Town Hall meeting to combat alcohol abuse presented at Sheldon

School and law enforcement officials, legislators, county government and court representatives, as well as community leaders and activists formed a panel to discuss the hazards of teen alcohol abuse, and how parents and the community can help to prevent it, during an event at Sheldon on Friday.

Sheldon, Mo. -- The campaign ad reads "My name is Emily, and in eight years I'll be an alcoholic. I'll start drinking in middle school, and I'll do some things I don't really want to do. So by the time my parents talk to me about it, alcohol won't be my only problem. Start talking before they start drinking."

Picture this -- a mangled vehicle hardly recognizable, no visible doors and crunched like a soda can. Does a person survive this? That is what most of the community members were asking themselves Friday night, when a national program, Adults Pulling for Teens, aimed at combating alcohol abuse, visited Sheldon. Officials stressed that its not OK for parents to allow their children to drink. Nor, is it permissible to provide them with the alcohol. Adults Pulling for Teens visited Sheldon because, as Dennis Bryson of Pathways Community Behavioral Healthcare said, "Sheldon has a stellar track record in their community, they serve as role models for other communities across Missouri."

The event was part of a nationwide Town Hall Meeting series which seeks to educate the entire community on the dangers of underage drinking, the impact of underage drinking on the community, the important steps for fifth and sixth graders and the value of parents discussing the issue with their children. The meetings have been taking place in communities all over the country either at the end of March or in early April during Alcohol Awareness Month. In Missouri alone, 20 community coalitions were selected to take part in national education effort.

Bryson stressed that "parents are parents not friends, kids have lots of friends."

The town hall meeting was designed to bring together a diverse group of community leaders from very different backgrounds and areas in the community. Officials that were present included the Vernon County commissioners, Rep. Barney Fisher R-125th District; Lynn Ewing III, Vernon County prosecutor; as well as other officials representing legislators and community wellness experts, and panel created to bring to light the dangers of underage drinking.

Before the panel was formed, the presenters opened the night with a proclamation which said that the week of April 3-7 is now officially designated Reach Out Now Teach In Week in Vernon County. It's purpose is to raise an awareness in the county of the "harmful effects on underage use." The Reach Out Now Teach in is a collaboration between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Scholastic Inc., which seeks to provide "school-based underage alcohol use prevention materials in time for Alcohol Awareness Month each April."

Officials offered heartfelt accounts of how alcohol has touched their lives personally. One official described that he had many friends lost to alcohol-linked abuse. SAMHSA's national survey on Drug Use and Health linked alcohol as the most widely used substance of abuse among America's youth.

"Underage drinking is not inevitable, as some parents may think," said Charles G. Curie, SAMHSA Administrator, "For too long, underage drinking has been accepted as a rite of passage in this country, and far too many young people, their friends and families, have paid the price. It's time to change attitudes toward teen drinking from acceptance to abstinence. It's time to get real, get focused, and push back. It's time for parents and teachers, clergy and coaches to talk with children early and often about alcohol, especially before they start drinking."

Officials talked about the dangers of alcohol, citing certain cases where young people have lost driver's licenses, been tried as adults and convicted for the death of friends.

Also, the panel discussed the impact of alcohol on family units and the loss of life associated with the substance.

Fisher said, "There are two programs that don't cost anything for the government and its not a law -- Mom and Dad, they have to know what the kids are doing. Teachers and clergy are just the cherry on top."

Pictures were passed around, wrecks with atrocious outcomes that left most citizens and officials sour and upset. Officials listened with somber faces and participated in the panel.

A story detailing more of the dangers of alcohol abuse by teens and how parents can help will appear in Tuesday's edition of the Nevada Daily Mail.