By Logan Ratick ’13
EE Co-Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Guerin ‘13
Melissa Giblin ‘13
Mark Ballaro ‘13
EE Staff Writers
Has the influence of alcohol affected your life in one way or another? Have you ever been in a car with an intoxicated driver? Have you been the drunk driver yourself?
On Wednesday, November 28th, Trumbull High School hosted its annual Underage Drinking Forum for the freshman class, which addressed the questions above. The purpose of this event was to make students and parents aware of the dangers of alcohol consumption by teenagers. As always, the forum was informative and emotional.
The school administration brought in a plethora of guest speakers on this evening. Among those who shared their stories was a twenty-two year old woman who had been an alcoholic since she was fourteen. Sober now, the previous alcoholic spoke of the detrimental effects of the substance, regretting ever becoming involved with it.
Another speaker displayed a different point of view: a parent who had been devastated by the effects of teenage drinking. The woman’s son died in the passenger seat of a car being operated by a drunk driver. The driver swerved off of the road, totaling the car and leading to the fatal injury of the woman’s young son. After sharing her story, she spoke of the daily struggles she faces, coping with the loss of her son. She advised all parents to remain aware of the situations that they let their children enter. Each speaker brought forth shocking realities which touched the audience.
Other speakers included some of Trumbull’s police officers, whose presentations were focused on warning parents to not allow parties to be held in their homes. The officials spoke about the consequences parents would suffer if they were found to be hosting an underage drinking party. They showed them how serious the laws are and that they could potentially lose everything they have worked so hard for in an instant if they are caught. This information is usually unknown to most.
Parent, Jill DeNomme, who attended the forum said, “I had no idea how much trouble parents could possibly get in for having a party. It was definitely a shock.” In addition to this, they informed the attendees of the Trumbull tip line, a phone number to call if your life is in danger or you know of a gathering where drugs and alcohol are prevalent.
One officer stated, “If you are not invited to a party, call us and we’ll go there for you.”
The main message that the program and all of its speakers hoped to convey to the parents was that it is essential for them to have an in depth talk about alcohol with their children. Its purpose was to show the parents that drinking is a problem, even in the town of Trumbull, and the only way to help their child fight off peer pressure is to converse with them about the effects, the risks, and the consequences.
Administrator Mr. McLaughlin, who is very knowledgeable about the presentation said, “My hope is that what the presentation does is create a conversation between parents and their kids where they tell them what to do if they find themselves in one of these situations.”
It seems as though the presentation was effective in getting this message across. In fact, Storm N Norman, Webe 1108 broadcaster, attended it with his child who is currently a freshman at THS. The morning after the presentation, he spoke about it on his radio station and mentioned the importance of the conversation between parents and their children.
One individual in attendance was Trumbull High Senior James DeNomme, who was working at the event. “Without a doubt the presentation was eye opening,” said DeNomme. “Even as a senior in high school, it will definitely affect my future decisions. I am glad that they offer this to freshmen and I hope they take as much out of it as I did.”
Regardless of the relationship a child has with their parent or guardian, it is important that they can look to them when they find themselves in a dangerous situation concerning alcohol. This simple conversation, suggested by the THS Underage Drinking Forum, may save their lives.