Prevention Council

Providing Substance Abuse Education, Information and Referral Services

12 Saratoga County establishments cited in underage drinking check

Seen on: WNYT

February 19, 2019 06:17 PM

A two-day underage drinking operation in Saratoga County ends with 12 establishments accused of violating the law.

The state’s beverage control law prohibits the sale of an alcoholic beverage to a person under the age of 21 years.

Eighty stores and eateries were checked. Twelve establishments and their employees were issued a ticket.

The sheriff’s office says the goal of the operation was to not only check for proper ID, but to curb underage drinking.

The following businesses were cited:

1. City Sports Grille (Sparetime Bowling Alley), St. Rt. 9 in the Town of Halfmoon

2. Speedway, 100 Commerce Drive in the Town of Clifton Park

3. Speedway, 229 Church Avenue in the Town of Ballston

4. The Whitehouse Restaurant and Bar, 95 Milton Ave in the Village of Ballston Spa

5. Post Time Wine and Spirits, 170 South Broadway in the City of Saratoga Springs

6. Red Cap Mobile, 177 South Broadway in the City of Saratoga Springs

7. Humbuggs, 569 Gansevoort Road in the Town of Moreau

8. Friendly Spirits, Wines & Liquors, 1346 St. Rt. 9 in the Town of Moreau

9. Tim’s Discount Liquors, 139 St. Rt. 9 in the Town of Moreau

10. Jones & 50 Wine and Spirits, 4208 St. Rt. 50 in the Town of Wilton

11. Stewarts Shops, 43 Bluebird Road in the Town of Moreau

12. Gulf Gas Station, 10 Round Lake Road in the Town of Malta

Editorial: Arrest a reminder of dangers of underage drinking

Seen in: The Daily Gazette
Link to full article: https://dailygazette.com/article/2019/01/13/editorial-arrest-a-reminder-of-dangers-of-underage-drinking

For many kids, exposure to alcohol at a young age can be a harbinger of other problems

What’s the big deal?

The kids were all in the house. They were safe. They weren’t out running the streets causing trouble. They weren’t doing hard drugs.

So what’s the problem when adults condone underage drinking in their home?

That’s the question a lot of people might be asking following the arrest of a Wilton couple and their 20-year-old son for hosting an underage drinking party on New Year’s Eve.

In all, about a dozen kids age 17-20 were at the party, where the adults supplied the alcohol, the venue and the alibi.

In the wake of the opioid epidemic, bullying, distracted driving, the dangers associated with social media, and other issues facing teenagers these days, it would be easy to push underage drinking to the bottom of the worry pile.

But underage drinking is now, just as it was a decade ago and decades before that, a pervasive problem in our society that we can’t afford to stop taking seriously.

According to the Prevention Council — a Saratoga Springs-based nonprofit organization that works to prevent alcohol, drug and other substance abuse — alcohol remains the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.

Each year in the U.S., more than 4,300 people die as a result of underage drinking — either through motor vehicle accidents, suicide and homicide, and accidental overdose.

When parents condone or — in the Wilton case — encourage and support underage drinking, they’re contributing to the damaging effects that alcohol has both immediately and in the long-term on children who are too young to handle it.

According to the Prevention Council, 11 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the United States is by underage drinkers, age 12-20.

Within any 30-day period, more than a quarter of kids will consume alcohol and more than 17 percent of that group will binge drink, which can lead to alcohol poisoning and other issues.

Drinking, especially by youth, can contribute to a whole host of health and social issues, including poor attendance and performance in school; dangerous and inappropriate decisions due to behavioral issues; problems with memory and thinking; depression; low-self esteem and in some cases suicide.

Young women and girls in particular can often find themselves in dangerous situations due to alcohol use that can lead to rape and sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

While kids today seem to be more cognizant of the dangers of drunk driving and have more means than older generations to get home safely, such as ride-sharing and cabs, many kids still make the bad judgment of drinking and driving. And when kids do it, they’re often distracted by friends in the car and their phones, which can make their adventures on the road even more dangerous to themselves, their passengers and other motorists.

