County Executive Kathleen Falk announced the creation of a new local commission that will take early and innovative steps to fight alcohol abuse. The commission is a $50,000 plan that will reach out to local middle schools and focus on preteens.

When I first read over the plan, I was surprised to see the words “preteens” and “alcohol abuse” in the same sentence. Falk mentions posting counselors in schools to speak with seventh- and eighth-graders. This, along with the $50,000 price tag, might seem extreme, but it addresses a flaw the educational system has yet to tackle.

Alcohol abuse education typically begins in high school. Heath education classes, along with programs such as DARE, introduce students to the dangers of binge drinking, drunk driving and alcohol abuse. But these programs, as Falk agrees, are too little, too late.

She cites a county survey that found that 3 percent of seventh-graders and 7 percent of eighth-graders said they drink beer or wine one to three times a month. Three percent doesn’t sound like a large number, but when a group of 12- and 13-year-olds are reaching for cans of beer, a serious problem is brewing.

Falk attributes this data to the drinking culture of the area. “In our county here, we’ve got a big problem with too much drinking, too many days, too many people, too much harm and we’re all here to say, ‘Enough is enough,'” Falk said.

I can imagine that, as a preteen, seeing your parents decked out in red from head to toe every fall Saturday, downing can after can of Miller Lite might have an effect on your ideas about drinking. The rowdy campus nightlife probably doesn’t help the area’s reputation of sobriety either.

In all honesty, however, I can’t foresee the drinking culture of the state, let alone Madison, changing anytime soon. It wouldn’t be fair to write ourselves off as a bunch of drunks, but beer has without a doubt earned itself a significant place in the culture and history of Wisconsin. However noble the intentions of the new commission, it should make a commitment to constructing realistic goals and to work with local residents rather than against them.

The commission, which is laid out in Falk’s budget for next year, is part of a larger $275,000 plan that will continue to address the county’s alcohol abuse problem. What is troublesome with the proposal is its lack of details as to how and where this money will be spent. According to WISC-TV, the commission will work closely with a new statewide commission on alcohol abuse, but what exactly it will do is yet to be determined.

I have faith, however, in the new proposal. Stepping in early — even as early as seventh grade — is an extreme but smart step to tackle the problems of alcohol abuse starting early in life. By the time the lessons of drug and alcohol education reach teens in high school, many have already begun to experiment.

Falk’s proposal is bold. It asks for a large portion of money to be spent on a vaguely defined commission. Bolder yet, this commission plans to address difficult issues of alcohol abuse to the mostly innocent, impressionable minds of seventh- and eighth- graders. Yet, such moves are nothing new to Falk’s political and public track record, which has a long history of making innovative, positive and successful changes to policy. With fresh and strong ideas from local public figures like Falk behind them, Dane County residents should look forward to the unfolding details of this new proposal.

Laura Brennan ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in communicative disorders.