April is National Alcohol Awareness Month

April is national Alcohol Awareness Month, a timely subject as families prepare for prom, graduation season and summer break.

The Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse (HVCASA) is encouraging all 12 of its Local Prevention Councils — serving Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Newtown, New Milford, Sherman, Ridgefield, Redding, New Fairfield, Bridgewater, Roxbury, Washington, Warren, Morris, Goshen, Litchfield, Kent, Sharon, Salisbury, Canaan, North Canaan and Cornwall — to join in the state-wide public awareness campaign known as “Set The Rules CT.” 

Developed by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), this campaign aims to reduce underage drinking by educating parents about Connecticut's Social Host Law and the impact of alcohol on the teen brain.

“Parents tend to dramatically underestimate teenage binge drinking and their own child's drinking in particular," said Allison Fulton, executive director of HVCASA. "In some cases, parents enable and/or condone underage drinking.”

Underage drinking is the nation’s number-one drug problem and it kills more than six times as many young people as all illicit drugs combined each year, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

When mixed with driving, it can have an especially devastating impact. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that alcohol related fatalities tend to increase mid-April through June.

Heather Sadler, prevention coordinator at HVCASA, likes this campaign because it not only increases awareness about the effects of underage drinking but also serves to increase each community’s awareness of their own LPC as a valuable local resource.

Last year, the Brookfield Substance Abuse Coalition, led by Police Chief Robin Montgomery, did an extraordinary job getting its name out there on promotional items using yard signs, report card inserts for eighth through 12th grade, newsletters, posters, stickers, web-banners, TV ads and more.

This year, the New Fairfield Prevention Council, chaired by Judy O’Callaghan, is getting involved and partnering with local businesses. Jen Sperazza has spearheaded the “stickers on pizza boxes” project with several other parents on the coalition. Principal Maryanne Coelho is helping to spread the word in her school newsletter and on Channel 17.

While other members are getting local businesses and physicians to display campaign posters and table-tents that challenge parents to “Care Enough to Say No — Don’t Provide, Don’t Ignore, Don’t Excuse.”

HVCASA’s colorful billboards are once again reminding everyone in the region that “Underage Drinking Parties are Against the Law."

Joyce Sixsmith of HVCASA reports that youth from her Regional Teen Prevention Council (RTPC) have already had a blast hitting up local restaurants such as Famous Pizza and Capri’s Pizza in Bethel with hundreds of “stickers on pizza boxes."

Many local liquor merchants are helping by posting displays in their stores.

The RTPC also held a parent forum this week featuring youth members and expert speakers. Sixsmith has experienced the need for more education about Connecticut laws and adult liability first-hand.

“It is remarkable how many adults do not know about Connecticut's underage drinking laws and the impact of alcohol on the teen brain," Sixsmith said.

Fulton agreed.

“Forums like this one," Fulton said, "keep the conversation going and remind everyone why it’s so important to set the rules for safe celebrations and healthy decision-making."

For more information visit www.brookfieldsubstanceabusecoalition.org.