Trumbull teens ‘Sticker Shock’ Bottom Line Liquors

On March 13, students from the Trumbull Partnership Against Underage Drinking & Drugs (TPAUD) Student Advisory Group and the St. Joseph High School Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club joined forces to educate adults on the laws regarding providing alcohol to minors. Eighteen students flooded Bottom Line Liquors on Quality Street, placing bottle tags and stickers on packaging and displays throughout the store. These stickers, designed by the students themselves, reminded adult patrons that providing alcohol to minors carries a fine of $1,500 or 18 months in jail — or both. The teens hoped this information will deter them from giving alcohol to minors. Both the TPAUD Student Advisory Group and St. Joe’s SADD Club are committed to educating the public about the health and social hazards linked to underage drinking. Student surveys at both schools revealed that students are most likely to get alcohol from their own home or a friend’s home. The goal of the Sticker Shock event was not only to inform patrons of the laws but to bring awareness of problem of underage drinking in Trumbull. In 2015, the Trumbull Police Department issued eight Social Host Law citations which penalize homeowners for allowing underage drinking to occur on their property. Student insight Victoria Batchelor, a junior at Trumbull High School and a member of the TPAUD Student Advisory Board, said she participated it was a great way to inform people of the underage drinking laws “It’s also it is nice to know that the work done through TPAUD will help better decision making in Trumbull for years to come,” she said. Cassie Aungst, the president of the St. Joseph’s SADD Club, added that the Stick Shock was an amazing experience. “Knowing that such a small act such as reminding people the consequences of distributing alcohol to teenagers could make the world of a difference and could even save someone's life is an amazing feeling,” she said. “I am so happy to have taken a part of it with two great programs.” Hopefully, with the reminders the students posted on the alcohol packaging itself, more adults will be deterred from providing alcohol to minors. “TPAUD attempts to target adults because our research shows that parents have tremendous influence when it comes to underage drinking and drug use,” explained Griselmarie Alemar, TPAUD Coordinator. “The Trumbull youth who know their parents disapprove of underage drinking are 4 times less likely to drink than our kids who think their parents don’t disapprove,” she added. “The biggest thing parents can do is secure their alcohol, and talk early and talk often with their kids about the dangers of underage drinking.” The Trumbull Partnership Against Underage Drinking & Drugs (TPAUD) is funded by a five-year Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This grant provides TPAUD with funding of $125,000 per year through September, 2019 for coalition-building and prevention activities that address alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drug abuse by Trumbull youth.

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