Minors and Alcohol

A "minor" means a person under the age of 21.

Did You Know?
Underage Drinking
Texas Teens

Research shows that parents have a powerful voice in their children's lives and decisions. Kids who say their parents strongly disapprove of underage drinking are half as likely as their peers to use alcohol, according to a statewide survey of Texas students.

2 Young 2 Drink

What is E.U.D.L.?

The Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Program supports and enhances efforts by states and local jurisdictions to prevent the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors and the purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) helps states address the problem of underage drinking through block grants, discretionary programs, and training and technical assistance. The EUDL program helps develop comprehensive and coordinated initiatives to enforce state laws that prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors and to prevent the purchase or consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors (defined as individuals under 21 years of age).

EUDL Grant Application

Texas' Role:

Since 2002, TABC has been the designated state administrator for EUDL grant funds for the State of Texas and monitors each project. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) block grant, provides funding. Each project addresses underage drinking through a comprehensive program involving various members of the local community. The funding is used to increase enforcement efforts and provide educational programs to increase the awareness of underage drinking laws and the consequences of underage drinking. In the past, TABC has used EUDL grant money to:

Support innovative programs to prevent and combat underage drinking throughout communities in Texas.
Increase enforcement efforts to prevent and combat underage drinking.
Host specialized trainings geared toward law enforcement, colleges and universities, middle schools and high schools, and parents to combat and prevent underage drinking.

Public Service Announcements

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission offers several 30 second public service announcements for the general public. These PSA's include:

"If It Happens" – A lot of parents think it is a good idea to let their teenager and friends drink only in their home. This PSA targets parents and informs them of some of the consequences of providing alcohol to minors at their home.
"You Drink. You Drive. You Pay" – Some teenagers may not know that Texas has a Zero Tolerance when it comes to minors (a person under the age of 21) driving under the influence of alcohol. This PSA targets teenagers and informs them of some of the consequences of driving with ANY detectable amount of alcohol in their system, this means even one drink.
"It's Your Duty" – Texas has the second most active duty military personnel in the United States. For many retailers this provides a moral dilemma. They have underage service men and women that come into their establishments trying to purchase alcohol, they are old enough to go to war, but can't buy alcohol. What is a retailer to do? This PSA targets those retailers and informs them on the consequences of selling alcohol to minors, even military minors.

Public Service Announcements

Funding for this page was provided by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Block Grant.