DEFY Students talk to community about childhood alcohol drinking

“Parents, talk to your kids. You can never start too young.” A directive like this very well could apply to several teen issues, but for Drew Cranisky and a group of young activists, it was a call to parents to address the dangers of teenage drinking. On a recent Tuesday evening in Newton, approximately 20 people gathered at the Center of Prevention and Counseling to hear what a panel of local students had to say about the dangers of alcohol abuse among teens in their communities. The panelists, ranging from sophomores in high school to juniors in college, are members of Drug Education for Youth, commonly known as DEFY, an organization associated with the Sussex County Coalition for Healthy and Safe Families. According to presenters, 80 to 90 percent of current high school students drink alcohol, a statistic based on their personal experiences both inside and outside of school. This high abuse of alcohol among teenagers is due to a variety of reasons, according to panel members, including an increase of alcoholic advertisements geared toward young adults, which members believe desensitize teens to the harmful effects of alcohol. Moderated by Cranisky, the town hall meeting provided panelists an open forum to share their knowledge of childhood drinking, and to answer audience questions. In the end, the conclusion was drawn by panelists and audience members alike that parents and other interested adults must help teenagers deal with the pressures they receive from the commercial and other sources of advertising of alcohol that promote the drug. “Parents need to achieve more of a balance,” said Kristen Woodbury, a junior at Wagner College and member of the DEFY panel. “You don’t want to be a dictator, but you don’t want to be a sorority sister either. Once you’ve instilled those good values, trust that your kids will do the right thing.” Young adults in attendance agreed that parents must take an active role in combating drug and alcohol abuse in teenagers.