In The NewsWesterly Drinking Forum Spotlights The High Risk To Westerly Teens
Originally printed in The Westerly Sun
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Author: Emily DupuisWESTERLY - As a prosecutor, Special Assistant Attorney General Jay Sullivan has seen firsthand the toll of underage drinking.
And, in his opinion, no Rhode Island community is immune to the problem and its consequences.
"There's never a happy day in my office because I'm meeting with the parents of a dead child or I'm meeting with the children of a dead parent," Sullivan told fewer than 30 Westerly Middle School parents who attended a special forum Friday evening.
The Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force, in partnership with the Westerly Police Department and Westerly Public Schools, hosted the forum, which also featured a separate event with games and prizes for students. School officials had sent fliers and automated phone messages to the homes of the school's 779 students.
"My only concern is we don't fill every seat here tonight," said Westerly Middle School Principal Dennis Curran to the sparsely filled auditorium.
In Rhode Island, an average of two teenagers dies per month in alcoholrelated car crashes, he said.
"It's not just Barrington, folks," Sullivan said. "It's not just one community? This is a state problem."
Washington County tied with Newport County for the highest rate of underage alcohol use in the state, said Charles Williams, chief of the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals' Planning and Prevention Unit.
Forum speakers discussed the hazards of underage drinking - accidents, fights, sexual assaults, poor grades, isolation and unplanned sexual activities - and encouraged parents to talk with their children and enforce consequences. Parents need to know where their children are going and to let them know to call if they cannot get a safe ride home, no questions asked.
Sullivan said the father of one Rhode Island teen killed in a crash said he wished he had been more of a parent and less a friend to his son.
"So maybe you have to be parents," he said.
Westerly Police Chief Edward A. Mello said, statistically, 70 percent of youths start drinking before they reach 18.
The police chief said underage drinking not only results in tragic accidents; it more often leads to sexual and physical assaults to both boys and girls.
"You may not hear about it. No one wants to go in and talk about it," Mello said. "? But it's happening. I see it, too often it's a consequence." In middle school, students are still forming attitudes about alcohol use and look to their peers and parents, added Laura Gentile, a student assistance counselor at the middle school.
She said school staff members are prepared to help parents and students: "We can definitely find a support for your child."
One mother asked what she could do to keep her child safe.
"We can't protect our kids from all the bad things in life," Williams answered. "But we can prepare them to make good decisions in otherwise bad situations."
Mello said parents can learn a lot about their child's behavior by reviewing their cellular phone text messages: "It's on their cell phones, guaranteed."
Special Assistant Attorney General Joee Lindbeck, a legislative liaison, said state legislators and law enforcement take the issue seriously.
Amended in 2006, the Rhode Island "social host" law penalizes individuals who purchase, provide alcohol or permit the consumption of alcohol by a minor. Last year, the state closed a loophole and extended the law to apply not only in an adult's home, but on his or her property, she said.
The Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force is increasing efforts to deter underage drinking after receiving a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. They plan to hold more forums at other Westerly schools.
For more information, visit the Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force's Web site www.westerlysatf.org