Governor Stein Proclaims Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol Awareness Month

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, in 2024 nearly 5,600 people died from alcohol-related causes in North Carolina and approximately 68,000 visits to North Carolina emergency rooms were made for alcohol-related issues; and 

Whereas, excessive alcohol consumption in North Carolina exceeds $14.6 million a year in economic costs of health care (including fetal alcohol disorders), criminal justice expense, lost productivity at work, and motor vehicular crashes; and 

Whereas, excessive alcohol consumption leads to an increased risk of cancer, suicide, homicide, and vehicular accidents; alcohol is a leading cause of preventable death in North Carolina; excessive drinking is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as binge drinking, heavy drinking, and any drinking by pregnant women or people under age 21; and 

Whereas, 9 of 10 people who excessively drink do not meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder but still may benefit from professional help due to the risk of bad health outcomes; the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services operates three Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Centers that serve adults in need of substance use disorder treatment and psychiatric stabilization: and 

Whereas, robust prevention efforts by collaborating agencies and organizations in North Carolina have helped to raise the average age at which young people begin to use alcohol; however, in 2021, 24 percent of high school students still report drinking in the previous 30 days, and, of that number, 51 percent report binge drinking (i.e., excessive alcohol use) in the previous 30 days; and in 2024, of all fatal teen-involved (ages 15-19) vehicle crashes in North Carolina, 10 percent involved alcohol, and of all teen (aged 15-19) crashes in North Carolina, 2 percent involved alcohol; and 

Whereas, the State of North Carolina believes in the collective impact of parents, teachers, coaches, medical professionals, faith leaders, and public and private organizations and institutions to support early education about alcoholism and addiction and to provide hope, help, and healing for those in our communities who are facing challenges with alcohol use and misuse. 

Whereas, the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control Commission promotes a responsible approach with generated revenue distributed back to the community and with its Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking, Talk It Out NC campaigns provides messaging about the risks associated with underage drinking and provides prevention resources to the NC parenting community to Start the Conversation about underage alcohol drinking prevention early and to have it often;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim April 2026 “Alcohol Awareness Month” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this seventeenth day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.