South Carolina Bureau
AIKEN --- When a gunman killed 32 Virginia Tech students last year, Aiken County sheriff's Sgt. Steve Deibel recalled, it was front-page news. But "we lose 33 between the age of 16 and 25 every single day from traffic fatalities," he said, "and half are alcohol-related."
Sgt. Deibel was among community leaders from various agencies in Aiken County who gathered Tuesday night to discuss underage drinking in Aiken County.
About 75 people attended the town hall meeting at the University of South Carolina Aiken put on by the Aiken Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Services.
Herb Mattocks, the executive director of the Aiken Center, said one of the reasons for having the meeting was because of "concern about the increase in underage drinking in Aiken County."
A panel of eight people from law enforcement, education and the faith-based community spoke, each defining the problem of underage drinking and how the community can get involved to deter young people from drinking.
Capt. Maryann Burgess, of the Aiken Department of Public Safety, spoke about the disintegration of the family as a contributor to the increase in underage drinking.
"Hosting parties is not teaching our children responsibility when it comes to alcohol," she said.
SOUTH CAROLINA ALCOHOL STATISTICS
- In 2005, underage drinkers consumed 12.2 percent of all alcohol sold, totaling $228 million in sales
- About 186,000 underage youth in the state drink each year
- In 2004, 916 youths ages 12-20 were admitted for alcohol treatment
In 2005, according to self-reports by South Carolina students in grades 9-12:
- 71 percent had at least one drink of alcohol
- 26 percent had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, before age 13
- 43 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasion in the past 30 days
NATIONAL
In 2003, the average age for the first use of alcohol was about 14, compared with 17.5 in 1965.
In 2006, according to a national survey, about 40.5 percent of eighth-graders, 61.5 percent of 10th-graders, and 73 percent of 12th-graders had tried alcohol.
Source: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, October 2006
