PLCB Welcomes Hundreds of Community Leaders, Educators and Law Enforcement Officers to Statewide Conference Aimed at Preventing Underage and Dangerous Drinking

Recognizes April as Alcohol Education Awareness Month

MECHANICSBURG, Pa., April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board today kicks off the 12^th annual alcohol education statewide conference "Common Ground: Community, Education and Law Enforcement, Reducing Dangerous and Underage Use of Alcohol" at the Park Inn by Radisson, Harrisburg West.

The free, two-day event provides an opportunity to share trends, best practices and resources among those who are attempting to address underage and irresponsible drinking in their communities.

"While the people who attend this conference come from a variety of backgrounds and play different roles with regard to alcohol education, they are all working toward an important common goal, which is improving the health and well-being of their communities," said Joseph E. Brion, chairman. "By sharing what prevention efforts work and lessons learned with each other, they increase the chances of their success."

Some of the topics addressed at the conference include what peer-driven prevention messages actually work, how to evaluate prevention efforts and the "Power of Parents" program.  Understanding that parents play a critical role in underage drinking, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD, created the "Power of Parents" with the goal of equipping one parent every 30 minutes with the tools to talk to their teens about alcohol.  MADD's chief operating officer and national senior director of programs will share details of the program with conference attendees, who can take the information back to their communities to expand the impact.

"While today there are fewer young people in Pennsylvania participating in underage drinking compared to previous years, there is still much work to be done, as evidenced by a 2011 survey showing that 25 percent of Pennsylvanians aged 12 to 20 used alcohol in the past month," said Robert S. Marcus, board member. "The most effective methods of addressing these rates continue to evolve, so the programs communities utilize must adapt as well."

While the conference provides best practices for coalition-building and prevention, law enforcement workshops are also available regarding fraudulent identification detection and interviewing strategies for investigations.

The keynote address will feature college students highlighting a program that utilizes peer-driven messages to promote better decision-making.  The program uses a hands-on, peer-to-peer approach to impact behavior among young people who have engaged in underage drinking. 

The annual conference is held in April to coincide with Alcohol Awareness Month, which is aimed at increasing public awareness and understanding of underage drinking, alcohol abuse, treatment and other alcohol-related issues. The conference is co-sponsored by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.

For more information about the conference or the PLCB's alcohol education efforts, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Stacy Kriedeman, 717-783-8864.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board