DUBOIS – Parents play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. In a recent national survey of parents and teens by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, one-third of teen partygoers have been to parties where teens were drinking alcohol, smoking pot or using cocaine, Ecstasy or pre scri ption drugs while a parent was present. By age 17, nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been at such parties where parents were present.
“Parents Who Host, Lose the Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking” is a public awareness campaign developed by the Ohio Drug Free Action Alliance. The goal of “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most” is to provide parents with accurate information about the health risks of underage drinking and the legal consequences of providing alcohol to youth.
On March 16 representatives from the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug Free Communities Coalition and four senior students from the DuBois Area Catholic Schools, in cooperation with two local distributors, Brady Street and Prontocks, conducted “Project Sticker Shock”.
“Project Sticker Shock” began as an underage drinking violations awareness program and is supported by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Coalition members and students placed fact stickers on 500 cases of beer outlining the law and consequences of breaking that law in Pennsylvania. Owners of both distributors, Tom Frank and Tom Prontock, spoke to the youth about the precautions that are taken to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.
Area student groups are also conducting campaigns in their schools to increase awareness and to initiate conversations between youth and parents.
Coalition Coordinator, Rachael Johnson, stated that “A primary objective of the school based programs is to get kids talking with their parents about underage drinking. Parents play a major role in their children’s decisions and conversation needs to take place surrounding those choices and consequences.”
Other distributors that are also participating in the program are: Mahoning Beer Distributor of Punxsutawney, Sandy’s Beverages of Punxsutawney, Morey’s Beverages of Brookville, Errigo Distributing of Curwensville, Downtown Distributor of Reynoldsville, and Jack’s Distributing of Clearfield.
For more information on the “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” campaign or other programs sponsored by the Drug Free Communities Coalition, please contact Rachael Johnson, Coaltion Coordinator at 814-371-9002. This initiative was made possible by a grant through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
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Back row left to right: Marsha Emhoff, Drug & Alcohol Commission, Sgt. Jamie Jones, PA State Police Bureau of Liquor Control, Dana Johnson, Drug & Alcohol Commission, Shannon States and Matt Gilhousen, Jefferson Juvenile Probation, Meri Collins, NHS Human services, Mary Brown, MHMR, Tom Frank of Brady Street Distributer. Front row left to right: Heidi Voccola, The Guidance Center, Sherri Steele, Falls Creek Eagles, Rachael Johnson and Joy Shenkle, Drug & Alcohol Commission, Amanda Knarr, Megan Corbet, Ashley Allender and Marilyn Lotito, students from DuBois Area Catholic Schools. (Photo provided by Rachael M. Johnson)