For many kids, exposure to alcohol at a young age can be a harbinger of other problems, including abuse of tobacco and drugs and alcohol-dependency as adults.

When parents support their children’s drinking by hosting parties for them and their friends, it sends the message that there’s no harm in what they’re doing.

That potential harm is the precise reason why we place age limits on alcohol and tobacco consumption in the first place.

But if parents and other adults — the people who have direct contact and influence with children — don’t understand or respect the problems that alcohol use among young people can cause, then the threat to our children’s health and well-being will continue and get worse.

Underage drinking was and is still a serious problem.

We need to continue to take it seriously and to do what we can, starting in our own households, to stop it.

Lock It Up! The Prevention Council advises to lock up all your alcohol so that it cannot be accessed by your children or their friends

Nearly half of kids between the ages of 12 and 14 who drink get their alcohol from their family or at home, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). To ensure Saratoga communities are educated and empowered to address underage drinking in a critical way-removing access to alcohol, the Prevention Council launched a billboard campaign advising parents to lock up their alcohol.  The billboard’s message raises awareness that a teen’s #1 source of alcohol is in the home, and is a call to action to lock up alcohol in the home. Jennifer Wood, Prevention Council Outreach Director said “family members play an important role in reducing kids’ access to alcohol, which could prevent underage drinking and the dangers that come with it.”

The billboard’s release was timed to coincide with the prom and graduation season, the most dangerous time of year for teens, especially when it comes to drinking and driving. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) one in three children under age 21 who died in alcohol-related accidents died during prom and graduation season. And for the past several years during prom weekend, approximately 300 teens have died in alcohol-related car accidents.

STOP DWI of Saratoga County is supporting this campaign which will utilize billboards in 4 Saratoga County locations:

  • Kinns Road near the Northway Overpass (Clifton Park)
  • Route 9 in Wilton near Smith Bridge Road
  • Route 50 in Ballston Spa near Mourningkill Creek
  • Route 4 & 32 in Mechanicville

 

Saratoga Springs Students Learn About Social Media Safety

March 17, 2016

Featured on TWC News

Links to video can be found here: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2016/03/17/saratoga-springs-new-york-students-learn-about-social-media-safety.html?cid=facebook_YNN-Albany

Saratoga Springs students took the day off to learn how to use social media safely and wisely. More than 250 students attended the Safe Spring Student Leadership Conference at Skidmore College Thursday.

Organized by the Saratoga County Prevention Council, the conference allowed students to discuss healthy online habits and behaviors. Students attended workshops about social media safety, media literacy and drug and alcohol prevention methods. Many of the workshops highlighted social media’s ability to skew perceptions of alcohol and drug use.

The Youth Specialist for the Saratoga Prevention Council, Kait Downey, says it is essential to teach students how to use social media appropriately.

“Social media can be a really great tool if it’s used responsibly,” Downey said, “and it’s up to parents and educators to try and help promote the safe and responsible use of it. Just remember to be light, bright and polite.”

Following the workshops, students spent the rest of the day dancing, chatting and snacking.

Conference educates students of important prevention techniques

March 18, 2016

Seen in: The Saratogian

Story by: Jennie Grey

Link to full article found here: http://www.saratogian.com/social-affairs/20160318/conference-educates-students-of-important-prevention-techniques

March 17 heralded the Prevention Council’s 34th annual Safe Spring Student Leadership Conference, held at Skidmore College for high-school students. The goal of the conference, sponsored by Saratoga County Stop DWI, was to motivate and prepare student leaders to actively engage their peers in effective local prevention initiatives centered around prom, graduation and other spring social events. More than 270 Saratoga County high school students from all 12 districts and BOCES learned from local prevention specialists and engaged in local awareness efforts.

Sophomore Meaghan Whalen from Galway Central School District said the conference was “really informative, fun and inspiring.”

