Underage Drinking: Minors' Access to Alcohol Creates Serious Problems in State

Tom Fuchs, director of the L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center in Chippewa Falls,
believes Wisconsin residents need to change the culture of drinking in our state. He cites
data from the Surgeon General's Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking,
released last year, to support his stance.

(Chippewa Falls, WI) - It's not uncommon to see alcohol served at graduation parties, nor is it unusual to find beer gardens at church picnics or community festivals.

Many Wisconsin traditions are centered around the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and Tom Fuchs believes that needs to change.

"We continue to allow alcohol to be part of every kind of environment, and the only way that we're going to begin to change it is by recognizing that what we are doing is playing with fire," says Fuchs, director of the L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center in Chippewa Falls.

Fuchs says the state's culture of drinking promotes underage drinking, a serious health concern affecting young people locally, elsewhere in the state and across in the nation.

Equally concerning to him are the related problems of binge drinking - Western Wisconsin is credited with the highest binge drinking rates in the nation, he notes - and drunk driving. A federal study released this spring revealed that Wisconsin topped the list for people admitting to driving a vehicle while under the influence. More than one-quarter of adults 18 and older surveyed in the study said they'd driven drunk in the previous 12 months.

But what also troubles Fuchs is a Wisconsin law (125.07) allowing children to be served alcohol if accompanied by a parent, guardian or spouse of legal age.

"That basically justifies it for every parent in Wisconsin to allow their child to drink because 'Well, if the state says it's OK, then it must be OK,' " he says.

He argues that allowing minors to consume alcohol doesn't teach them to be responsible drinkers but rather sets them up to be heavy drinkers or alcoholics later in life.

"Parents think 'Oh, well, it's OK as long as I take the keys from the kids.' I want parents to say 'No alcohol until you're 21,' " he says.

Many parents, having navigated life without becoming addicted, believe they can teach their kids to drink responsibly, Fuchs explains. He says research proves quite the opposite to be true. Young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol problems later in life than those who begin drinking at age 21 or older.

The L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center is one of many facilities equipped to serve young people with chemical dependencies. Among its offerings, the center provides medical detoxification services as well as an outpatient adolescent treatment program.

However, Fuchs worries that parents and guardians may have missed an opportunity if their children have already entered into the system.

"For me the issue is, once they're in treatment, then we've really failed," he says. "I'm really interested in looking at how we can begin to change the culture of drinking."

To learn more about how the L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center can help those struggling with alcohol addictions, call 723-5585.