Region tops in nation for underage drinking

Western Wisconsin has highest rates in nation, university 10 percent above national average, according to study

By: Nicole Strittmater

Posted: 2/25/08

During the first day of classes this semester, a Hot Chocolate Challenge took place outside the bookstore.

Fighting the frigid temperatures outside may have been the reason for the drink selection but not the moral of the activity.

Sponsored by the Center for Alcohol Studies and Education (CASE), the group asked students to pour what they thought was a standard mixed drink.

CASE director Jennifer Lee said the event surprised a lot of students.

"People were thinking they had one drink but really had four … some as many as seven," she said.

Throughout the semester Lee said the university and community try to raise awareness and educate students about the dangers of drinking and how to drink responsibly.

Nationwide underage drinking data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows Western Wisconsin has the highest rates in the nation, said Jean Christenson, alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention coordinator for the Eau Claire area school district.

In 2005, costs related to underage drinking totaled $1.2 billion statewide and $26.4 million in Eau Claire county, said Francie Peardon, community health educator and supervisor for the Eau Claire county health department.

"I think the cost data is a little surprising," Peardon said. "But I think until we see it, we don't always know."

Christenson said the Consortium for Substance Abuse Prevention for Eau Claire County, which includes several agencies and organizations in the area, gathered data from the community about underage drinking, and 85 percent of Eau Claire county felt underage drinking was a serious problem.

It also found 56 percent of UW-Eau Claire students are under 21 years old, and 73 percent of those reported consuming alcohol in the past 30 days. Eighty one percent of all Eau Claire students reported consuming alcohol in the past 30 days, compared to 71 percent nationwide.

But Lee said most of the university's students are drinking responsibly.

"What makes the news is people who are doing something ridiculous," she said. "That's who people talk about the next day, and I think that perpetuates the myth that everybody's doing it."

Lee said the university's own surveys found 47 percent of students didn't binge drink within the last two weeks, and 23 percent didn't drink at all in the last 30 days.

Ninety percent of students said they won't ride with an intoxicated driver or drive drunk, and the percentage of reported drunk driving went down from 42 percent in 2002 to 27 percent in 2007, she said.

According to the University Police 2007 Annual Report, police dealt with 155 underage drinking cases.

Sophomore Ashley Treml, who received an underage drinking ticket her freshman year, said she never feels pressured to drink.

"Even in high school there wasn't a lot of pressure," she said. "But I know a lot of other high schools where there's a lot more pressure."

In 2004, 1,409 people between 12 and 20 years old were admitted for alcohol treatment in Wisconsin, accounting for 8 percent of all admissions in the state, according to the consortium's research. Of the 15,342 people between 12 and 20 years old in Eau Claire County, it estimated 1,085 have a serious alcohol problem, and 85 percent do not receive treatment.

The consortium distributed school questionnaires and found 52 percent of local 12th graders reported having five or more glasses of beer, wine or liquor within a few hours, compared to 48 percent nationally. Thirty percent of those 12th graders reported they drove cars after or while drinking alcohol, compared to 27 percent nationally.

Between local eighth and tenth-graders, 28.6 percent reported alcohol use, and 46.2 percent of 12th graders reported use.

Captain Jeff Pettis of the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department said his department has been aggressive when dealing with underage drinking, but the thing that's the scariest is that it sees parents throwing underage parties.

"How do you control that?" Pettis said. "Parents are becoming more permissive to allow it under their guidance, which is totally illegal, but it makes it much harder for us to enforce."

To combat the underage drinking problem, the department became involved with the consortium, started educating children through the DARE program and strictly enforces events such as Country Jam to make sure underage people can't obtain alcohol.

Senior Chris Nielson said he didn't drink underage, but there is a problem on campus.

"It is an issue that we do have to address, but it's not something everybody's doing," he said. "You can have friends without alcohol. There are lots of things going on on campus, and if there aren't things going on, you can make things happen with friends."