“I met a lot of cool people and learned a lot,” she said.

Mayor Joanne Yepsen met with students at the conference.“As mayor of Saratoga Springs, sometimes I feel like the mother of 28,000 people,” she said. “The city and groups like the Prevention Council do a great deal to keep people safe here.“I know you’re taking the day off from school, and that’s a hardship,” she continued, smiling. “But this is really important because you’re going to learn a lot and save a lot of lives. Please make good decisions.”

This year, the Safe Spring conference focused on local awareness efforts and showcased hometown prevention heroes, said LeeAnn Mandrillo, communications specialist for the Prevention Council. The goal was for students to know what resources were available in their own communities, to learn from local leaders and to build partnerships enhancing what the students brought to their high school Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) clubs.

SADD is a peer-to-peer education, prevention and activism organization dedicated to stopping destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, teen violence and teen suicide. SADD is considered the nation’s dominant peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization, with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges. Local students learn to be safe and sober leaders in their own communities, and to address substance-abuse issues in their own schools.

“Some of the high school clubs now have other names than SADD,” said Pat Marin, outreach and director of education services at the Prevention Council. “The students want to focus on more positive names like the Wellness Club.”

The South Glens Falls Central School District prevention club is called Sources of Strength. Senior Brittany Kenny said she joined because she wanted to help people who were struggling with addictive issues.“I wanted them to know they don’t have to go and abuse alcohol and drugs,” she said. “They can have the support of family and friends.”

According to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, more than 1.9 million New Yorkers have a substance abuse problem: 1.77 million adults and 156,000 youths ages 12-17. The teen years are the likeliest time for someone to start taking drugs. And starting drug use as a teen can lead to drug problems when young people grow up. Extensive research has shown definitely that teen peer programs can have statistically significant effects on attitudes, norms, knowledge, behaviors, and health and achievement outcomes of teens. This is especially true with alcohol and drug use.

So the students attended program sessions and discussed such issues as: Should the legal drinking age be raised to 25, when the brain is fully developed? What are the consequences of drinking during other activities than driving? Why is it dangerous to mix alcohol and marijuana? What are the effects of marijuana and prescription drugs on driving? What challenges are the SADD clubs facing? And what were the most positive things learned at the conference to bring back to their clubs?

“The speakers were really informative, and it was good to hear all the different points of view,” said sophomore Ben Lafreniere from Galway.His classmate, freshman Lindsey Gileski, said, “I loved how all the sessions brought things into real life.”

Local police and former police officers held sessions on social media awareness and driving safety. Saratoga Springs prevention educator Brian Farr spoke about how advertising and marketing lure young people to try alcohol.

Junior Morghan Fisk from South Glens Falls attended Farr’s session and said she found it eye-opening.“Things aren’t always what they seem,” she said.

Prevention Council staff held SADD club advisor training and also banner-making sessions for the students.Kenny and Fisk helped make a banner for their club, Sources of Strength.“We wrote on it, ‘Positive Minds, Positive Vibes, Positive Lives,’” Kenny said.

Yepsen said to the students, “Your commitment to getting that message out gives me great hope and great confidence.”

Students gather in Saratoga County to promote responsible behavior Prom and graduation parties can raise potential problems

March 18, 2016

Seen in: The Daily Gazette

Story By: Cady Kuzmich

Link to full article can be found here: http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2016/mar/18/0318_safe/

As high school students try on prom dresses, peruse corsages and organize graduation parties, their parents may begin to worry about the potential dangers of drugs and alcohol their children could confront this spring. Nearly 300 students from across Saratoga County came together to discuss different ways to promote responsible decision-making during these milestones at The Prevention Council’s 34th annual Safe Spring Student Leadership Conference Thursday morning at Skidmore College. “We need to remind young people they don’t need alcohol to celebrate,” Janine Stuchin, Executive Director of the Prevention Council, said.

