The DCPFY Alcohol Environmental Team focuses on the "Four A's" of Alcohol prevention. By targeting the "Four A's," the environmental factors that contribute to underage and binge drinking become the main focus in prevention efforts. Currently, the DCPFY Alcohol Environmental Team conduct the following activities regarding the "Four A's."

Underage youth receive their alcohol from a variety of sources, of which retail access continues to be one. Through age restriction compliance checks, retail outlets are inspected to ensure they are abiding by all laws and ordinances pertaining to serving underage patrons. With the assistance of law enforcement and community volunteers, compliance checks ensure that alcohol is not readily available to underage youth. The goal of the Environmental Team is to reduce non-compliance rates to under ten percent, of which research has indicated leads to a decrease in other community problems; vandalism, violence, drunk driving, etc...

Party Patrols

Social access to alcohol continues to be one of the top ways underage youth report getting alcohol. Whether it be for underage consumption or simply for consuming a large volume of alcohol in one sitting, house parties are a source of concern for community stakeholders. Law enforcement and community volunteers patrol community neighborhoods and disperse parties where underage alcohol is being served to minors and issue citations to both the underage youth and the adults who has decided to host the party. It is through this effort, that alcohol has been less available to youth in our community.

Acceptability

Media Awareness Campaign

Its no surprise to most Wisconsinites that alcohol use is deeply ingrained within our culture. In fact, alcohol has become a staple throughout our state. In 2008, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel released a five part series entitled "Wasted in Wisconsin" highlighting alcohol consumption within our state. www.jsonline.com/news/30565984.html

The DCPFY Alcohol Environmental Team has launched a Media Campaign consisting of print ads, billboards, and cinema advertisements focusing on responsible and moderate alcohol consumption. The slogans "How big is it?" and "Do you count?" address the issues of container size and moderate consumption levels. These ads were developed by FACE Project out of Michigan as part of the Domino Strategy for Responsible Alcohol Use.

Affordability

According to a recent study released in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, economic theory and population-level research regarding the elasticity of alcohol pricing shows that an increase in alcohol pricing is accompanied by less alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that stricter regulation of drink specials and discounting practices of on-premise drinking establishments would be an effective strategy for reducing the intoxication levels of exiting patrons. The DCPFY continues to explore strategies such as these that may lead to a positive change within Menomonie and Dunn County.

Attractiveness

Over the years the alcohol industry has focused advertising campaigns on the "attractive" qualities that are associated with drinking. From sponsoring sporting events and top athletes to paying musicians to endorse their products through the airwaves, young people are continually presented with a barrage of advertisements on a daily basis. What young individuals fail to realize are the realities that are also associated with high risk alcohol consumption. Each year, drinking by college students ages 18-24 results in 1,700 deaths, 500,000 injuries, 600,000 alcohol-related assaults, 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape, and 2.8 MILLION students who drive under the influence. These are the unattractive realities of high-risk alcohol consumption that often go unnoticed.