(AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2022) – Newly released findings demonstrate the sale of alcohol to-go has resulted in serious – and yet preventable – consequences, in particular for underage youth. Texans for Safe and DrugFree Youth (TxSDY), Texas’s leading advocacy coalition on youth underage drinking and substance use prevention, released the data and hosted a local West Texas community forum today, targeted at addressing youth alcohol use.

Partnering with local leaders and prevention advocates, TxSDY’s Regional Forum focused on targeted approaches specific to the El Paso and West Texas communities. Local organization Border Substance Abuse Council (BASC) co-hosted the day’s event, which was held at Altopiano Events.

“The local community plays a critical role in working to address underage drinking and as this new data shows, the risks are more serious than ever with alcohol sold to-go,” said Nicole Holt, CEO of Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth. “From parents to educators to law enforcement, it’s our responsibility as adults to do everything possible to keep our kids safe. Working together, we know we can create positive change. We urge decision makers in El Paso and across the state to join us in putting our youth ahead of business interests and improve safeguards and compliance.”

Today’s forum provided information about local alcohol to-go sales, which found:

• 95.6% of the time alcohol to-go was ordered for delivery or pick-up, no ID was requested;
• Most of the time, a staff member at delivery or pick up made contact with the customer but failed to ask for any ID verification;
• 1 out of 4 alcoholic beverages was NOT in a tamper-proof cup or container.

The event also provided local West Texas families and leaders with resources and tools to support local community engagement and policies.

“The realities of underage drinking and intoxicated driving affect our local community in devastating ways, and yet we continue to see policies that create new challenges to protecting our kids from alcohol access and use,” said Mary Ellen Hernandez, Director, Border Substance Abuse Council (BSAC) “But we know that – working collaboratively and with targeted, localized strategies, we can make a positive difference and save lives. Our hope is that today’s event inspires us all to continue to work together for our families, our neighbors and our youth.”

The El Paso event is part of a series of Regional Forums TxSDY regularly hosts across the state. The events seek to facilitate introductions between stakeholders in the community, increase collaboration and engagement and mobilize participants to reduce underage drinking and impaired driving in a coordinated and strategic way.

About Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth

Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth is the state’s leading organization working to end underage alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. Founded in 1997, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation administered by the American Medical Association, the statewide coalition builds on the strengths and successes of its longtime identity, Texans Standing Tall, while bringing new focus and energy to its mission of creating healthier and safer communities. More information can be found at http://txsdy.org.

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