Since 1987, April has been designated as Alcohol Awareness Month, a national health observance first established by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of reaching the American public with information about the disease of alcoholism — that it is a treatable disease, not a moral weakness, and that alcoholics can and do recover.

In its 24th year, the purpose of Alcohol Awareness Month is to highlight the realities of underage drinking and its impact on individuals, families, and communities. A critical public health issue, underage drinking is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, research suggests that early use of alcohol by teenagers is an indicator for dependence on alcohol and other drugs later in life, with 40% of children who begin using alcohol before the age of 13 becoming alcoholics at some point in their lives.

Boys usually try alcohol for the first time at just 11 years old, while the average age for American girls’ first drink is 13. Sadly, however, high school students lack essential knowledge about alcohol and its effects. Nationwide, an estimated 5.6 million junior and senior high school students are unsure of the legal age to purchase alcohol; one third do not understand the intoxicating effects of alcohol; and more than 2.6 million do not know a person can die from an overdose of alcohol.

“As a society, we’ve got to do a far better job persuading our citizens and our young people that alcohol use is a dead end,” says Robert J. Lindsey, President of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “that they are playing Russian roulette, not only with their own lives, but with the lives of friends, neighbors, and loved ones. Alcoholism is a disease, not a rite of passage.”

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (www.ncadd.org) is America’s oldest national advocacy health organization dealing exclusively with alcoholism and drug dependence. Founded in 1944, NCADD provides a national voice for those suffering from alcoholism and drug dependency. In addition to its national headquarters in New York City, NCADD has a nationwide network of state and local affiliates, providing programs of prevention, education, intervention and treatment.

To find the NCADD Affiliate closest to you, call 1-800-NCA-CALL and enter your zip code.