How You Can Help Fight Teen
Alcohol Use and Abuse in Owen County

• Actively communicate with other parents in the community.
• Get involved in the efforts of parent groups, coalitions, and prevention programs in your community.
• Start or participate in a pledge that parents can sign stating that they will not supply alcohol to teens or allow teens to drink in their home.
• Be aware of the problems relating to teen drinking all year round, not just at prom and graduation time.
• Don’t ignore jokes or comments about your teen’s friends’ drinking behavior — express concern and take action if possible.
• Make you home a safe and welcoming place for your teen’s friends to socialize without alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
• Support the efforts of law enforcement and school administrators to enforce both the law and school policies consistently and fairly.
• Contact your legislators, school board members, district attorney, police chief and other local and state policy makers to let them know that you are concerned about this issue.
• Be observant regarding local sales and marketing practices among retailers who sell alcohol. Speak up if you observe a practice that could be encouraging teens to drink; praise those retailers who take positive action to prevent teens from drinking.
• Call your local law enforcement agency to report teen drinking parties. Whenever possible, advance reports of parties will allow enforcement officials to prevent problems before they occur by warning intended party hosts about the potential health, safety and legal ramifications of their choice to host a teen drinking party.
• Be a positive role model — get involved. Drink at or below the USDA guidelines for moderate drinking (no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 drinks per day for men who drink daily; no more than 4 drinks on any occasion).


Note: a network of Owen County parents concerned about underage drinking is in the process of forming and identifying actions that they can take as a group in order to impact this problem. If you are interested in receiving addition information as this group develops, please contact Patti Clark at 484-8539 or via email at pclark @owencounty tapp.org