The glass is half-full for drinking prevention
N.B. Municipal Alliance deters underage drinking with bracelets, pledges
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK - If You Use, You Lose.

This message was brought to Linwood Middle School last week in an attempt by the township Municipal Alliance Committee to deter underage drinking.

Councilwoman Cathy Nicola, who is the council liaison to the committee, Lou Ann Benson, who is the township affiliate, and Danielle Garback, who is the high school representative, handed out over 800 wristbands to the school's seventhand eighth-graders on Oct. 29 with their stated motto; the sixth-grade students will receive their own bracelets within the next week or so.

As part of a character-building session at the school, Nicola spoke over the public address system about the dangers of underage drinking. She said that 46 percent of seventh- and eighth-grade students have used alcohol, 40 percent who have used alcohol by age 13 will become addicted and 27 percent of New Jersey high school students binge-drink. She said that underage drinking is becoming an epidemic in our country.

"Step up and be the class that says no. Step up and be the class that makes a positive change. Step up and wear your bracelets proudly by making smart choices," she said.

The students also signed pledges to remain alcohol-free, to encourage their peers to do the same, and to act as role models to avoid dangerous, unhealthy lifestyles.

In addition, later that evening, Garback hosted a roundtable discussion with members of the township Youth Council about the effects and prevention of underage drinking.

"As a demographic, adolescents are very, very impressionable and so in order to fit this mold that society has cultivated, they feel inclined to rebel and to conform, and so to that end, in order to do that, students make a valiant effort to fit in and decide to drink and to compromise their morals," said Youth Council member Christina Pierpaoli. "We live in a society that certainly condones this heinous behavior so, as students, we are morally and ethically inclined to dispel any rumor that it's OK to drink and that it's OK to compromise your morals in that fashion."

The teens spoke about walking away from peer pressure, whether or not religious ceremonies should allow alcoholic homages, what age drinking is acceptable and how the media should limit the advertisement of beer and liquor.

"Underage drinking isn't just a problem in North Brunswick, it's a problem all over the country. It's wrong no matter where it is, no matter how it's done," said Youth Council member Bryan Gaeta.

One step the township has taken is the passage of a house party ordinance earlier this year, which prohibits any drinking on private property by minors and enacts consequences upon the offenders themselves, instead of their parents.

"I think this compels our demographic, the adolescent demographic, to start taking responsibility for their wrongdoings in every facet of their life," Pierpaoli said.

Another key component of prevention is education.

"I think with the Youth Council, along with the Municipal Alliance Committee and any other organizations in town, we are certainly moving toward educating the younger generations and we're making good progress," Garback said. "Underage drinking should not be allowed and it's wrong and we want to promote a healthy lifestyle for all children our age. Kids should not be doing this."

The other Youth Council participants were Jennifer Chung, Brittany Fuerstenberg, Ross Kurtz and Christopher Lynch. The discussion was taped by Roy Minieri and Peter Kenny and will be televised on Cable Channel 15.