Glynn Birch, National President for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), issued a press release calling on adults to help in the fight against underage drinking.  In response to the recently released report on underage drinking by the Substance Abuse ad Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Birch says underage drinking is as much an adult problem as it is a problem of youth.

Calling parents and other adults the key to solving the problem of drinking before the age of 21, Birch lists two things adults can do to help reduce the problem of underage drinking:

1).  Limit a young person’s access to alcoholic beverages in a retail setting and in social settings such as at home, the homes of friends and extended family, and at all social events.

2).  Stronger enforcement of the 21 drinking age law and others which call for zero tolerance and graduated driving privileges based on safe driving records.

MADD says the 21 drinking age law saves 1,000 lives each year and lowering the drinking age will not generate a feeling of increased responsibility in younger drinkers, as some people suggest it might.  Instead, it is more likely to lead to more kids drinking earlier and driving dangerously.

Calling the prevention of underage drinking a way to protect the future of the younger generation, MADD suggests parents and schools begin at the 4th grade level to teach children about the dangers of drinking and driving instead of doing so once the child reaches high school and must confront peer pressure.  Waiting to introduce alcohol awareness until a child is in high school has been proven to be ineffective, according to MADD.