| Course | ADC 605 Substance Abuse Prevention |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 6 |
| Paper type | Environmental prevention paper |
| Length | About 1,020 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ADC 605 Module 6
Changing the Setting, Not Just the Student: Environmental Strategies to Reduce Youth Access to Alcohol
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 605: Substance Abuse Prevention
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Changing the Setting, Not Just the Student: Environmental Strategies to Reduce Youth Access to Alcohol
The county youth survey that Tomas presented in an earlier module showed that 68 percent of tenth graders said alcohol was easy to get, well above the state average. The coalition, invented for this course along with its county, had so far focused on programs for students and families. This paper considers strategies that change the environment in which young people encounter alcohol.
What Environmental Prevention Is
Environmental prevention changes the conditions around behavior: the availability, price, promotion and social acceptance of substances. Rather than teaching individuals to resist alcohol, it reduces how easily alcohol reaches them. Its strength is reach: a policy that reduces sales to minors affects every young person in the area, including those who never attend a prevention program.
Minimum Drinking Age
Wagenaar and Toomey (2002) reviewed research from 1960 to 2000 on minimum legal drinking age laws in the United States, examining hundreds of analyses produced as states raised and lowered their ages over several decades. Higher drinking ages were associated with lower youth drinking and fewer traffic crashes among young people, and the evidence was among the strongest for any alcohol policy. They concluded that the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one was effective and that its effects depended partly on enforcement. A county cannot change the drinking age, but the review shows that enforcing it matters.
Compliance Checks
Wagenaar et al. (2005) evaluated enforcement checks, in which young-looking buyers under the legal age attempt to buy alcohol under police supervision and outlets that sell face penalties. In a time-series study across several communities, checks reduced the rate at which outlets sold to apparent minors immediately afterward. The effect decayed over the following weeks and months, so that outlets drifted back toward earlier sales rates unless checks were repeated. The authors concluded that checks work but must be frequent to sustain their effect.
Hours of Sale
Hahn et al. (2010) reviewed studies of changes in the hours during which alcohol could be sold. Increases of two or more hours were associated with increased consumption and alcohol-related harms, such as injuries and violence; smaller changes had less consistent effects. The review supported maintaining existing limits on hours of sale, a decision usually made at state or local level.
Options for the County
| Strategy | Evidence | Who decides | Feasibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular compliance checks | Effective; decays without repetition | Sheriff and city police | High with coalition support |
| Responsible beverage server training | Can reduce sales to minors when combined with enforcement | Retailers; local licensing may require it | High |
| Social host ordinance | Holds adults responsible for underage drinking parties on their property | County or city board | Moderate; requires political support |
| Resist extended hours of sale | Longer hours linked to more harm | Local and state licensing | Moderate; opportunity when requests arise |
| Raise taxes or drinking age | Strong evidence | State only | Testimony only |
Where Young People Get Alcohol
National research on minimum drinking age and compliance checks focuses on retail sales, but many young people get alcohol from social sources: parents, older siblings, friends and parties. When the coalition asked high school students in discussion groups where alcohol came from, most mentioned parties at homes where parents were away or permissive, and older friends who bought for them. Retail purchases were less common, though not rare at a few convenience stores. A plan focused only on stores would miss most sources.
Working With Retailers
Retailers are potential partners. Many store owners and clerks do not want to sell to minors, which risks fines and license penalties, but face pressure, fake identification and busy shifts. Server and seller training teaches clerks to check identification, recognize false documents and refuse sales politely. Pairing training with compliance checks gives retailers both the skills and a reason to use them.
The Plan
The coalition recommended four steps. First, with the sheriff's department and city police, it would fund quarterly compliance checks of all licensed outlets, with results shared publicly as rates rather than by outlet in the first year, and with outlets that sell offered training. Second, it would offer free server training to every licensed retailer, presenting it as support rather than accusation. Third, it would bring a social host ordinance to the county board, since students in the coalition's discussion groups said parties at homes without adults were a major source of alcohol. Fourth, it would monitor requests for extended hours of sale and testify, citing Hahn and colleagues, when they arise.
Unintended Effects
Environmental strategies can have side effects worth anticipating. Stricter retail enforcement may push some young people toward social sources, which is one reason the plan pairs checks with the social host ordinance. Publicizing compliance results by outlet could damage relationships with retailers the coalition hopes to recruit as partners, which is why the first year reports only overall rates. And enforcement depends on police time, which competes with other priorities; the coalition's funding of overtime for checks helps secure it.
Why a Social Host Ordinance
A social host ordinance holds adults legally responsible when underage drinking occurs at a gathering on property they control, usually through civil fines rather than criminal charges. It targets exactly the source students described. The coalition planned to present the evidence on social sources of alcohol, the students' accounts and examples of ordinances from other Wisconsin communities to the county board, and to invite parents to speak in support.
