By Olivia Spadafora, Intern, BRiDGES-mccasa
The Canastota High School “Students Against Destructive Decisions” (SADD) Club joined forces with Titletown Liquors performed a “Sticker Shock” to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.
(Canastota, NY- Dec. 20, 2013) Local high schools students from Canastota High School (CHS) decided to participate in a “Sticker Shock” campaign with Titletown Liquors and BRiDGES-mccasa, also located in Canastota.
The students received more than 200 bags from the local liquor store to put stickers on the bags that read, “Underage Drinking: Not a Minor Problem. Providing Alcohol to a Minor is Illegal, Break the law and you can face one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.”
BRiDGES has been working with Canastota High School and Titletown Liquors for several years on this campaign. Every year we have been able to team up with the school and the liquor store to post stickers on the liquor bags in an attempt to deter those who may be purchasing alcohol for minors. The owner of Titletown Liquors was very enthusiastic about participating in this campaign and expressed that they will do anything they can to try and prevent the sale of alcohol to underage kids. This type of enthusiasm is refreshing to see in our community as BRiDGES is involved with many efforts to prevent liquor sales and other forms of contribution to underage drinking.
Underage drinking is a problem that often gets pushed under the rug. In 2011, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 33 percent of 8th graders and 70 percent of 12th graders had tried alcohol, and 13 percent of 8th graders and 40 percent of 12th graders drank during the past month.
Let us not forget that there are many health risks to drinking alcohol, many of these magnified by starting to consume alcohol at a young age. A few consequences of underage drinking include; School problems such as higher absence and poor or failing grades, social problems such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities, legal problems such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk, unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity, higher risk for suicide and homicide, alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries such as burns, falls, and drowning, abuse of other drugs, changes in brain development that may have life-long effects, possible death from alcohol poisoning, and many many more.
Here at BRiDGES, we would like to thank Titletown Liquors as well as the Canastota High School S.A.D.D. group for aiding in the effort to prevent underage drinking and alcohol sales to or for minors. Remember that buying alcohol for a minor is illegal and can result in a $1,000 fine and/or one year in jail.