Alcohol Teens' Drug of Choice and a Booklet to Address It

Alcohol is the drug of choice for teenagers in towns and cities nationwide.

Just last week, police broke up an underage drinking party near Merwin Meadows. For reasons just like that, the Wilton Youth Council will release an updated pamphlet "A Parent's Guide for the Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use" this fall.

Written for parents by parents, the booklet aims to educate the community on the dangers of high-risk behavior. It will also include resources for parents in search of more information.

Alcohol use can lead to traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, and educational failure, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. About 5,000 youths under the age 21 die from drinking each year. This number includes about 1,900 motor vehicle-related deaths, 1,600 homicides, 300 suicides and countless others from falls, burns, and drownings.

"These are health problems that need to be addressed community-wide," Colleen Fawcett, director of the Wilton Youth Council, a non-profit, volunteer organization, told the Board of Selectmen at their last meeting.

For teenagers, drinking and drugs might seem to be a way to fit in. And that's dangerous, according to USDHH.

"Obviously we're very supportive of the council," said First Selectman Bill Brennan.

The pamphlet, made possible through a grant form the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, will be available in October.  Expertise from Duke University and the Substance Hospital Addiction Treatment Center in Bethesda, MD will also be included.

Wilton Police Department will list all the laws that pertain to underage drinking, as well as list resources for parents. 

Fawcett said the cover and back of the pamphlet will be "custom-tailored to suit Wilton's needs."