In The News

Helping Parents Be Parents
Originally printed in The Westerly Sun
Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The latest anti-drinking billboard message sponsored by the Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force hits where it is the easiest for teens to procure alcohol - our homes.

The billboard in Dunn's Corners features a refrigerator with the message: "The easiest place for kids to get beer is right next to the milk. Keep alcohol out of the hands of kids."

It's a message about keeping teens safe and it's directed at the people who have the best chance of doing that during these challenging years - the parents.

The appeal of illicit activities has forever been a part of teen life. Why do you think our parents had locked liquor cabinets? As society in general has loosened up over time - and the concept of parent-as-friend infiltrated and diluted the parenting process - we get the feeling that the locked cabinet has become largely a thing of the past.

The whole point behind the billboard is the ease with which we make - perhaps even unwittingly - alcohol accessible to teens.

And that is the message here from the task force as students prepare for some of the best times of their young lives - the junior and senior proms and graduation. This is the time, says task force coordinator Mary Lou Serra, when more teens die as the result of drinking at parties.

And it should serve as a reminder to anyone over 21 that Westerly has a social host law - brought forward by the task force - that holds responsible anyone who hosts a party that includes underage drinking. The host of such a party can be arrested and fined, certainly no way to mark a milestone in a child's life.

Will a billboard message prevent teens from drinking? Not necessarily. But if the beer is not easily available from parents, older siblings or friends, then the immediate threat is diminished. And this makes it a lot harder to get.

The task force launched its underage drinking campaign two years ago to highlight the growing problem of teens' access to alcohol and its potentially tragic results.

In support of this effort, we remind our readers of the Town Hall Meeting slated for tonight at 7 at the Westerly Town Hall, on teen drinking and drug use. The open meeting is part of a national effort to increase understanding and awareness of the increasing problem.

One in 20 eighth-graders reported being drunk at least once last month. One of seven high school sophomores and 28 percent of all seniors admitted being drunk in the last month. Many of these drinkers also have licenses. With these sobering statistics we encourage parents and students to attend tonight's meeting and we urge parents to know as much about the location of their liquor as they do about their children - knowing where both are is vital.