North Shore campaign urges adults to “Think before you let them drink”
The seventh annual “Anti-bootlegging” campaign kicked off yesterday in the North Shore, just in time for grad season and summertime—a peak period when young people celebrate by drinking.
The annual campaign—which features a poster designed by a local North Shore student—highlights how youth are negatively affected by alcohol, alcohol advertising and the practice of some adults buying alcohol illegally, or “bootlegging,” for underage youth. On average, about 150 young people are admitted to Lions Gate Hospital annually for alcohol-related illnesses.
The campaign is supported by VCH, The North Shore Action on Prevention, law enforcement and school districts in North and West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver and Squamish Nation.
“Alcohol is still the drug of choice for young people, and the situation is only made worse when parents and other adults decide to provide the booze,” explains Kerrie Watt, an alcohol and drug prevention educator on the North Shore. “It isn’t necessarily safer for adults to buy alcohol for teens and give them a place to drink it. You just need to look at all of the incidents that occur when there’s supervised drinking to see that it doesn’t work.”
Local law enforcement also echoed this thought at yesterday’s event. “Youth need positive role models, not ones who will enable them to make poor choices and decisions in their lives,” said Richard De Jong of the North Vancouver RCMP. “We need to normalize the belief that it’s not cool to give young people alcohol.”
Vivian White
As the single mother of three daughters now in their 20’s I have had some experience with alcohol and youth. It is my opinion parents must continue to set a good example, have high expectations for their children’s behavior and be compassionate when they fail these expectations. Now that they have developed responsible habits we can all have fun after a nice diner playing funny board game with a few drinks under our belts. They didn’t like me much when I played the hard line during their teen years but we all survived and now they always want me included if their fun times.
Diana Schuette
This is so true!! My son is graduating this year and it is unbelievable how many parents promote alcohol as necessary to have a good time with friends or at a party! What is this telling the kids? Good times can only be had when you’re drunk or stoned! A friend of my son’s mom allows her dtr. to throw parties and their home and alcohol is a big party of those parties. This same girl ended up driving drunk with only her L and ended up in a ditch. Luckily she did not lose her life. Think twice people about kind of a message you are sending to your kids. Sure, they may drink with their friends behind your back anyways, but in the long run, they usually come back to what they were taught at home.