Alcohol
Alcohol is a priority in youth prevention due to its widespread availability, social acceptability, and potential for long-term harm, especially for young, developing brains. Adolescents who start drinking early are at higher risk of developing alcohol dependency, experiencing mental health issues, and engaging in risky behaviors like unsafe driving and unprotected sex. Early alcohol use can disrupt brain development, affecting areas related to decision-making, memory, and impulse control, which can have lifelong consequences.
Preventing alcohol use among youth also helps reduce the likelihood of academic challenges, family conflict, and future substance misuse. Effective prevention programs work to educate young people on the risks of alcohol, develop refusal skills, and promote healthy, alternative activities. This focus ultimately supports better health, safety, and life outcomes for young people.
Below is the logic model that Step Up Naugy uses based on community data reported by citizens, volunteers, and youth. We use this data to drive our prevention efforts and build programs for youth.
Logic Model - Alcohol 2024
Step Up Naugy is one of the 2024 recipients of the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Grant.
From the STOP Request for Proposals:
The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12 to 20 in communities throughout the United States. Award recipients will be expected to implement activities that support capacity building such as implementing evidence-based community approaches, enhancing collaboration, cooperation and coordination among communities, federal, state, and local and tribal governments, and convening Town Halls.
Step Up Naugy will target capacity building, bridging service gaps, and reducing alcohol use amongst youth under STOP. The first goal of this project is to increase the capacity of SUN to reduce youth alcohol use in Naugatuck. This will be achieved by providing three workshops/trainings to coalition members and the community, expanding coalition volunteer representation, and meeting with underserved groups to better build prevention programming.
The second goal of the project is to reduce underage drinking rates amongst Naugatuck youth. This will be guided by the seven strategies of community change. Step Up Naugy members will promote safe storage of alcohol at home, social host laws, and social norms around delayed first use of alcohol into adulthood.
Funding from this important federal grant opportunity will allow Step Up Naugy to more specifically target alcohol in the community as a substance of importance in promoting healthy youth.