Substance Abuse Prevention

Speak Now!

The “Speak Now” campaign was developed to address underage drinking, and more specifically, binge drinking among Colorado youth. In fact, Colorado ranks 9th highest in the nation in terms of binge drinking among teenage youth. The campaign aims to urge parents and guardians to speak to teens about the dangers of underage drinking resulting in eliminating or at least reducing the binge drinking disparity among teenage youth statewide. Click the icon to find out more.







Project Sticker Shock

This sticker shock is not about buying a car.. It’s about buying alcohol and warning adults that it is illegal to purchase and provide it to underage persons.

“Project Sticker Shock,” a youth-led initiative to change adult attitudes about providing alcohol to minors, is a public awareness campaign scheduled in conjunction with local events that traditionally experience high underage drinking rates such as the Fourth of July, high school graduation, prom, and homecoming. Local youth from Eagle River Youth Coalition’s Youth Leaders Council (YLC) and Eagle Valley High School’s Devils Against Drinking & Drugs (DADD) are part of a movement of youth nationwide working with participating stores to spread “Sticker Shock” waves across the county in an effort to reach adults who might be tempted to buy and supply alcohol for youth under 21. The red-and-white stop stickers stand out on the beer cases for all to see, and provide a strong reminder about consequences of purchasing alcohol for minors, including “Providing Alcohol to Minors is Illegal; Fines of $5,000 or More; Up to Six Years in Prison."

Alcohol has been identified as the number one drug of choice among youth according to Eagle County students. Sixty three percent of local high school students think it is easy or very easy to get beer, wine, or hard liquor if they wanted to. Of local youth who drank in the past 30 days, 41% said that someone gave the alcohol to them while an additional 22% said that they gave someone money to buy it for them. The “Sticker Shock” campaign aims to educate the public, encouraging adults to think twice before purchasing alcohol for underage youth.

Together, YLC and DADD members and local participating retail liquor stores are working to create a safer, healthier lifestyle by combating the problem of underage drinking.

Participating with Youth Volunteers:
- West Vail Liquor Mart
- Avon Liquor
- Eagle Liquor Mart
- Primavera Liquor

Participating by store stickering:
- Edwards Liquors
- Bottle N Cork
- Broadway Liquor
- Riverwalk Wine & Spirits


Healthy Choices Message Campaign

ERYC conducts a series of Youth Education and Prevention Campaign messages in partnership with local events. Since the inaugural launch in 2012, over 5,000 individuals have been reached. Messages focus on substance use and abuse education, reinforcement of adopting a buddy system, critical environmental awareness, alternative transportation options, sexual health and the overall costs and consequences of making poor choices. Events have included the preparation for the Snowball Music Festival, Winter WonderGrass Music Festival, and local high school events.