CARLSBAD — It was standing room only at a recent workshop for parents and teens held at La Costa Canyon High School.

The March 26 workshop was designed to get parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of underage drinking, and to provide the necessary information to get those talks started.

North Coastal Prevention Coalition and the San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth joined together to produce the workshop, one of thousands of its kind held across the country.

Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson kicked off a nationwide series of more than 1,600 town hall meetings in March and April to encourage action against underage drinking.

The town hall meetings are held to raise awareness of the public health dangers of underage drinking, and offer steps that parents, community leaders and concerned citizens can take to combat and prevent it.

“This problem is not going away on its own,” Galson said. “Only by working together can we make a difference. ‘’

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, is sponsoring these meetings along with the Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking.

The meetings are designed to bring public officials, parents and youth together with community leaders and organizations in health, education, law enforcement and businesses. The goal is to help people find ways to implement recommendations of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.

“These town hall events are one of many efforts SAMHSA and its partners are taking,” said Terry Cline, a SAMHSA administrator. “Ninety-six percent of alcohol-dependent adults started drinking before the age of 21, and a growing body of research suggests that alcohol may change the way the brain works and the way it’s wired, potentially having consequences far beyond adolescence.”

According to the statistics, 10 percent of 12-year-olds have had a drink, by the time they are 13 that number doubles. At 15 years old, approximately 50 percent of teens have had at least one drink. By the time they are 18, that number is 70 percent.

The information presented at the workshops is surprising for even the most knowledgeable parent, said organizers.

Based on data collected from local school surveys by the North Coastal Prevention Coalition, it is clear that alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes are the primary drugs of choice for adolescents.

But there are also many drugs used by teens that parents have never heard of.

One of the projects the North Coastal Prevention Coalition is working on is to raise awareness of the marketing of canned energy drinks to teens. Companies such as Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Company are adding alcohol to these types of drinks. Since many teens now drink the nonalcoholic versions, a sort of “stepping stone” usage is being created. This is now a national campaign.

“Every state is joining in this extraordinary series of meetings to provide a local solution,” Galson said.