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By definition, the issue of underage drinking centers on kids.
But the route to its solution must run through parents, said several experts at a forum on the subject Monday night.
"They don't just walk down the street and find a six-pack," said Jessica Phinney, coordinator of the drinking-prevention group Project Extra Mile, of teen drinkers. "They're getting it from someplace."
But the speakers recognized that getting parents to acknowledge underage drinking as a problem can be difficult.
The forum's slim attendance only a handful of parents other than the speakers showed up at the Grand Theatre bore that problem out.
"I don't know how to get them involved when you have a forum like this and nobody attends, or very few attend," said Sgt. Rich McKinny of the Hall County Sheriff's Department.
Still, the speakers had some tips for the parents who were there.
Gary Keck's message was simple: Your words are important even when you don't think your kids are paying attention, they are.
"It's a fight worth fighting," said Keck, a mental health and substance abuse counselor in Grand Island. "Say no, say no, say no, say no, say no. Just keep saying no."
The problem can be found throughout larger cities and small towns in the state, said Lt. Dennis Leonard of the Nebraska State Patrol, whose Troop C covers 17 counties in Central Nebraska.
The prevalence of underage drinking is dependent not on population, he said, but in locals' realization (or lack thereof) that it's a problem.
"What I've found is that where there is more public discussion and awareness, there is less abuse," Leonard said.
Of course, preventing teens from drinking involves talking to teens, too.
Two ideas that have caught on among many teenagers are the belief that alcohol isn't harmful and that its use is pervasive among their peers, said Randy See, prevention project coordinator for the Grand Island Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.
See invited audience members to guess how many high school seniors in the area have drunk alcohol, according to a recent survey.
After hearing guesses as high as 95 percent, See revealed the answer: 68 percent.
"There's the perception there ... that 'I'm the only one that doesn't drink," See said. "Well, that's not true."
In order to put a dent into the problem, Phinney said, parents need to combat those views among kids and other parents by standing up and saying that "enough is enough."
"Regardless of where you are, it comes down to parents' exposure and involvement and education and awareness," Phinney said.
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