Alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early and increases rapidly with age. To help educate young people and caring adults about the risks associated with underage drinking, Steelville is one of hundreds of communities nationwide that will hold an Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meeting on March 22.

S.C.O.P.E, in collaboration with the federal government’s Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, is sponsoring the event. S.C.O.P.E. is a community organization formed to offer education and prevention resources to parents, students and community members.

Attendees will be educated about the impact that underage drinking has on the community, and they will develop possible ways to address this issue.

Nationally, among eighth graders, about one in 20 (5.4 percent) reported being drunk at least once in the past month. Nearly one out of every sevent 10th graders (14.4 percent) and about two out of every seven 12th graders (27.6 percent) reported being drunk at least once in the last month.

The Steelville Town Hall Meeting—Sober Summer—will be held March 22 at the Steelville Community Building at 6:30 p.m. A panel will share their experiences with underage drinking from a wide variety of perspectives, from the high school student to health care professionals to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

After the meeting, additional resources and information will be available.