Students from 13 Saratoga County schools, including Shenendehowa and Waterford-Halfmoon, met to share ideas and learn how to expand their local SADD chapters. Shenendehowa’s SADD delegation was led by Emily Sellman, a special educator at Shenendehowa, and included junior, Meghan Reynolds, and three freshman, Emma Voska, Katie Morgan, and Giavanna Liberatore. This was Reynolds’ second time attending the Safe Spring Student Leadership Conference. “I just wanted to do something to make a difference in my school,” she said. Freshman Emma Voska noted the importance of SADD for Shenendehowa, saying it “helped heal the community” in the wake of the loss of students Deanna Rivers and Christopher Stewart to a drunk driving accident in 2012. All of Shenendehowa’s SADD members said the accident in 2012 played a role in their decision to join the club. The group is gearing up for the Sean’s Run 5K on April 24th. The annual event will honor Christopher Stewart this year. The chapter’s members agreed that the conference helped them feel more confident in their ability to make a difference in their community.

The conference began with a keynote speech by Justin Fischer, the pastor of student ministries at Pine Knolls Alliance Church in South Glens Falls. Fischer’s opening remarks related the potential of an acorn to grow into a tree when nourished properly to a student’s potential to grow into the best versions of themselves, if they are able to make responsible decisions. “The keynote talk was all about the potential inside of us,” said Stuchin. “Acorns need sunlight, air and soil. The decisions we make strengthen our potential or limit our potential,” she added. After Fischer’s speech, students split up for various workshops and SADD advisers had a chance to meet with other advisers from throughout the county. Expressive Prevention, a workshop led by Prevention Council Youth Specialist Kait Downey, focused on creative ways to spread positive messages, whether that’s through songs, poetry or visual art. Downey shared some of her own poetry and played a Macklemore song, “Kevin” featuring Leon Bridges, which highlights the dangers of prescription drug abuse. In the song, Leon Bridges croons, “Doctor, please. Give me a dose of the American Dream. Put your pen down and look in my eyes. We’re in the waiting room and something ain’t right. Overprescribe.” At the song’s closing, Bridges sings, “Doctor, your medicine and your methods, can’t cure my disease without killing me.”After providing examples of drug prevention messages in art, Downey asked the SADD members in the classroom to create something of their own.

Prevention Council Media and Marketing Specialist LeeAnn Mandrillo shared her thoughts on the conference, saying, “The Safe Spring conference empowers these students on every level. As peer educators they gain valuable tools they can bring back to their schools and use in peer education. As individuals they gain knowledge on how to make safe healthy decisions as they navigate through spring celebrations such as prom and graduation.” Stuchin described the conference as one of the Prevention Council’s cornerstone events. “We work throughout the year to energize and educate the SADD chapters across the county because a peer to peer message [is powerful.] We use the information we have, and the advisers, to help direct and craft that message in ways that we know are effective.” Stuchin suggested parents try talking with their children about drug and alcohol use while in a car or on a walk, since sometimes talking side by side feels less confrontational than face to face. Both Mandrillo and Stuchin urged parents and other adults to lead by example, not with words alone. Wes Carr, Saratoga County Youth Bureau director and STOP DWI coordinator, noted, “the feeling with kids that when they’re high school graduates, then they’re adults” and how that could lead to potentially dangerous behavior. Stuchin agreed, adding, “It’s a milestone and we can challenge the myth that we have to celebrate milestones with alcohol. Bringing these students together helps reinforce that.” “There’s great energy and momentum because these are kids who are committed throughout the year to talking with their peers. It’s about affirming the fact that many young people are making positive choices,” said Stuchin

 

How do you measure alcohol use among teenagers? The New York State Office on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) goes right to the source, asking the teens themselves.

Featured in:The Saratogian

Story By: Jennie Grey

Link to article can be found here: http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20151214/survey-breaks-down-alcohol-marijuana-usage-among-students

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> How do you measure alcohol use among teenagers? The New York State Office on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) goes right to the source, asking the teens themselves.

