| Established in 2008, the Muskegon Alcohol Liability Initiative (ALI) works primarily from a law enforcement agency capacity to reduce alcohol related injuries among youths and young adults in Muskegon County. It is the result of a data driven community planning process, conducted by the Coalition for a Drug Free Muskegon, which focused on issues of youth use of Alcohol and Tobacco. The successful strategies were ones that would use education and law enforcement to reduce under age drinking and alcohol related injuries.
Muskegon ALI works with the entire community from policy makers and educational organizations, to alcohol vendors, to the youth themselves. These practices are backed up with surveys and data analysis to assess successes and better inform future activities.
The group promotes sensible alcohol policies and programs on the county and city level. At the business level, the organization trains and educates liquor licensees, vendors, and servers to ensure they are aware of the law and the consequences for non-compliance. Alcohol vendor education is followed up with strong enforcement and annual compliance checks.
For teens and young adults, Muskegon ALI leverages existing alcohol education options or facilitates its own including education programs for safe driving, education on the consequences of drinking and driving, and other emergent issues. Finally, law enforcement provides on-site “party patrols” and other high visibility alcohol related enforcement to directly limit or intervene in under age drinking.
Muskegon Alcohol Liabilities Initiative Activities
In an effort to reduce alcohol related injuries among youth and young adult in Muskegon County, Muskegon ALI actively coordinates and engages in the following under age drinking prevention and education activities:
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