North Shore parents are once again being encouraged to think twice before supplying their kids with booze.
Wednesday marked the launch of the annual “Think Before You Let Them Drink” campaign, an awareness initiative supported by Vancouver Coastal Health, police, educators and the Squamish Nation.
“We know that more than half of high school students on the North Shore have tried alcohol,” said the North Shore’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Mark Lysyshyn. “Although this rate has decreased over the past few years, it’s actually higher than the provincial rate.”
He added students on this side of the Lions Gate Bridge drink in “risky ways,” often consuming four or five drinks within a couple hours.
“Not surprisingly then, over half of North Shore students who have used alcohol have admitted to experiencing negative consequences, like forgetting what happened the night before, passing out and getting injured,” Lysyshyn explained.
To curb these behaviours, parents should be having conversations with their teens early on, according to Kerrie Watt, an alcohol and drug prevention educator with Vancouver Coastal Health.
“We don’t let 12-year-olds drive cars and we are still able to teach them and have them appreciate the safety that is around vehicles,” she said. “So why can’t we do that for a substance like alcohol, meant for adults?”
Watt added, when talking to teens, it’s important parents acknowledge that target advertising works, and that making them critical thinkers can counter that.
Even monitoring how much alcohol mom and dad drink at the dinner table can help.
Local law enforcement, meanwhile, told the North Shore News liquor act violations related to minors being in possession of booze are low. Not because it’s not happening, but because it’s the last thing an officer is thinking about when responding to an under-age party, according to Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department.
“We have to prioritize on safety issues and we’re usually engaged in an emergency response to a kid who may need to go to the hospital,” he said.
The fine for buying alcohol for a minor is $500, while teens caught with the substance can be fined $230.
The “Think Before You Let Them Drink” campaign was launched in conjunction with grad season and B.C. Youth Week.
