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Welcome to NCCPUD!
Underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than illegal drugs. Underage
drinking poses a high risk to both the individual and society at large. Alcohol-related traffic crashes
is greater for drivers 16 to 20 than for drivers 21 and older. Adolescents vulnerability to alcohol-induced
brain damage could contribute to poor performance at school or work. Research has also associated adolescent
alcohol use with high-risk sex particularly leading to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
To respond to the challenges of underage drinking in the District of Columbia, since
1997, NCCPUD has been implementing a youth-oriented intervention that is aimed at reducing underage drinking.
NCCPUD’s approach is to first influence the youth educator’s attitude towards alcohol consumption through
self-discovery and self-empowerment. Secondly, by creating a group of peers who share the same attitudes
thus form the basis for the youth educator’s social norms. Once these youth adopt a positive self-perception
and healthy behaviors, they can then serve as role models to their peers, and thus, affecting their decision about underage
drinking and healthy behavior. NCCPUD Youth Advocates
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