Save the Date! Please join us at the Alcohol Policy Panel of San Diego County’s Quarterly General Assembly Breakfast Meeting Friday, April 17th, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. UNDERAGE DRINKING PARTIES KEYNOTE SPEAKER Which youth are likely to host parties? What predicts whether there will be alcohol? Who supplies the alcohol? When are social host ordinances most effective? Dr. Bettina Friese, Research Scientist Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Prevention Research Center, Oakland, CA Underage drinking and parties where youth consume alcohol are serious public health th issues. Nearly 70 percent of 11 graders surveyed in San Diego County say it’s “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain alcohol, according to the 2013 California Healthy Kids Survey, the largest statewide survey in the nation on students’ health behaviors. In addition, more than a quarter of high school juniors surveyed said they had alcohol in the past month. Parties, often hosted in homes, are a common location where teens engage in drinking. Research shows that teen parties are a high-risk setting for youth and that the heaviest drinking occurs when teens are in large groups with peers their own age. Drinking at parties in the home is often sanctioned or ignored by parents who believe minors are going to drink anyway, so it’s safer for them to consume alcohol in a supervised setting. The purpose of Social Host ordinances is to deter underage drinking parties in private residences due to the inherent risks involved for youth who attend the parties and for the adults who host them. All 18 municipalities in San Diego County and the unincorporated area have Social Host ordinances that impose criminal or administrative sanctions for adults who provide the setting in which alcohol is consumed by minors. In some local municipalities, minors can also be charged with hosting a party and possessing alcohol. Although there is no statewide social hosting law in California, adults can also face civil lawsuits for hosting underage drinking parties. Please join us as PIRE researcher Dr. Bettina Friese shares findings of recent research in California regarding which youth are more likely to host parties at home, what characteristics are associated with the presence of alcohol at these parties, why parents allow teens to drink in their home, and when social host ordinances are the most effective. Sincerely, Beth Sise, JD, RN, MSN, CPNP Chair, Alcohol Policy Panel of San Diego County Director, Trauma Research and Injury Prevention, Scripps Mercy Hospital Dr. Friese’s background is in sociology and public health with specific expertise in underage risk behaviors, including underage drinking and drug use. She has more than 15 years of advanced experience in the areas of evaluation, survey research, program design and implementation, as well as extensive experience managing large scale evaluation and research projects. Dr. Friese is the principal investigator on a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The goal of this study is to develop an intervention, using a combination of traditional media and mobile technologies, to reduce marijuana use among high school students. She was also the principal investigator on a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The goal of this study was to gain an understanding of how youth access alcohol and how sources of alcohol relate to drinking behaviors and drinking contexts in order to further the development of more effective policies and programs. This study also included interviews with parents to examine youth access to alcohol and prescription drugs in the home, and parents’ knowledge and attitudes concerning social host ordinances. In addition, Dr. Friese is part of the team that implements and evaluates the California Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG). The SPF SIG grant assists California communities in implementing effective programs, policies and practices to reduce substance abuse and its related problems and is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Dr. Friese’s publications, based on quantitative and qualitative research, include studies on alcohol and drug use among children and adolescents; disparities in alcohol use among racial and ethnic groups, in particular Native Americans; youth access to prescription drugs in the home; and the role of medical marijuana legalization on youth marijuana use. MEETING LOCATION: Tubman Chavez Multicultural Center 415 North Euclid Avenue San Diego, California 92114 DATE & TIME COST DEADLINE Friday, April 17, 2015, 9 – 11 a.m. $10 (Continental breakfast included) th Please register and pay by Friday, April 10 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KCH8TGW The Alcohol Policy Panel of San Diego County is a volunteer coalition of diverse community leaders who are concerned about the impact alcohol abuse is having on our communities. Members provide leadership to the County’s Binge and Underage Drinking Initiative, which develops strategic, community-based and environmental prevention campaigns to reduce underage and high risk drinking. This meeting is made possible with funding from the County of San Diego, Health and Human Services.