Center for Prevention holds Sticker Shock event

FRANKLIN — Did you know that most every person with a substance use disorder began with drinking alcohol underage?

Most people living with the disease of addiction affirm that they first drank alcohol underage before progressing to the use of other illegal drugs. Many times, underage young people acquire alcohol from older siblings, friends and other adults who, for whatever reason, may not understand the adolescent brain and how addiction can take hold at this dynamically developmental stage of life. Kids who drink before the legal age of 21 are much more prone to problems with alcohol (and other drugs) than those who wait until they are older to drink.

There are also serious legal ramifications that can occur for both the underage drinker as well, as the person providing the alcohol.

Just before Super Bowl Sunday, an event which is often synonymous with alcohol use, youth placed hundreds of brightly colored stickers on cases of beer at ShopRite Wine and Spirits in Franklin. The Coalition for Healthy and Safe Communities, a program of The Center for Prevention and Counseling, encourage youth throughout Sussex County to proactively spread awareness about preventing underage drinking and the importance of the safe serving of alcohol through the Sticker Shock program every year.

On Friday, Jan. 29, two youth from Sussex County Technical School, Jake McDougall and Jon Gamutan, with the help of student assistance coordinator, Ada Guarcella, spent their afternoon stickering cases of beer. These informative stickers, created to state the penalties and consequences of purchasing alcohol for minors, are used in Sticker Shock events which spread education and engage youth and adults to understand the dangers of underage drinking.

The Center is also appreciative for the collaboration of the wonderful staff at ShopRite Wine and Spirits in Franklin and encourage patrons to thank the staff or management of the liquor store for their commitment to a safer community.

In every Sussex County municipality, there exists a “Social Host Liability” law which imposes civil penalties on social hosts who serve alcohol to minors who subsequently are involved in incidents causing death or injury. It is a criminal offense in the state of New Jersey to make your home or property available for the purpose of allowing minors a place to consume alcohol and it is a criminal offense in the state of New Jersey to serve alcohol to anyone who is under the legal age of 21. It is important to realize is that no amount of home insurance coverage will protect a homeowner when they are facing these potential criminal penalties.

Besides adults being responsible, for teenagers and their friends, almost every Sussex County municipality has a local “Underage Drinking Ordinance” or “Private Property Ordinance” which penalizes youth with a fine of $250 for a first offense and $350 for subsequent offenses when found drinking alcohol underage. In addition, driving privileges can be suspended (or postponed for 6 months for those who have not received their license yet).

In the year 2000, New Jersey legislated this “Underage Drinking Ordinance”, empowering individual municipalities to “enact an ordinance making it unlawful for any person under the legal age who, without legal authority, knowingly possesses or knowingly consumes an alcoholic beverage on private property.”

While many of the ordinances that were enacted are very similar to the NJ statute, some towns have chosen to enact altered versions of the ordinance. To read your particular municipality‘s legislation, you can visit www.drugfreenj.org/law_database/#Sussex_County.

To learn more about the coalition or to become involved in youth alcohol and other drug prevention initiatives in Sussex County, contact Coalition Coordinator Annmarie Shafer at annmarie@centerforprevention.org, call (973)383-4787 ext. 240 and/or visit www.parentadvicenj.org for more information.