Tewksbury C.A.R.E.S. community advocates for resources, education, and services
Substance abuse prevention and awareness coalition
Tewksbury C.A.R.E.S. is committed to increasing awareness, promoting education and providing resources to the Tewksbury community in an attempt to lessen the adverse effects of substance abuse. Tewksbury C.A.R.E.S. is a broad-base coalition that includes parents, school personnel, police, public health, families in recovery, and treatment providers.
An Initiative of the Tewksbury Board of Health
Meetings on 1st Thursday of Month 5:30pm at the TewksburyTown Hall
Please attend one or all of the CDRA classes being sponsored by Tewksbury CARES. Registration information is located at the right ----------------> in Blue Print.
Please click here for Tewksbury Advocate on-line story.
Tewksbury CARES held its First Annual Fundraiser on October 21st, 2007. Thank you for your generous support. Anyone wishing to contribute may mail a check to Tewksbury CARES PO Box 511 Tewksbury, MA 01876
FYI: Teens Are Seeing More Alcohol Ads on Television A new study from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University has found a marked increase in the number of television alcohol advertisements seen by young people in the last half decade....spending on alcohol ads grew 32% and the number of ads increased by 34% between 2001 and 2005, and in 2005, nearly $38 million worth of alcohol ads appeared on 14 of the 15 programs with the largest teen audiences. Click here for full article
Study finds that parents can profoundly impact a teen’s decision to drink, drug and drive or engage in other risky driving behaviors, particularly among boys click here
Results of the Communities that Care Youth Survey showing risk and protective factors as well as actual drug use rates among Tewksbury students in grades 7-12. 1668 students took part in the survey in conducted in the spring of 2006. View Results of Student Surveys click here
Town Hall Meeting Evaluations. What we learned from you! click here
Citizens Drug Recognition Academy The 5-part adult only workshop Monday February 4, 2008 at 7:00pm to 9:00pm and every Monday evening through March 10 (except for February school vacation week) Wynn Middle School. Adults only andfree of charge
The program is especially geared toward parents and also open to school and health professionals. The workshop will include “Turning Off The Tap: Underage Drinking & Prevention Strategies” which covers the effect of alcohol on the adolescent brain, social host liability and proven strategies to reduce substance abuse.
Adults only may register for the program via email to Dr. Cynthia Basteri at basteric@tewksbury.k12.ma.us.
Please include your name (full name optional) and contact information.Certificates of completion for PDP's and CEU's available upon request.For more information, contact Dr. Basteri at 978-640-7831.
======================================= Massachusetts Adults Prosecuted Under Social Host Liability Law By Marilyn Belmonte, Co-Chair Burlington Drug & Alcohol Task Force
The trend towards stricter laws surrounding underage drinking and youth access is evident.The Chicago Tribune reported on September 1, 2007 that Illinois has signed a new law charging adults with a felony for allowing underage drinking to occur resulting in injury or death.This law calls for 1 to 3 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. Recently charges were filed against an Easthampton, Mass. father for providing alcohol to minors.Timothy E. Parent, 46, pled not guilty to the manslaughter charge and two counts of procuring alcohol for a minor. Police say Parent bought a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka for his 15-year-old daughter, who drank it with friend Alexis Garcia, also 15. Garcia was later found dead in her bathtub.Authorities ruled that she died from drowning and alcohol poisoning, with a blood-alcohol content of between .28 percent and .33 percent.Parent is the first Massachusetts resident to face a manslaughter charge in a case where providing alcohol led to a minor's death. In Wrentham MA, N.Y. was arrested and prosecuted for allowing teenagers to drink alcohol in his home in October 2006.He claims that he and his wife were upstairs while their son was downstairs with five friends.They monitored the party until 10pm but at 11:30pm police were called to the home after neighbors called the police with noise complaints.Thirty adolescents began to flee the home.Police found alcohol and marijuana paraphernalia. In Westborough MA, parents of a 2006 Westborough graduate were charged with allowing drinking to occur at a party in their home.K.B. claimed to not know that alcohol was being consumed by 30 teenagers at a college-bound party for their daughter.A hit-and-run car accident investigation that evening involving an alcohol-impaired driver led police to the residence because the driver had been a guest at that party.When police arrived at the residence, they saw a teenage boy vomiting in the front yard and empty beer cans littering the street. These cases are outlined at www.socialhostliability.org/cases/. Parents are not the only adults who can be prosecuted under Social Host Liability Law.Older siblings and friends who purchase alcohol for minors have been prosecuted in Massachusetts.On August 5, 2003, Shannon, 19 and three of her friends met S.F. outside his workplace in Pembroke, MA.He bought them a 30 pack of beer.After the party, Shannon was on her way home, alone in her car, when the vehicle reportedly left the road and crashed into two trees.She was pronounced dead at the scene.S.F. was charged with providing alcohol to the party. He was not the parent.He was not the home owner.He did not even attend the party.But he was the adult who provided the beer. Here are some important facts all parents should know:
The legal drinking age in Massachusetts is 21. It is against the law to serve or provide alcohol to underage guests or to allow them to drink alcohol in your home or on other property you control. If you do, you may be prosecuted criminally. The penalty is a fine up to $2,000, imprisonment for up to a year, or both. (G.L. c.138, sec. 34.)
You may also be sued civilly. If you are sued civilly, a jury may decide whether you are liable and how much you will have to pay for injuries caused by your guests.
You could be prosecuted criminally or sued civilly if you knowingly allow a person under 21 to drink at your home, and he becomes very ill or dies from alcohol poisoning or other injuries.
You could be civilly liable if you give permission for your underage child to drink in someone else’s home and he injures or kills a third party.
You could be civilly liable if your child has a few friends over when you are not at home, it develops into a drinking party, and a partygoer injures himself when fleeing after the police arrive.
Even if you win a criminal or civil lawsuit, it is an expensive process. Lawsuits can take years to conclude. They put a tremendous amount of strain on you and your family.
The question remains, “Are parents taking underage drinking too lightly?Or are parents so clueless that they are truly unaware of what their children are doing?”
Many parents state they would not give teenagers alcohol. In fact, 99 percent of parents recently surveyed by Columbia University’s National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), say they are not willing to serve alcohol at their teen’s parties. But the same survey found that 28 percent of adolescents have been to parties at a home where parents were present and teens were drinking.
The CASA study also underlines the difference between parents’ perceptions and the reality of what really goes on at teenage parties.The Columbia University study found that 80 percent of parents believe that alcohol is not available at parties their teens attend. Yet, 50 percent of teenagers report attending parties where alcohol, drugs or both are available.
Copyright 2006 Tewksbury C.A.R.E.S., Inc. all rights reserved.