The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County administers OASAS’s anonymous Youth Development Survey to participating Saratoga Springs City School District students in grades 7-12 every two years. The October 2014 survey results revealed key facts about increased drinking in older students and correspondingly low rates of use in younger teens.

Prevention Council Coalition Development Director Robin Lyle presented the 2014 results to the Saratoga Springs Board of Education at the board’s Dec. 8 meeting.

The Prevention Council is a community-based nonprofit organization. Its mission as a prevention specialist is to provide education, information and referral services on the subjects of alcohol, tobacco, other drug and violence prevention to individuals and communities throughout Saratoga County.

“While alcohol use by Saratoga Springs district ninth- and 10th-graders is at or below state levels, use by 11th- and 12th-graders exceeds state and national averages, and has increased 16 percent since the previous survey in 2012,” Lyle said. “Further, regular alcohol use by 12th graders is 9 percentage points higher than the state average and 23 percentage points higher than the national rate.”

The level of drinking among the Saratoga Springs high school upperclassmen is on a par with the national college underage drinking, Lyle said. Some 61 percent of the high-schoolers reported using alcohol in the past month.

Marijuana use among 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders is above the state usage rates. Regular marijuana use for 12th-graders is 8 percentage points higher than the state average and 15 percentage points higher than the national average.

“There’s also an increased use of electronic cigarettes and vaping,” Lyle said.

There’s good news as well. Middle school alcohol and marijuana use is significantly below the state rates and has remained consistently low throughout the past decade. Also, binge-drinking among high-schoolers has declined 24 percent since 2012.

Saratoga County communication is open: More students report having received prevention messages and having talked to their parents about substance use than other students across the state.

District Superintendent Michael Piccirillo encouraged the use of positive messages about choosing not to use alcohol or drugs.

“For example, we have a series of posters up in the high school that help dispel the myth that everyone is doing this,” he said.

On the other hand, some families aren’t watching out for their teens, since high school students are most often consuming alcohol at private homes, getting it from friends or acquaintances who are younger than 21, interestingly. Students also reported getting alcohol at concerts and sporting events, at a higher rate than their peers across the state.

“Of the 11th- and 12th-graders who reported using alcohol, 68 percent said either they were not caught or, if caught, did not receive consequences from their parents,” Lyle said.

The Prevention Council made several recommendations for parent, student and community focus on alcohol and marijuana use.

For parents, the nonprofit suggested raising parent/community awareness of risks of use, and increasing parent/teen conversations about expectations, family policies and consequences of use.

For students, the recommendations included promoting awareness of actual norms of substance use by peers and reinforcing periodically with positive messaging, and raising awareness of the risks of substance use.

For the community, the council proposed partnering with law enforcement to address underage drinking parties and promoting an underage drinking hotline to report such parties.

The Youth Development Survey was administered in-school in October 2014. A total of 3,186 individual student responses were included in the final report. Of these, 1,084 were middle and 2,102 were high school students.

And how do you know the students were telling the truth about such a complicated and personal subject? Following receipt of the surveys, all survey forms were checked to determine the validity and reliability of the data. A small percentage of students were judged to have returned invalid survey data. For example, students who claimed to use all drugs at the highest levels of use were eliminated from the final data set. In total, five separate checks of the logical consistency and validity of the students’ responses were conducted.

Officials warn salons not to serve alcohol without a license

Featured in: The Post Star

Story by: Don Lehman

Link to full article can be found here: http://poststar.com/news/local/officials-warn-salons-not-to-serve-alcohol-without-a-license/article_a9d861d6-4c0e-51a5-a8a4-f57506ce0c83.html

A local substance abuse prevention organization issued a warning to local salons Monday after learning some have apparently been allowing alcohol to be illegally provided to clients.

With prom season in full swing, the Prevention Council of Saratoga Springs issued the advisory after learning of allegations that an underage client was offered alcohol at a salon in South Glens Falls.

