Most Westport youths make “healthy choices” about drinking.
But students here drink at higher tates than in neighboring communities — both in high school, and in 7th grade. One in 14 7th graders reported drinking alcohol in the previous month — nearly twice the rate in Fairfield, 3 1/2 times higher than Darien, and 7 times the national average.
With statistics like those, the Westport Prevention Coalition has revitalized its parent awareness campaign.
Liquor Stickers are part of an outreach effort with the Aspetuck Health District. In partnership with local liquor stores, the campaign provides parents with information cards, and stickers to seal open, unfinished bottles of liquor.
Liquor Stickers.
The goal is to increase parents’ awareness that most teeangers get alcohol from their own home, or a friend’s house. And the most common places where they drink are at parties, and in homes.
The Westport Youth Survey found that 54% of Westport students who drink get their alcohol from their parents — with permission.
Liquor Sticker cards emphasize the role of parents – and highlight Connecticut’s “Social Host Law.”
The law holds adults responsible for any underage alcohol or cannabis use that occurs on their property. The penalty is up to $2,000 per minor.
Liquor Stickers are available at 99 Bottles, BevMax, Black Bear, Castle Wine & Spirits, Dan’s Liquors, International Discount Wine & Spirits, Greens Farms Spirits, Kindred Spirits & Wine, The Grapevine, and Westport Wine & Spirits.
Westport stores have joined in the Liquor Stickers campaign.
In addition, Westport Together — a partnership between the schools, Human Services, police and Positive Directions — has arranged 4 educational events. They focus not just on alcohol use, but other substances, and mental health in general.
They include:
- Suicide Prevention Training (March 28, noon, Positive Directions, 90 Post Road West)
- Westport’s Relationship with Alcohol (April 7, 7 p.m.; community discussion at Toquet Hall)
- Overdose Awareness and Free Narcan Givbeaway (April 9, 7 p.m., Town Hall)
- Teen Awareness Group’s Get Real Day, including evening parent program (May 7-8, Staples High School).
For more information, email Margaret Watt (mwatt@positivedirections.org) or Kevin Godburn (kdgoburn@westportct.gov), co-chairs of the Westport Prevention Coalition.
Meanwhile — addressing another substance — several days ago elected officials, school administrators, community leaders, law enforcement chiefs and others from Westport, Weston, Wilton, Norwalk and New Canaan met at Westport Town Hall.
They announced the launch of a new Mid-Fairifeld Youth Cannabis Prevention Project.
It’s one of 10 pilot programs in Connecticut, using cannabix tax revenues. The grant from the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services is $57,000.
Aimed at addressing underage cannabis use, it will fund a coordinated awareness campaign aimed primarily at parents, using social media and streaming media; create and train a regional youth team to provide peer education, and disseminate information and resources, including cannabis lock bags, among other initiatives.
Westport has no recreational cannabis dispensaries; the closest is in Norwalk. There is one medical marijuana dispensary here.
(“06880” is Westport’s go-to site for local news, events, opinions, history, photos and more. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Liquor stickers are a good idea but what seems like the bigger problem is the 54% of students getting liquor from their parents with permission.
Let’s look at the bigger picture and stop picking on the kids. How many of the kids who have substance abuse problems have parents who also have substance abuse problems?