2025 -- H 6198

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL OF 2025, TO BE "ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Casey, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Casimiro,
Edwards, Voas, Giraldo, Noret, and Read

     Date Introduced: April 08, 2025

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, "Alcohol Awareness Month" is a public health program which began in

April of 1987, and is organized by the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as

a way of increasing outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcoholism and issues related

to alcohol; and

     WHEREAS, Alcohol abuse affects everyone, not simply the person with the drinking

problem. It impacts family, friends, and the workplace. The numerous initiatives promulgated

during Alcohol Awareness Month benefits everyone, and all people and organizations are

welcome to participate including parents, schools, healthcare facilities, medical professionals, law

enforcement, substance abuse organizations, faith-based groups and other important community

organizations; and

     WHEREAS, The disease of addiction, including dangerous alcohol use, continues to

devastate Rhode Island's communities and remains a public health emergency that poses a

significant public health safety threat to our State; and

     WHEREAS, According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH),

approximately 33 percent (12.6 million) of young people aged 12 to 20, reported that they have

had at least one drink in their lives. Similarly, nearly 28 percent (10.6 million) of young people

aged 12 to 20, reported that they drank alcohol in the past year, and 14.6 percent (5.6 million) of

young people aged 12-20 reported that they drank alcohol in the past month. In addition, 8.6

percent (3.3 million) of young people aged 12 to 20 reported that they engaged in binge-drinking

of alcohol in the past month; and

     WHEREAS, According to the National Center For Health Statistics, collectively,

alcohol-related deaths in the United States costs the United States Economy approximately 249

billion dollars and shortens the lives of those who die by 24 years; and

     WHEREAS, According to Susan G. Komen Foundation, excessive alcohol abuse is

linked to at least seven types of cancer: breast, colorectal, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth, and

throat; and

     WHEREAS, According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA), there were, from January 2021 to September, 2023, an estimated

8,566,725 emergency room visits in the United States related to alcohol. Overall, alcohol was the

most prevalent substance in substance-related emergency room visits, with twice the number of

visits compared to opioids or cannabis; and

     WHEREAS, The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that nearly 18 percent

of Rhode Islanders over the age of 18 binge drink at least once per month. In 2020 and 2021, 599

deaths per year in Rhode Island were attributable to excessive alcohol abuse; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

proclaims April of 2025, to be "Alcohol Awareness Month"; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the

State of Rhode Island, Richard Charest, Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human

Services, Jerome Larkin, MD, Director of the Department of Health, and Richard Leclerc,

Director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.

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