The South Glens Falls Community Coalition for Family Wellness joined in the warning, and the organizations said the consumption of alcohol at salons is concerning as prom season gets into full swing.

The organizations issued the warning after being told at a recent community forum that a teenager was offered alcohol at a salon in South Glens Falls last fall, said Jenn Wood, coordinator of the South Glens Falls Community Coalition for Family Wellness. She would not identify the salon.

“We were told by some of the adults that it’s not unusual for salons to offer alcoholic beverages,” Wood said.

Webb said her office looked into the legality of alcohol being consumed at places without liquor licenses, and received an opinion from the state Liquor Authority that it is illegal, even if alcohol is brought to the business by patrons.

Businesses that want to allow “bring your own” alcohol consumption “must have a license or permit to sell/serve beer, wine or liquor to the public. Venues without a license or permit may not allow patrons to ‘bring their own’ alcoholic beverages for consumption,” according to the Liquor Authority.

“We realize that many businesses may not understand that it is illegal to serve alcohol unless licensed, even if no money is exchanging hands,” Wood said in a news release. “Yet a teen in our community was offered an alcoholic beverage at a salon and we must take steps to address this practice. Our hope is that businesses will see this information and regulate their own practices accordingly. Failure to do so could result in charges if they are reported to the authorities.”

South Glens Falls Police Patrolman David Gifford said the department received an anonymous complaint in recent months about possible underage drinking at a salon in the village. He said the complaint was investigated and no charges were filed because it appeared the person who was offered the alcohol was part of a wedding party and was of age.

It is illegal to serve alcohol at a business without a liquor license, Gifford said.

Reader’s View No underage drinking in our house

May 14, 2013
Reader’s View, The Saratogian

Editor’s note: Through Friday, The Saratogian is collaborating with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance is an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use. Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. In order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

It’s prom season, and along with the dress, the tux, the hair and the nails comes another prom ritual: drinking.

Alcohol is youths’ No. 1 drug of choice. Saratoga County schools have been proactive in many ways to make sure our teens are safe, but they can only control what happens at the prom itself.

Teens have told us they only stay at the prom long enough to take pictures and then they are off. But where are they going? Last year, we heard an alarming number of stories about teens who went to parties at friends’ homes where alcohol was provided — sometimes with parents’ permission, sometimes without. Scary, right?

The term “social host” refers to people who provide alcohol to someone younger than 21. It’s irrelevant whether a parent or guardian is home or not home, aware or unaware. You become a social host when minors drink alcohol on your property, and you can be held liable for endangering the welfare of those minors. It’s illegal to provide alcohol to anyone younger than 21. It’s illegal for them to consume it, too. But when adults make underage drinking possible, whether by actively hosting or passively closing their bedroom door, they will be the ones police track down when things get out of hand.

Our biannual Saratoga County student surveys have consistently shown that most youths who drink get alcohol from a social host: friends or siblings who are older than 21, parents, house parties or by sneaking it from home. Eighty percent of Saratoga teens who drink alcohol reported they did so “at someone’s house.”

So what should you do if you find out about a gathering where alcohol is going to be provided to minors? There is a wonderful, anonymous hotline you can call to report it: 1-866-UNDER21. If you call the hotline before the party, police will contact the homeowner to remind them that serving minors is illegal and that they will be stopping by that evening. If the call is made while a party is already under way, expect some uninvited guests in uniform.

Parents often tell us that they’d rather their children drink at home in a “safe” environment, where they know where their kids are and who they’re with. But don’t think you’re doing your kids and their friends any favors by allowing them to drink with supervision. There is no such thing as a safe environment for underage drinking.

As a host, you cannot predict the behavior of a minor under the influence of alcohol or how much they have consumed. You put teens at risk of alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, violence and physical injury, and you can be held criminally liable for endangering the welfare of a minor. Parents and other adults need to remember that they are the greatest influence on their teens’ decisions. Parents also bear the primary responsibility for their teens’ misconduct.

