According to the Research Triangle Institute, a recent survey showed an increase in the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption during the pandemic. During the recent Project Sticker Shock on December 22, KYCC’s Prevention Education staff placed approximately 200 stickers on alcoholic beverages in two different liquor stores in the community. 

The stickers read “Did you know? Purchasing or providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 is a serious crime.” The stickers aim to inform, educate, and remind our community of the implications of selling and providing alcohol to underage youth. Project Sticker Shock’s ultimate goal was to reduce potential alcohol-related harms around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, as well as to improve the community’s overall well-being during this holiday season and beyond.

Funded by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention & Control (SAPC), the Responsible Retailer campaign is a project with KYCC’s Prevention Education Unit which seeks to reduce underage drinking and to prevent alcohol-related harms by partnering with local liquor store retailers. KYCC’s Prevention Education Unit team currently works with over 100 liquor stores in the communities of Koreatown, Westlake, and Pico-Union in Los Angeles. The Prevention Education team strives to maintain a cooperative relationship and engage with retailers in our community to increase participation in various Responsible Retailer projects, such as Project Sticker Shock. Project Sticker Shock was first implemented in March 2019 and still continues today, with KYCC Prevention Education staff doing outreach to over 100 retailers to provide their resources and services.

For this Project Sticker Shock event, Prevention Education staff collaborated with local retailers, Imperial Liquor and Milagro’s Liquor. Nyun Soo Lee from Imperial Liquor says “In the back of my mind, I’m always curious about my customers, and how they are doing in this environment. I realize once I get to know them, we are able to communicate about our desires to keep the streets safe.”