April is Alcohol Awareness Month and a local recovery organization is campaigning on the impacts alcohol can have on the community.

Nadia Klekamp is the Director of Integrated Community Education at Chestnut Health Systems. On the WHOW Morning Show Wednesday, she told Regional Radio the campaign this year is focusing on the impacts of alcohol on youth.

Data collected by the University of Illinois has shown there is evidence to suggest parents are allowing students to consume alcohol but Klekamp points out that can be detrimental to the development of a young person.

The National Institute of Health data from a 2021 survey suggests more girls ages 12 to 20 will use alcohol than boys. Nearly 13.4 million youth ages 12 to 20 reported to have had at least one drink while 3.2 million youth ages 12 to 20 reported binge drinking in the past month. 

Additionally, 2.4 percent of 12th-grade students reported high-intensity drinking.