The 2006 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey shows that most of the 200,000 students surveyed in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 are making healthy choices and staying away from alcohol, other drugs and other risky behaviors.

That's good news for everyone. The bad news is that there are still too many kids risking their health and futures with early and heavy use of alcohol.

The Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (RUAD) recently launched a statewide education campaign to let parents and other concerned adults know just how early and how much young people are drinking, and to encourage them to get involved to protect kids.

Radio messages inform parents that 13,000 Washington 8th graders will use alcohol this month, that some kids as young as 13 are regularly getting drunk, and that one in five 10th graders will have five or more drinks in a row at least once in the next two weeks.

Alcohol is by far the biggest drug problem among Washington's youth, and kills more kids than all other drugs combined.

So what is it that encourages youth to drink?

Since 2001, alcohol industry ads on TV have increased 40 percent, and often air when more youth are watching than adults. Kids are, in essence, offered a drink just about everywhere they go in their community: billboards, store displays, the movies, sports events and even county fairs. Children also may learn from adults that alcohol is the only way to relax or have fun at a party.

With all the messages telling kids that it's OK to drink, is there any way to prevent them from drinking? We know that investing in effective prevention programs is working.

Since 2000, binge drinking is down 42 percent among 8th graders, 15 percent among 10th graders, and 18 percent among 12th graders. This means fewer kids are at risk for brain damage, failing in school, having unprotected sex, and developing alcoholism.

We also know that reducing a child's exposure to alcohol marketing and products can make a lasting difference, and that parents play a big role in shaping their children's attitudes about alcohol. In fact, in national surveys, the primary reason kids give for not drinking is that they don't want to disappoint their parents.

Pre-teens and teens do a good job of hiding it, but they really do want their parents to talk to them about alcohol and enforce clear rules against drinking.

So it's really up to adults to reduce youth exposure to alcohol. Adults have the power to ask store owners to remove or reduce alcohol signs, to write to community event coordinators and urge them to stop accepting alcohol industry sponsorships, and to take action to stop alcohol promotions and products that appeal to kids.

If you would like to find out what your community members are doing to reduce underage drinking, and how you can get involved, contact Renae Gaines at 206-396-2945 or rtgaines@seattleschools.org. Visit www.StartTalkingNow.org to find additional resources to reduce underage drinking.

The Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is a community coalition funded by Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) and the Federal Center of Substance Abuse Prevention, working to reduce underage drinking in the West Seattle community and the next coalition meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. (Southwest Library).