Tempe's Coaltion to Reduce Underage Drinking and Drug Use is hosting a Town Hall on Monday, October 4, 2010 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Tempe City Council Chambers.
A particular emphasis will be placed on the challenges faced by middle and high school youth alcohol use. This Town Hall is directed to parents and adult residents of Tempe. The event will include a welcome from Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman and a panel of experts on the topic of underage drinking, moderated by weekend anchor and reporter from 12 News, Brahm Resnik.
The panel will include representatives from the nonprofits Community Bridges and Not My Kid, Assistant Chief from the Tempe Police Department, a prevention counselor from Tempe Union High School District and a member of Tempe’s Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking and Drug Use. Topics will range from alcohol facts and trends and current legal challenges to a discussion of why children start drinking and some personal stories of the potentially tragic consequences of underage drinking.
Underage drinking has been the focus of Tempe’s Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking and Drug Use because of the startling facts surrounding the issue. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2003 National Survey on Drug Use & Health reported that persons reporting first use of alcohol before age 15 were more than five times as likely to report past year alcohol dependence or abuse than persons who first used alcohol at age 21 or older (16% vs. 3%). http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. On the local level, the average age of one’s first use of alcohol in Tempe is 12.5 years of age. This is younger than the state average of 12.8 years of age.
Registration for the Tempe Town Hall begins at 6:30pm on October 4. The program and Q&A session will begin at 7:00pm. Validated parking is available in the City Hall Garage on 5th St and Forest. Due to limited space, RSVP’s are encouraged. Please call 480-858-2305 or email bobbie_cassano@tempe.gov to reserve your spot and learn more.
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