AMERICAN FORK — The number of teenagers using alcohol in Utah County is too small to be labeled a problem but large enough to warrant discussion, health officials say.

So that's exactly what the Utah County Health Department plans to do.

Beginning tonight at American Fork Junior High School, the Utah County Division of Substance Abuse will hold a series of town hall-style meetings to increase awareness of underage drinking and its consequences.

The three local meetings are part of "Start Talking Before They Start Drinking," a national program to encourage individuals, families and communities to address the problem — or in Utah County's case, the potential problem.

"We're not calling it a problem," said Pat Bird, the county's substance abuse program manager, "but it's the No. 1 issue we have to deal with."

A 2005 survey of Utah County youth in sixth through 12th grades showed that 14.7 percent have used alcohol at some point in their lives, Bird said.

That number is significantly more than those who reported using tobacco (9.5 percent) or illicit drugs (5.6 percent), he said.

Nationally, 28.7 percent of youths aged 12 to 20 use alcohol, according to a 2004 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

"A lot of people don't look at alcohol as a drug," Bird said. "Some people see it as a right of passage."

The main purpose of the meetings is to educate the public about underage drinking and its effects on the adolescent brain.

"We want to alert and empower Utah County residents about about what's going on in their community," Bird said.

Studies have shown that alcohol can cause long-term and irreversible damage to a teenage brain's frontal lobe — the part that governs good judgment, complex thinking, decision making, impulse control and the ability to learn and memorize, he said.

"The alcohol impacts the developmental process," Bird said.

During the discussions, parents will be instructed how to set clear rules and expectations about alcohol, and both parents and youth can learn how to best communicate with each other about alcohol use, Bird said.

Utah County received state and federal money totaling $1,000 — about one-third of the funding needed to host the three meetings, said Lance Madigan, Utah County Health Department spokesman. The health department kicked in about $2,000 to cover costs such as audio and video equipment rental.

For more information about underage drinking prevention, visit www.stopalcoholabuse.gov.

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