| R 214 |
| 2025 -- H 6198 Enacted 04/08/2025 |
| 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 |
| 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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