In Orange County, many kids, even middle schoolers, say it’s easy or very easy to get alcohol. Briana J, age 17 states – “Underage drinking is everywhere—it’s easy to get and even middle schoolers have access. At school, you can tell when someone’s been drinking by how they act or smell, and sometimes staff just ignore it. It’s become so normal that no one really takes it seriously anymore. Even just hanging out with friends often involves alcohol, and it’s rare to have a get-together without it. It’s sad to see how common it is, especially with younger kids.” A survey of students from the Capistrano Unified School District showed that 27% of 7th graders, 49% of 9th graders, and 64% of 12th graders surveyed said alcohol was easy or very easy to get (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2023–2024).
To help address this problem, three local organizations teamed up this summer: Partners4Wellness, Unidos South OC, and the Wellness & Prevention Center. Instead of relying on the same old strategies, they took a fresh approach – meeting with local business owners and starting a dialog about how to address underage access to alcohol. These conversations opened up the opportunity for the teen volunteers to place youth-designed stickers on liquor merchandise to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking, a strategy called Sticker Shock.
Eighteen youth from the Unidos South OC program helped spread the message about not buying or providing alcohol to anyone under 21. Adult leaders from Unidos, the Wellness & Prevention Center, and Partners4Wellness supported the youth throughout the project, accompanying them to liquor stores and helping to facilitate discussions.
Together, these three organizations visited seven liquor stores in South Orange County. With adult supervision, the youth placed over 100 stickers on multi-packs of alcohol products at each store. The stickers featured positive prevention messages such as “Buying Alcohol for Minors = Felony” and “Underage and Underdeveloped” to remind the community about the dangers of providing alcohol to minors. Stickers with messaging in Spanish were also placed on the alcohol products.
Who are these organizations?
- Partners4Wellness is a nonprofit organization in Orange County that works to keep communities healthy by preventing problems before they start.
- The Wellness & Prevention Center is a nonprofit helping young people by offering mental health services, education, and support to avoid drugs and alcohol and runs a Drug Free Communities Coalition in San Clemente.
- Unidos South OC is a nonprofit that works with their community to create fun, positive experiences for youth.
All three organizations worked together to raise awareness about the issue of underage drinking.
We would like to recognize the local stores that supported this effort:
- 7 Eleven on Junipero Serra Rd, San Juan Capistrano
- Primo Foods 2801 S El Camino Real, San Clemente
- Catalina Market 102 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente
- Victoria Market 201 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente
- Dana Point Fuel Dock 34661 Puerto Pl, Dana Point
- Mercado Corona 25351 Alicia Pkwy # C, Laguna Hill
- Sip n’ Nip on 27792 Aliso Creek Road, #B100, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
These businesses took time to listen to young people and are committed to helping create healthier communities by reducing underage drinking. Help us support stores that support our kids!
Byline:Partners4Wellness is a member of the Wellness & Prevention Coalition, A Drug Free Communities coalition working collaboratively to reduce youth substance use. You can learn more about the coalition here Prevention Coalition – Wellness & Prevention Center.