Who: The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking is one of 12 coalitions participating in the "Reducing Underage Drinking through Coalitions" project of the American Medical Association, hosted by the Mental Health America of Indiana, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Coalition is working to educate the public and policymakers about Indiana's underage drinking problem and the policies that are key to reducing youth access to alcohol.

Why:

• Research indicates that underage drinking is a serious problem in Indiana and Hoosiers want action:
  
• 9 out of 10 Indiana minors say that alcohol is easy to get (IU Public Opinion Laboratory).
  
• Annually, Hoosiers pay over $1.3 billion in underage drinking costs (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention).
  
• Indiana spends over 13% of its annual budget on substance abuse-related costs.
  
• 9 out of 10 adults in Indiana say they are concerned about teenage drinking (Mathematica Policy Research).
  
• Most alcohol retailers support stronger prevention policies (Mathematica Policy Research).

Info: Lisa Hutcheson, Coalition Project Director - l.icrud@mhai.net

317-638-3501 ext. 232, www.icrud.org

 

 

What is the Orange Ribbon Campaign?  This campaign was created by youth, for youth, to bring awareness to underage drinking.  The color orange was chosen because it is bright and also the color of safety cones.  Products are available for purchase, with all funds going back to the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking.

 

What are the dates?  April 23 – 30, with “Lose the Booze” day on April 28th (April is national alcohol awareness month)

 

What is Lose the Booze Day?  On April 28, we are encouraging all persons to be alcohol-free for one day.  Minors should never consume alcohol, but we are also encouraging others to be alcohol-free for one day to show our kids that we don’t need to drink to have fun, relax, or celebrate.  We encourage families to do something together that will bring awareness to and make a difference in underage drinking or other alcohol issues.

 

What can communities do?  Communities can host alcohol-free family events, educational events and campaigns, and other community events.  Families can talk about alcohol issues and sit down together to come up with family rules and consequences if they don’t already have them.  Students can have awareness events in their schools, at games, or other school events.  The simplest thing to do is to be alcohol free if you are a minor, and to be a good example and a responsible drinker if you are an adult.

 

 Orange Ribbon Products   Orange Ribbon Order Form   Orange Ribbon T-shirts

 

The Orange Ribbon Campaign is an initiative

of the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking,

 a program of Mental Health America of Indiana.

The Orange Ribbon Campaign is underwritten by Safe and Drug Free Schools funds

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