If you are hosting a group of kids after the prom, promote responsible celebration. Check regularly on the teens who are camping out in your backyard or on the kids hanging out in your basement. Remove alcohol from your home that evening or lock it up. Check in with your teens regularly from a landline phone if they are at a friend’s house. Make sure they know that you expect them to stay sober not only on prom night, but every night they’re out with their friends.
We’ve said it before, but the message bears repeating: The stronger the parental message against underage drinking, the less underage drinking takes place.

Wednesday’s topic will be suicide prevention.

Heather Kisselback
Executive Director
The Prevention Council

Reader’s View Strong words to prevent underage drinking

Reader’s View
The Saratogian
Published: Sunday, May 12, 2013

Editor’s note: Over the next five days, The Saratogian will collaborate with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance is an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts, and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use. Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. And in order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

Over the next five days, we will cover the topics of underage drinking, prescription drug use, the teenage brain, hosting underage parties, suicide prevention, and the relevance of mental, emotional, and behavioral health to substance use and abuse.

Do you think underage drinking is a teenage rite of passage? Prevention Council staff hear the following arguments all the time: If teens can vote or serve in the military at 18, why can’t they drink, too? Or, in Europe, kids are allowed to have wine with dinner and it’s not a problem.

We also hear from well-meaning parents who worry that treating alcohol as a forbidden fruit makes it that much more enticing. By forbidding it, parents worry their teens won’t be prepared for social drinking when they leave home after graduation. If we host a party ourselves, the thinking goes, at least we’ll know where our kids are.

Here’s the thing: Over and over, in school districts throughout Saratoga County, student and parent survey results show that the stronger the parental message against underage drinking, the less drinking takes place. International research bears this out, too: Kids who believe their parents would strongly disapprove of their using substances are less likely to use them.

In the middle school grades, our tweens get this message loud and clear. Parents are dead set against alcohol experimentation, and kids know it.

But in high school, when parents start having angst about whether to say “no” altogether or attempt to teach responsible drinking habits, teens detect this waffling. And the absence of strong condemnation is treated as blanket approval.

Here’s what we know from Prevention Council survey data collected in 2010:

• 50 percent of Saratoga County 11-12th graders drink alcohol regularly, exceeding the NYS rate of 44 percent.

• 33 percent of Saratoga County 11-12th graders are binge drinking, exceeding the NYS rate of 28 percent. (Binge drinking is 4 to 5 or more drinks at one social setting.)

• Parents vastly underestimate their teens’ drinking habits.

We also know that teens who use alcohol are much more likely to experience sexual assaults and fights, accidents, alcohol poisoning, and lower school performance. Youth who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol addiction than those who start drinking at 21, according to the National Institutes of Health.

And in answer to those questions about voting and the military? Recent research has shown that the adolescent brain doesn’t finish developing until age 25. We now know that underage drinking damages important brain functions. Just because an 18-year-old has the skills and judgment to vote or perform military service doesn’t mean he’s mature on all fronts.

And what about those European teens who drink wine with dinner?

Research has shown that they are much more likely to binge drink when they’re out with their friends. On the whole, teen binge drinking rates in Europe far exceed our binge drinking rates in the US.

This is a perfect example of how condoning even moderate alcohol use is a very slippery slope. Teens interpret that leeway very loosely. Even if you take away everyone’s keys at an underage drinking party in your home, the message you send by allowing underage drinking at all puts your child at risk for serious heavy drinking — later, elsewhere, in places where you won’t be there to supervise.

Right now is the perfect time to send a strong message against underage drinking. It’s spring and there’s celebration in the air. Proms, graduations, sports banquets, and barbecues are blocked out on our busy calendars. Believe it or not, parents, you are still the most powerful influence in your child’s life — greater than peers, popular music, television, celebrities and the media. Youth who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are half as likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not. So no waffling. Wield your influence wisely. Tomorrow’s topic will be prescription drugs.

For more information, go to www.preventioncouncil. org.

Heather Kisselback
Executive Director
The Prevention Council