Program aims to reduce alcohol abuse

It’s a frightening statistic.

“You’re three times more likely to be killed by an intoxicated driver [in Sanders County] than in any other county in the state of Montana, and no compliance checks have been done on businesses that sell alcohol in Sanders County in years,” Gary Acevedo told the Hot Springs city council Oct. 7. Acevedo is the Flathead program office for the Montana Community of Change Project, a statewide alcoholism prevention program.

That wasn’t Acevedo’s only statistic. A study shows that Sanders County is one of the most at risk in the state for binge drinking and driving under the influence.

“In Sanders County there is a 66 percent chance of walking away without a conviction if caught driving under the influence, drinking under age, or binge drinking,” he added.

The MCCP wants to change that.

“What the Montana Change project is all about is not about prohibition, were not here to stop people from selling or buying alcohol, what we’re about is responsible use. What we’re about is keeping alcohol out of the hands of individuals who should not have it, that would be underage people and that would be people who are seeking alcohol who are obviously intoxicated,” Acevedo said.

According to the MCCP Web site “binge drinking” is defined as consuming 5 or more drinks in one sitting and a drink is defined as a 12 oz. serving of beer, a 1.5 oz. shot of liquor or a 5 oz. glass of wine. Acevedo explained that for women binge drinking is usually considered to be lower quantities such as only four drinks of beer for women.

In order to lower excessive drinking, Acevedo said in the next three years the MCCP hopes to find volunteers around the community to explore possibilities to stop the drinking problem.

“What were looking to do is form a local strategy team of people who can figure out what is to be done,” Acevedo said.

Because of the serious drinking problem in Sanders County, Acevedo encouraged community members and city officials to start discussions about ways to make significant change. He highlighted the MCCP’s focus on preventing binge drinking and DUI by identifying and addressing the physical, social, cultural, economic and political factors that contribute to or maintain alcohol-related problems. He also explained that the project was created with the intent to establish conditions and behavioral expectations in the community that would make excessive drinking less probable.

For example, Acevedo said that if you are able to keep youth and children away from their first excessive drinking experience until age 21, they are only 12 percent likely to have a drinking problem.

“We know that social pressure helps, we know that it works and we know that it’s effective that’s what were in the business to do, to get the community talking,” Acevedo said.