Dear Abby: I have seen letters in your column from parents who want to ensure their children’s and teenagers’ safety when visiting their friends’ homes. A question parents need to ask the hosting parents is what their drug and alcohol policy is.
We wrongly assumed (and trusted) that our daughter’s friends’ parents did not facilitate access to alcohol or drugs to minors. We realized — too late — that from the time she was 15, our daughter had access to unmonitored alcohol and was sometimes encouraged to consume it in these homes.
Many parents think it’s OK if teens drink alcohol under supervision, as long as the parents are there and they have possession of the car keys. They wrongly rationalize that the teens are going to do it anyway, so why not under supervision?
What these good-time parents don’t consider is that a teen who may have a genetic predisposition to addiction may have just gotten a switch turned on in his or her developing brain. You can’t look at people and know if they are prone to addiction. In our case, our daughter’s addiction became a long, difficult struggle, which led to the untimely death of our smart and talented daughter at age 24.
— Grieving Mom in Reno
Dear Grieving Mom: I am sorry for the tragic loss of your daughter. In most states, providing alcohol to minors is against the law, not only for public safety, but also for the reason you stated.
Years ago, I spoke with a gentleman who was active with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), when he repeated something he’d heard at an AA meeting. He said the subject being discussed at the meeting was what it felt like having that “very first drink.” One of the members stood up and said, “It was like someone switched a light on in my head, and I said to myself, ‘So that’s what it’s like to feel normal!” ’ This is why it is imperative that families with a history of addiction make their children aware of it and clearly understand why it’s important they avoid addictive substances even if their friends are indulging.
[Great Falls Tribune – February 25, 2017 – The Edge (pg A4)]
In the category of “most Missoula thing ever” comes this latest entry, from a recent Missoulian story. The lucky hipsters of the town with a brewery on every corner are anticipating the arrival at the Southgate Mall of a “sip ‘n’ stroll” specialty grocery store.
The chain, which focuses on natural, organic and locally grown products, lets you grab a $2 pint of local beer or $3 glass of wine to “enhance the shopping experience.”
This is a trend we can totally get behind. Finally a way to liven up the dreaded grocery shopping trip. Heck, this might even turn a chore into the new happy hour.
HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) announced Wednesday morning their participation in Project Sticker Shock program.
HCSO will be participating in the project on February 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sticker Shock is a youth-led prevention program designed to support existing and encourages new community activism, cooperative efforts, and community capacity building to combat underage drinking and its related programs — specifically, adults providing alcohol to minors.
Project Sticker Shock seeks to reach those persons 21 years of age or older who might illegally purchase alcohol and provide it to minors.
Youth will visit participating retailers accompanied by the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Ashland Police Department, and members from Hanover County Community Services.
“They will place prevention stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers, and other alcohol products that might appeal to underage drinkers,” HCSO press release said.
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) - An age-old headache for bar owners and police - minors trying to fake their way into drinking establishments - is becoming more and more complicated by new technology and online counterfeit ID makers from around the globe.
But state and local law enforcement agencies, pointing to Rounders Bar and Grill in downtown Mankato, told the Mankato Free Press (http://bit.ly/2jyRaLt ) that underage drinkers can still be stopped if bouncers and servers are diligent.
The evidence of that sat on the bar of the downtown Mankato business - a half-dozen confiscated passports and hundreds upon hundreds of driver’s licenses and other identification cards taken from would-be patrons of Rounders in the past year or so.
“These are IDs that are altered, faked or just hand-offs,” said Ryan Tucker, general manager of Rounders.
While the hand-offs - when someone age 21 or older shares their ID with an underage friend - are the most common, manufactured IDs frequently show up and are increasingly sophisticated. And they can be ordered on the web, often from overseas sources.
SOUTH OGDEN, Utah (ABC4 Utah) A tailgating message hopes to stop underage drinking in Weber County. South Ogden Police Chief Darin Parke says, underage drinking can begin as early as 6th grade. Weber County is sending a message to kids to be alcohol free, not through words but through emojis.
Susanna Burt is a mother of 4 and says these emojis on the back of city and county trucks will resonate with teens. "we are combating all these things such as alcohol advertising on billboards and on TV. This is one more way of reminding parents, like myself, to get involved and talk to my kids and to have the city and county support me as a parent makes me feel valued."
You'll be able to see at least 2 dozen newly minted city and county trucks with these messages. The initiative is a private and public partnership with Weber County, Bonneville Communities That Care and Utah's Parents Empowered.
Are you ready to have a conversation with your teen?
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