Hibbing Spreads the Word About Teenage Drinking Stats

HIBBING- The Hibbing Chemical Health Advisory Committee is looking to get the word out.They say far fewer teens are drinking than kids, and even adults believe.Teens tell us they hear their peers talking about drinking and posting pictures on social media but a new survey says that just isn't so.When Hibbing health officials did a survey of the number of teenagers who drink alcohol in their community, they found surprising results.SPF SIG coordinator Katie Erickson said, "We saw that there's a misperception about how many students were actually using alcohol on a typical month."They discovered 8 out of 10 students don't drink alcohol on a typical month.Teenager, Antonio VanReese said, "That's surprising. That seems really high."Brother, Alik VanReese said, "It seems like a lot more are than aren't I guess."Now, the Hibbing Chemical Health Advisory Committee kicked off "The Real Hibbing Thing To Do" campaign to spread the word to teens.Erickson said, "A survey that was done throughout Minnesota showed that students who don't think students are drinking on a monthly basis are five times less likely to drink themselves."The campaign is encouraging teens to get outdoors and enjoy the summer without alcohol.Erickson said "The survey shows that it's not the norm to drink."One of the common complaints in Hibbing is there is nothing to do and that's why some teens turn to alcohol.Antonio said, "There's tons of things you can do besides drink. Join a club."Antonio and his brother are spending the next two days biking around the Northland they know they don't have to drink to have fun.Alik said, "It's more fun and it's good exercise. It feels good to do something kind of productive."Antonio said, "There's plenty to do. You just got to go find it."For more information check out Hibbing Chemical Health Advisory Committee's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hibbing-Chemical-Health-Advisory-Committee/129627340413642