Town Hall meeting in Dover tackles underage drinking

posted on: 05/19/2014

Alcohol use among our nation’s youth is a significant public health and economic problem. In New Hampshire, underage alcohol use is the number one youth drug problem and is six times more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined.

In an effort to curb underage alcohol problems, communities across the country are organizing a nationwide series of town hall-style meetings. Nineteen of these sessions will be held in New Hampshire. Locally, the Dover Coalition for Youth is hosting one in Dover.

The meeting will take place at the McConnell Center Café in Dover from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28. Light refreshments and free child care will be provided. The event is open to participants from all sectors of the community to both attend and share ideas. