Rhode Island Launches Underage Drinking Prevention Website
…The website and billboard campaign come just before prom season, graduation season, and the summer vacation months when many youth experiment with alcohol for the first time.
“We live in a fast-paced society that exposes our children to unhealthy messages and distractions, a fact that puts them at high risk for underage drinking and substance abuse. Parents have to be more vigilant and informed than ever to protect their children,” said Mrs. Carcieri, a mother of four and grandmother to fourteen. “Information is a powerful prevention tool, and I want our families, schools, youth, and community to know that there are user-friendly resources on a State website that can help keep our children safe.”
The website www.substancefreekids.ri.gov is tailored to parents, community members, educators, and youth, with sections devoted to each group. Read more…
Teen Drinking: Statistics Show Many TTUSD Students Have Been Drunk, High
Trevor Schlesinger didn’t need to hear statistics to know underage drinking and drug abuse is a problem within the Tahoe Truckee region.
Schlesinger, a 28-year old Truckee High School alumnus, said he experienced it firsthand since being exposed to alcohol and marijuana at the young age of 12.
Public education is the best way to combat the problem, said Schlesinger, who spoke recently as a panelist at Truckee’s recent Town Hall Meeting on Underage Drinking, along with law enforcement officials, counselors and members of Truckee VICE, a teen anti-drug advocacy group standing for Vision, Integrity, Courage and Excellence.
“When I was in high school, any drug was easy to get. I’ve seen friends pass away for driving drunk and watch friends get arrested,” Schlesinger said.
Schlesinger, who recently launched an Alcoholics Anonymous group for teens, said today’s teens are struggling with many of the same difficult challenges he had to overcome growing up.
Citing examples, he said marijuana and ecstasy are major problems — but alcohol is the biggest. Read more…
