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‘Don’t Serve Teens’ program underway

Posted 9/22/11

To the Editor: Most teens who drink get their alcohol from “social” sources – parents of other teens, older siblings and other relatives and friends. We Don’t Serve Teens, a new national …

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‘Don’t Serve Teens’ program underway

Posted

To the Editor:

Most teens who drink get their alcohol from “social” sources – parents of other teens, older siblings and other relatives and friends.

We Don’t Serve Teens, a new national campaign to reduce underage drinking, is focusing on the social sources that may provide teens with access to alcohol. The campaign’s centerpiece is www.DontServeTeens.gov, a website sponsored by a coalition of public and private sector organizations, including the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency.

The message to neighbors, relatives and friends is “Don’t serve alcohol to teens. It’s unsafe. It’s illegal. It’s irresponsible.”

The legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21. Drinking can cause serious health and safety consequences – as well as legal consequences for the person providing the alcohol. Studies show that adults strong support this law – a recent national survey showed that most parents said the drinking age should remain 21 or be raised. But parents need help to make sure their teens don’t have access to alcohol.

For more information on stopping teens’ easy access to alcohol, practical tips on talking to kids about alcohol and alcohol advertising, and what to say to friends and neighbors about serving alcohol to teens, visit www.DontServeTeens.gov.

Nicole M. B. Rood

Seaway Valley Preservation Council