4th Circuit Alcohol Enforcement Team

The 4th Circuit AET works to:

• Reduce youth access to alcohol utilizing various strategies (social and retail access)

• Measure, track, and improve merchant compliance with alcohol laws

• Provide research-based merchant education

• Build community support for enforcement of underage drinking laws through media advocacy and community coalition maintenance and development

• Develop local law enforcement support for underage drinking prevention and enforcement efforts

Each year, the AETs across the state of South Carolina hold an “Out of Their Hands” (OOTH) Spring Blitz. During this annual event, strict enforcement of underage drinking laws is coupled with strong media messages throughout the month. The AETs and their enforcement and education partners engage community residents, businesses, and others to deny alcohol access to youth who are less than 21 years of age. The simple message of the OOTH campaign is that the AETs work with the community to keep alcohol “out of their hands.”

For more information on the OOTH campaign and the AETs, click here.

Parents Who Host, Lose the Most

In 2007, DAODAS adopted the national “Parents Who Host, Lose The Most” public awareness campaign to provide parents with accurate information about the health risks of underage drinking and the legal consequences of providing alcohol to youth. The campaign encourages parents and the community to send a unified message that teen alcohol consumption is not acceptable. It is illegal, unsafe, and unhealthy for anyone under age 21 to drink alcohol.

The Facts

• It is illegal to give alcohol to your teen’s underage friends under any circumstances—even in your own home, even with their parents’ permission.

• You cannot knowingly allow a person under 21, other than your own child, to consume or possess alcohol in your home or on your property.

What can happen if you break the law

• You face a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and $1,075 in fines and fees.

• Your penalties can “stack up,” as you can be ticketed for each underage person you provide with alcohol.

• You can be sued if you give alcohol to anyone under 21 and they, in turn, hurt someone, hurt themselves or damage property.

What you can do to protect yourself

• Refuse to supply alcohol to anyone under 21

• Be at home when your teen has friends over

• Make sure that alcohol is not brought into your home or property by your teen’s friends

• Talk to other parents about not providing alcohol at other events your child will be attending

• Create alcohol-free opportunities and activities in your home so teens feel welcome

• Report underage drinking to local law enforcement

For more information on “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most,” click here.

Under Age Drinking Facts

In 2019 Prevention Outcomes for Compliance Checks indicated 7.1% of youth were able to purchase alcohol from a retailer in Darlington County.

What you can do to prevent underage drinking

For more information on conversations, you can have with youth on preventing and reducing underage drinking click here.

DUI Facts

The National Center for Drug Abuse statistics ranks South Carolina as having more alcohol-related deaths per capita and are 18.1% likely to involve underage drinkers.

FY’20 DUI crashes for Darlington County rank #1 and increased by 14.04% as indicated by State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW).

What you can do to prevent drunk driving

For more information to prevent drunk driving in South Carolina, click here.

For more information on alcohol effects and driving, click here.

Source of Federal funds is the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement Appropriations Act of 2021 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), CFDA Number 93.959 FAIN-B08TI083544