Reduce Underage Drinking Today and You Prevent Opiate Use Tomorrow

April 16, 2018



Wisconsin, like many states, has seen its rate of underage drinking drop in the last decade. Over that period, law enforcement worked with community groups and coalitions to reduce youth access to alcohol. A new state law made it illegal to provide a location for underage drinking—even when adults did not provide the alcohol. In some communities, groups worked with police to make sure residents didn’t leave alcohol in unlocked garages or storage areas—where youth could pilfer it. 

Sometimes we are asked why efforts to prevent and reduce underage drinking should continue when opiate abuse is at crisis levels. The answer is clear—alcohol prevention today is illicit drug prevention for the future. Alcohol is widely available and most often, first substance youth use, earlier than parents realize.  Research has proved that alcohol use in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades has an “especially powerful influence” over lifetime illicit drug use.[i]  Reducing underage drinking today is preventing a future opiate epidemic.

Looking for a job in behavioral health?

April 4, 2018

Maureen Fitzgerald
ATTC Network Coordinating Office/NIATx




You can job hunt from the comfort of  your own home at The Behavioral Health Virtual Job Fair, coming up on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. This online event is designed to help you connect with potential employers in areas with limited access to care.

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) is offering the Virtual Job Fair (VJF) to make it easier for employers and job seekers to find each other, says Leah Henao, Branch Chief, Outreach, Recruitment and Partnership Branch, Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources & Services Administration.