Charlotte, NC – Mecklenburg County invites residents to go "booze-free" this weekend. It's an alcohol-free weekend April 19-20.

The County's Area Mental Health Authority's Fighting Back program is working to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drinking. April is Alcohol Awareness Month (see calendar of events), and the 2008 theme is "Saving Lives: Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking." The goal is to demonstrate to adults and young people that alcohol isn't necessary to have a good time.

According to the recent Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior report, 30 percent of students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County schools have access to alcohol from home, and most students ages 12 - 14 have consumed alcohol in the last month. Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among young people. Ninety percent of all U.S. deaths for people under 21 are due to car accidents and, of those, 70 percent are alcohol-related. Youth DWI offenses continue to persist. In 2005, nearly 6,000 DWI charges were issued in Mecklenburg County; of that, at least 20 percent were under the age of 21.

Several agencies and organizations throughout Mecklenburg County are uniting during the month of April to conduct a series of awareness campaigns, educational seminars and youth events aimed at educating youth and families on the harmful effects of alcohol and underage drinking.

Fighting Back partners with Mecklenburg County neighborhoods, schools, agencies, businesses and faith-based groups in the development and implementation of strategies to prevent, reduce or eliminate substance abuse. Fighting Back provides:

• Substance abuse prevention and education training
• Technical assistance to neighborhoods
• Youth leadership development

For mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability information, call MeckLINK at 704-336-6404. For more information the Fighting Back program, call 704-336-4634.