Thu 18 Aug 2011

What’s new at Franklin County Caring Communities

Posted by Beth Crane under Alcohol and Other Drugs, Our Programs and Initiatives, Policy and Environmental strategies
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Welcome to Franklin County Caring Communities.

We know it intuitively, but research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse has shown the important role that parents play in preventing their children from starting to use drugs. Check out NIDA to learn more and participate in a “family checkup.”

January 28-February 1 is National Drug Facts Week. Click here to test your knowledge on drugs.

Ever wonder what makes teens tick? Wonder how to interact with them in a way to reduce the chance that they’ll engage in risky behaviors like underage drinking and other drug use? View this media clip from a presentation by Michael Nerney, renowned prevention expert, and learn how youth process information and emotions, and how you as a caring adult can influence their decisions.

Parents, “Safe Homes Parent Network” is a way for you to connect, support one another, and keep kids safe and substance free across Franklin County.   We’re inviting parents to “sign on” to the following:

  • I will actively supervise all gatherings of youth in our home or on our property, or ask another responsible adult for help to do so.
  • I will not allow the possession of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs by youth in our home or on our property.
  • I will set expectations for my children by knowing where they are going, whom they are with, what they are doing, and when they are to return home.

Are you interested in joining the Safe Home Parent Network? Click here for more information, or contact  beth@fcccp.org to get on board.

Check out ParentUp for tips on recognizing substance use in teens, talking to your kids and teens about underage drinking and other drug use, and preparing them for safe, fun, substance free parties and events.

Franklin County’s Stop Teen Alcohol Risk Team (START), a partnership with our law enforcement agencies, Court Diversion, the State’s Attorney, and the Vermont Department of Liquor Control, was busy in May and June and will continue to conduct proactive patrols through the summer. Why START? The purpose of this partnership is to reduce underage access to alcohol by enforcing laws regarding social hosting, enabling, and furnishing alcohol to minors. Click here for more on START.

Looking to get more involved in County-wide prevention and positive youth development? Consider becoming a mentor, getting involved in “Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol,” or joining our board. We all benefit when our members take an active role in guiding our coalition’s prevention initiatives.  Contact Beth 527-5049 x 1 or beth@fcccp.org for more information.

Caring Communities is a proud supporter of Front Porch Forum, a web-based community network. If you live or work in St. Albans, Fairfield, or Richford, your community has Front Porch Forum. Check it out and join the conversation.

And, if you’d like to support Caring Communities and Watershed Mentoring financially, you can now donate online! Please click on the button to the right to be taken to a secure donation website.

Thanks for your interest and remember, we are ALL Caring Communities.

Beth Crane

 

 

 

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Thu 30 Aug 2012

National Survey Finds Broad Public Support for U.S. Alcohol Regulation

Posted by Beth Crane under Alcohol and Other Drugs, Policy and Environmental strategies
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CAP
A new bipartisan national poll conducted for the Center for Alcohol Policy recently found that “Americans overwhelmingly agree that alcohol is a unique product that is not like other consumer goods, which is why they believe it needs to be treated differently.” Of the 1,010 adult respondents, 72% said that states should regulate alcohol because it is different from other consumer goods, and 78% support the current drinking age of 21 or older. A full 72% believe that the United States should not follow the example of the UK and remove alcohol regulation. To read the full study, click here.

 

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Thu 10 May 2012

David Sheff, author of “Beautiful Boy,” speaks on parenting and addiction

Posted by Beth Crane under Alcohol and Other Drugs, Parents
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Tue 8 May 2012

Movies linked to youth drinking

Posted by Beth Crane under Alcohol and Other Drugs
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Movies ‘linked to youth drinking’
Source: UKPA
Feb 21st
Youngsters aged 10 to 14 who watch a lot of movies featuring alcohol are twice as likely to drink, according to new research.

Experts questioned more than 6,500 youngsters four times, asking in each session whether they had seen any of 50 films selected at random. The teenagers were also asked in each survey if they had ever drunk alcohol behind their parents’ back and at what point they started binge-drinking (having five or more drinks in a row). The films were then analysed for alcohol use, defined as a character’s actual or implied consumption or the purchase of alcohol.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that youngsters had typically seen around 4.5 hours of on-screen alcohol use and many had seen more than eight hours. It also looked at the impact of parental drinking and children owning merchandise carrying alcohol brands. Some 11% of the teenagers said they owned branded merchandise, such as a T-shirt or hat with the name of a beer on it. Almost one in four (23%) said their parents drank alcohol at least once a week at home, while 29% said they were able to get hold of alcohol at home.

Over the course of the surveys, which were spread over two years, the proportion of teens who started drinking alcohol more than doubled from 11% to 25%, while the proportion who began binge-drinking more than tripled from 4% to 13%.
Parents who drank at home and availability of alcohol in the home were linked with youngsters taking up drinking, but not progression to binge-drinking. Exposure to alcohol in movies, owning branded merchandise, having friends who drank and rebelliousness were associated with both.

The results showed that children who watched the most films featuring alcohol were just over twice as likely to have drunk alcohol and 63% more likely to have made the transition to binge-drinking than those who watched few such films.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: “Alcohol in films is an issue that is covered in the classification guidelines used by the British Board of Film Classification, and the promotion or glamorisation of drinking is something that is taken into account in classification decisions.”

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Sun 5 Feb 2012

Newsletter sign-up

Posted by Beth Crane under Newsletter
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Fri 3 Feb 2012

Stop Teen Alcohol Risk Team (START)

Posted by Beth Crane under Alcohol and Other Drugs, Get Involved, Our Programs and Initiatives, Policy and Environmental strategies
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The Franklin County START wants to STOP underage and high-risk drinking among young people in Franklin County.

Underage drinking refers to drinking by anyone under the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21.

High-risk drinking refers to youthful drinking, drinking too much (bingeing, or consuming 5 or more alcoholic drinks if you’re a guy, 4 or more drinks if you’re a girl, in one evening), drinking and driving, and drinking and using other drugs at the same time.

Why START? Check out these facts about underage drinking in Franklin County:

  • 34% – 1 in 3 – high school students reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days.
  • 20%, or 1 in 5, high school students reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.
  • Of those who drank, 44% say they drank hard liquor.
  • 47% of kids who report drinking – almost half - say that somone gave it to them; 29% gave someone money to buy it for them; 17% said they got it or stole it from home (and that % increases the younger the teen)
  • A whopping 73% of Franklin County high schoolers, whether they drink or not, think it would be easy to get alcohol in Franklin County. That means that 3 out of 4 students believe they could lay their hands on some alcohol
  • Some kids start young: 24% of middle schoolers (6-8) reported having had a drink (more than a few sips).    All data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Franklin County Edition.

 START wants to stop teen drinking before it happens and interrupt it when it does happen. If you are concerned about parties or events where underage drinking is planned or ongoing, or if you know that someone is serving or selling to minors, please report your concerns to a START affiliate in your area:

Franklin County Stop Teen Alcohol Risk Team:

Vermont State Police: 524-5993 *  FC Sheriff: 524-2121 * St. Albans PD: 524-2166  * Swanton PD: 868-4100 * Franklin County Caring Communities: 527-5049 * Franklin County Court Diversion: 527-5560

You can also contact our partner, Vermont Department of Liquor Control, at 802 828-1031 if you have concerns about specific alcohol outlets serving or selling to minors.

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