SOCIAL AVAILABILITY OF ALCOHOL
The Social Availability refers to access to alcohol through non-commercial sources. For underage youth this 
includes older friends, siblings, parents, and strangers willing to provide to minors. Situations include massive college student parties, which attract local underage youth as well as underage college students, graduation parties for high school youth, and smaller home-hosted parties with and without parental sanction, this latter in the mistaken belief that allowing youth to drink at home will keep them safe. In addition to large parties in private homes, youth are able to obtain alcohol at gatherings in public spaces such as picnics, beach parties, or outdoor recreational events, often in conjunction with holidays such as Independence Day, Memorial Day, Spring Break and the like.
Problems
Underage drinking increases the risk for traffic fatalities, unprotected and unplanned sex, sexual assault, alcohol poisoning and other injuries, poor academic performance, and lifelong dependence on alcohol. Moreover, research indicates that almost half of DUI incidents result from drinking at house parties. Problems for the community associated with underage drinking parties include violence, excessive noise, property damage, public urination, illegal parking and other issues related to the quality of life.
Solutions
The predominant approach used in the past to address these problems has been to encourage youth to act more responsibly and/or to encourage parents to exercise more controls. However, despite substantial resources being devoted to such efforts, there has been little data to support their effectiveness. But more promising approaches, which focus on reducing alcohol availability in social venues through policy change, have been developed in recent years. These include greater accountability for adults who host underage drinking parties on private property and restrictions on alcohol consumption in public places. More information on each of these approaches is available by clicking on the link below:
Addressing underage drinking on private property
Addressing underage drinking on public property (Link to Public Drinking subpage – to be developed)
NOTE: Data show that private residences and commercial venues are equally major sources for youth to obtain alcohol. Therefore, it is necessary to address both sources to make an impact on youth access and reduce underage drinking. For reasons that are obvious, the alcohol industry supports research that focuses on residential sources rather than commercial ones, implying that this approach alone is sufficient to reduce underage drinking. However, research shows that the most effective way to achieve results is by changing the social environment, primarily using a comprehensive policy approach that addresses both commercial and social sources. To learn more about how to reduce alcohol problems through controls on commercial availability, clink on the link below:
