OCEANSIDE, CA]: Fifteen teens spent their holiday break visiting nearly 20 alcohol retail stores in Oceanside and Vista to conduct a Thanksgiving “Sticker Shock” campaign. Bilingual stickers placed on alcohol packages serve as a warning that allowing guests under 21 to consume alcohol anytime, including holiday festivities, is against the law.
Nearly 1,000 stickers were placed on 12-packs of popular alcohol products at eighteen stores throughout Vista and Oceanside. As families and friends gather for the Thanksgiving holidays, teens wanted to help keep their communities safe from tragedy. “I’m hoping to prevent underage drinking and help people make better choices for themselves and others,” shared Jazmin Hernandez, a senior from Rancho Buena Vista High School.
Participating youth were from local programs including Be the Resistance at Oceanside High School, Public Policy Club at Rancho Buena Vista High School, and Vista Community Clinic’s Project REACH at Libby Lake. Teens have been active in projects helping inform their peers and communities that most teens DON’T use alcohol or other drugs. Fewer than 20% of high school juniors in Oceanside and Vista report drinking in the past 30 days, and less than 10% report binge drinking (OUSD and VUSD CA Healthy Kids Survey, 2019*, https://calschls.org/reports-data/search-lea-reports/ ).
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
• Parties and social gatherings with alcohol likely increase during the holiday season, and often include guests of all ages.
• All San Diego County cities have a Social Host Ordinance, often called “house party laws.” These laws make it illegal to provide an environment where underage drinking takes place, regardless of who provides the alcohol. Violators can face fines, cost-recovery fees for police and emergency services, and potential jail time.
• Party hosts can avoid citations by verifying the age of all guests, controlling access to alcohol to those under 21, and supervising minors.
• Parents play a key role in preventing underage drinking, and the holiday season provides an extra opportunity to communicate clear messages that alcohol use under age 21 is both against the law and harmful to adolescent brain development.
• Many cities updated their social host ordinances to also specifically add marijuana/cannabis; including Vista and Oceanside.
• There is a relationship between youth and adult drinking, including binge drinking, in states and communities.9-11 A 5% increase in binge drinking among adults in a community is associated with a 12% increase in the chance of underage drinking. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
• Early initiation of drinking is associated with development of an alcohol use disorder and/or other drug use later in life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
• Drinking can lead to poor decisions about engaging in risky behavior, including drinking and driving, sexual activity (such as unprotected sex), and aggressive or violent behavior (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).
• Efforts to prevent underage drinking are working. Fewer than 20% of high school juniors in Oceanside and Vista report drinking in the past 30 days, and less than 10% report binge drinking (OUSD and VUSD CA Healthy Kids Survey, 2019*, https://calschls.org/reports-data/search-lea-reports/ ). But alcohol remains too easy to get, with only about 15% of juniors saying it’s difficult to obtain alcohol. Parties (37%), home (32%), and friends or another teenager (32%) are the most common ways teens get alcohol (VUSD CHKS, 2019).
*data from 2019 cited due to low response rates during the 2020/2021 survey administration year.
About the North Coastal Prevention Coalition
The North Coastal Prevention Coalition aims to reduce the harm of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs in the cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista through community action, education, support and collaboration. Funded in part by the County of San Diego, HHSA, Behavioral Health Services, with a contract to Vista Community Clinic. Visit www.northcoastalpreventioncoalition.org
