NABCA Awards
North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission
Award Year
2021-2022
Education Award $10,000
Supplemental Award $50,000
Focus Area Education | Awareness
Targeted Underage Drinking Prevention
The COVID-19 pandemic sent shockwaves throughout the country, causing unprecedented levels of stress across all demographics. This disruption to daily life has been linked to increased mental health issues and drinking, including among youth under 21 years old. The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (NC ABC) used their NABCA award to delve deeper into these issues. They conducted a survey of parents and students in middle and high schools to better understand the effects of the pandemic on young people and their parents regarding both alcohol use and access to alcohol. The results demonstrate that creating greater awareness of Talk it Out NC and aligning messaging with the research findings, along with increasing connections to community-based services, would generate better outcomes, particularly driving parents and students to the website as a valuable resource for underage drinking prevention messages and conversation starters. NC ABC also used part of the award as additional resources for the ongoing efforts to address underage drinking among the under-21 Spanish-speaking female population in Mecklenburg County. Messaging and content were developed and deployed in both English and Spanish. Tactics included radio flights, social media ads, social posts, and video and audio broadcasts.