, The Facts.
