What is the STOP grant?

What is the STOP grant?

The Sober Truth on Preventing underage drinking (STOP) grant is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Rice County seeks to decrease the percentage of youth ages 12-20 who use alcohol. 

What do we know about youth alcohol use in Rice County?

Less than 10 percent of middle school students report drinking alcohol in the last 30 days according to the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey. However, that percentage nearly triples as students get older. Approximately 25 percent of high school juniors say they’ve had an alcoholic beverage in the last 30 days.

What are we doing to prevent and decrease underage drinking?

Parent and caregiver outreach:

Teenagers can be hard to read, but it’s important to remember that young people still rely on the adults in their lives to talk about drugs and alcohol. Teenagers are less likely to drink when they know a parent or caregiver would be disappointed. We use messaging from SAMHSA’s Talk. They Hear You. campaign to remind adults to have conversations early and often with their teens. 

Looking for more tips on how to start conversations? Click here > or download their app.

Positive community norms campaigns:

What is a “norm” anyway? A norm is any action or behavior that more than 50 percent of people engage in. In Rice County, the actual norm is most young people choose not to drink. However, those same teens believe most of their peers are drinking. This gap between the actual norm and the perceived norm increases the risk that teens will begin drinking in order to fit in.

A positive community norm campaign, like the MOST Campaign at Faribault and Northfield Middle Schools, reinforces the reality that middle schoolers do not drink alcohol. Through banners, student recognition, and weekly announcements, students receive key messages related to substance use and positive coping skills. By decreasing the gap between what students believe their peers do and what they actually do, we decrease the likelihood young people will begin drinking early.

For more information about the Science of the Positive, click here >

Social Host awareness campaigns:

For more information on Social Host Ordinance, click here >

School curriculum support:

Providing the most up-to-date and evidence-based information to young people about alcohol and substance use is a powerful tool to help them make healthy decisions. Grant funds are available to help districts purchase curriculum aids and materials.