Parent reports underage drinking party (21 Reasons)

From 21 Reasons Talk Blog:

"Over the weekend, Portland police broke up an underage drinking party, thanks to the report of a parent whose teen was involved:

Charges stem from Portland teen party

PORTLAND – Police broke up a party during the weekend involving 35 to 40 teenagers, mostly from Deering and Portland high schools. Police were called to 16 Hope Ave. at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, after the parent of a teenager who had been drinking at the party reported it, police said …Police issued a court summons to a 16-year-old for furnishing the alcohol. [A father and son] were ordered to appear in court on charges of furnishing a place for minors to drink.

Reporting a party can be difficult choice for a parent, and we appreciate this parent’s decision to prioritize the health and safety of the young people involved. It’s up to each one of us to help make sure youth are safe, and we all are responsible for reporting dangerous situations—like underage drinking parties.

To those who are wondering, “What’s the big deal as long as they’re not driving?...
READ THE FULL POST HERE

Learn more about preventing underage drinking by visiting www.maineparents.net or www.21reasons.org

Many Parents Encourage Underage Drinking, Australian Study Finds (ScienceDaily)

ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2009) — Half of Australian adults and 63 per cent of Australians on a higher income believe 15- to 17-year-olds should be allowed to consume alcohol under parental supervision at home, according to the latest MBF Healthwatch survey.

Read the full article HERE...

What these Australian parents are missing is that there are other significant risks to underage drinkers such as: poor school performance, addiction, violence, suicides, sexual assault, falls, drowning...
 
To learn more about how you can prevent underage drinking here in Maine, visit www.maineparents.net

To learn more about the risks and consequences of underage drinking, visit www.niaaa.nih.nida.gov

A Stocked Bar For Holidays Can Be Introduction To Addiction

Most people would not believe that a fully stocked refrigerator and bar could precede an alcohol or drug addiction later in life.

A survey by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) in June 2008 revealed that 650,000 underage drinkers in May 2008 were given alcohol by their parents or guardians.  “In far too many instances parents directly enable their children’s underage drinking,” said Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service in June 2008. “Proper parental guidance alone may not be the complete solution to this devastating public health problem but it is a critical part,” Dr. Galson stated.

Read the rest of the article HERE

To learn more about preventing underage drinking in Maine, visit www.maineparents.net
 
If you are a local business and would like FREE educational workshops about preventing underage drinking and substance abuse held for your staff during work/lunch hours (food provided), please contact portlandprevention@yahoo.com or call (207) 874-8965.