More Than 3,000 Stickers Placed on Liquor Store Bags Reminding Adults Not to Purchase Alcohol for People Under 21

Unlawful purchases of alcohol by adults for youth are a significant contributor to underage drinking, and Somerville youth working with a City of Somerville prevention program have been out in force to help stem the problem this holiday season. Using a tactic known as a “Sticker Shock” campaign, youth leaders gathered more than 3,000 bags from liquor stores and placed stickers on them reminding adults not to provide alcohol to people who are underage.      

A federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that 72% of underage drinkers did not pay for alcohol the last time they drank, indicating the need to disrupt unlawful purchasing for, and distribution to, youth. 

The youth are members of Somerville Positive Forces (SPF), a substance misuse prevention youth group that is part of the Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) community-based coalition in the City’s Prevention Services division. They recently organized the Sticker Shock effort in collaboration with local liquor stores to raise awareness about the risks associated with underage drinking. 

“This is a really effective way to reach thousands of people and remind adults to not provide youth with alcohol,” says Bhavika Kalia, a SPFJr. middle school youth leader. “Our hope is this will help lower the amount of youth receiving alcohol from adults.”

The SPF leaders put the more than 3,000 stickers on bags and hope that these newly labeled bags that liquor store purchases will be packaged in will help prevent underage drinking and reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm to young people. The National Institutes of Health considers underage drinking a serious public health problem that is a significant factor in death and injury to persons under the age of 21, among other harmful impacts.  

 “It was pretty obvious how passionate the youth are about preventing youth substance misuse based on their eagerness, excitement, and togetherness with Sticker Shock,” says Mary Grace Reynolds, a SCAP intern who assisted with facilitating the effort. 

 This project represents a partnership between youth and alcohol retailers with the goal of raising public awareness about underage drinking and reminding adults that providing alcohol to minors is both illegal and has its consequences. 

  “Sticker Shock is one way to help reduce youth access to alcohol, especially during the holiday season. They hope to remind adults that we have a responsibility to protect the young people in our community,” said Lovelee Heller-Bottari, SCAP Program Director. 

 In the future, SPF youth hope to expand on Sticker Shock to also create signs on store doors and reach out to alcohol vendors to educate on the benefits of adjusting signage to include this reminder for adults.  

 If you would like to learn more about this project and the work of SPF youth leaders or to sign-up to participate in their spring Sticker Shock campaign, please contact Lovelee Heller-Bottari at lheller@somervillema.gov.