Not a minor problem

Long Beach has an underage drinking problem, but there is a group working to change that.

The Long Beach Medical Center’s Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking aims to use a combination of policy and awareness to combat the problem by changing the way it is perceived and the culture of the community by targeting adults. Founded in 2000, the group has already changed the law. Now it is releasing a video aimed at opening residents’ eyes to the subtle ways that alcohol use is portrayed to kids.

“We need to educate the community that it’s not a rite of passage,” said Judi Vining, the coalition’s coordinator. “That it’s very important to set clear limits and to make your message consistent.”

A group of Long Beach High School peer leaders made the video. Vining said they were told to walk around town with cameras and capture the way alcohol is displayed. The video shows things that are common but that adults may not notice. In stores, toys are displayed next to shelves of beer. In the West End, there are a number of bars within sight of a playground.

“In this community, we give mixed messages to our kids,” said Vining.

Long Beach exceeds the state average for underage drinking, she said, because of the availability and visibility of alcohol in the city. Vining said that in Long Beach’s 3.5 square miles, there are 79 places to buy alcohol. Many children are drinking in homes, and get alcohol either from adults they know or from strangers. Some store owners do not ask for proof of age. The average age for first alcohol use in Long Beach is between 13 and 14.

Also, Vining said, Long Beach is viewed as something of a “drinking destination,” and that being exposed to bars and nightlife affects kids’ views of alcohol.

Not only are kids in Long Beach drinking, she said, but they are drinking dangerously: In surveys, the coalition has discovered that they drink very aggressively, many reporting the consumption of more than eight, and sometimes a s many as 12 to 16, drinks in a night.