Measuring Change
The coalition would track the rate of sales to minors at each quarterly check and the share of tenth graders saying alcohol is easy to get in the next youth survey. It would also track how many retailers complete training.
Conclusion
Environmental strategies reduce youth access to alcohol across a population. Wagenaar and Toomey's review supports the minimum drinking age and its enforcement, Wagenaar, Toomey and Erickson show that compliance checks work but must be repeated and Hahn and colleagues link longer hours of sale to harm. The county's plan pairs repeated checks with retailer training, pursues a social host ordinance and watches for changes in hours, all within local authority.
References
Hahn, R. A., Kuzara, J. L., Elder, R., Brewer, R., Chattopadhyay, S., Fielding, J., Naimi, T. S., Toomey, T., Middleton, J. C., & Lawrence, B. (2010). Effectiveness of policies restricting hours of alcohol sales in preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 39(6), 590-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2010.09.016
Wagenaar, A. C., & Toomey, T. L. (2002). Effects of minimum drinking age laws: Review and analyses of the literature from 1960 to 2000. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Supplement 14, 206-225. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsas.2002.s14.206
Wagenaar, A. C., Toomey, T. L., & Erickson, D. J. (2005). Preventing youth access to alcohol: Outcomes from a multi-community time-series trial. Addiction, 100(3), 335-345. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.00973.x
Reading the ADC 605 Module 6 assignment instructions
The sixth module of ADC 605 typically asks for a paper on environmental strategies and policy. The Module 6 page in your Aspen course is your guide; the coalition and county here are fictional. Explain what environmental prevention is and how it differs from individual programs. Review evidence on several strategies, with their effects and limits. Distinguish strategies a local coalition can pursue from those requiring state action, and explain how each would be enforced. Compare options in a table. Recommend actions with attention to enforcement, cost and sustainability over several years. Use APA 7 throughout, and include how you would measure change. Consider the sources young people actually use, which surveys and student discussions can reveal, before choosing strategies.
Inside the ADC 605 Module 6 example
Tomas, the composite coalition staff member, responds to the county survey finding that 68 percent of tenth graders say alcohol is easy to get. Wagenaar and Toomey's Journal of Studies on Alcohol review supports the minimum legal drinking age. Wagenaar, Toomey and Erickson's Addiction study shows compliance checks reducing sales to minors, with decay over weeks. Hahn and colleagues' American Journal of Preventive Medicine review links increases of two or more hours in sale times to more drinking and harm. A five-row table compares options from compliance checks to social host ordinances. The plan includes quarterly checks with the sheriff and server training for retailers, along with a social host ordinance aimed at parties in private homes.
Where the marks sit in the ADC 605 Module 6 rubric
Environmental prevention papers earn credit for explaining the population logic, reporting evidence with limits and matching strategies to local authority. This example explains why changing settings can reach young people whom programs miss. Each strategy's evidence is reported with its limits, including the decay of compliance check effects, which shapes the recommendation for repeated checks. The table separates local from state action, so the recommendations stay within reach. The plan includes enforcement partners and measurement through repeated purchase checks and the youth survey. Listening to students about where alcohol comes from led to the social host ordinance, a strategy the national evidence alone would not have suggested.
ADC 605 Module 6 help from the desk
Environmental prevention papers often recommend policies a coalition cannot enact. Match strategies to who has authority: local ordinances, enforcement practices and retailer training are often within reach; taxes and drinking age laws are state matters. Report evidence on decay and enforcement, since policies on paper do little without enforcement and enforcement does little if it lapses. Consider sources of alcohol beyond stores, such as parents and older friends. Plan measurement that will show whether access actually changes. Build relationships with retailers, many of whom want to avoid selling to minors and welcome training. Share results with the community in ways that encourage improvement rather than shaming individual businesses.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More ADC 605 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
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- ADC 605 Module 7: Planning a Prevention Program
- ADC 605 Module 8: Evaluating Prevention
- PAC 405 Module 7: Behavioral, Cognitive-Behavioral and Family Systems Approaches
- PAC 120 Module 5: Empathic Self-Disclosure and Confrontation
- PAC 330 Module 2: Alcohol
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ADC 605 Module 6 questions, answered
What does ADC 605 Module 6 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 605 covers environmental strategies and policy in this module, so a paper on population-level approaches such as access restrictions and enforcement is typical. Check your Module 6 prompt.
Does the minimum drinking age reduce harm?
Wagenaar and Toomey's review of decades of research found higher minimum drinking ages associated with less youth drinking and fewer traffic crashes.
Do compliance checks reduce alcohol sales to minors?
Wagenaar, Toomey and Erickson found checks reduced sales to minors, but effects faded over weeks unless checks were repeated.
Where can I find a free ADC 605 Module 6 sample paper?
The full paper is above: environmental prevention, evidence on drinking age, compliance checks and hours of sale and a county plan.
Do longer alcohol sales hours increase harm?
Hahn and colleagues found that extending sales hours by two or more hours was associated with more drinking and alcohol-related harm.