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New Jersey 's Childhood Drinking (CD) Coalition is a collaboration of statewide stakeholder organizations that have partnered to initiate a comprehensive strategy to prevent the serious issue of childhood drinking.

With research indicating that the average age of first use of alcohol is now 11 years old, the efforts of the Coalition are directed toward parents and children of all ages with an emphasis on preventing the early first use of alcohol.

Of the surveyed 7 th and 8 th grade students in New Jersey , 46.4% have used alcohol some time in their lifetimes. The lifetime rate for alcohol use increases from 40.7% for 7 th graders to 52.3% for 8 th graders. Findings from the Monitoring the Future survey indicate a lifetime alcohol prevalence of 47% for 8 th graders nationwide in 2002. Thus, the 8 th graders in New Jersey appear to be experimenting with alcohol at a rate above that reported by their national counterparts.1

The focus of the Childhood Drinking (CD) Coalition continues to be to review the research concerning the problem in New Jersey and to design strategies to combat, and ultimately prevent childhood drinking.

 

1 2003 New Jersey Middle School Substance Use Survey. Conducted by the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services. 2003 Channing Bete Company, Inc.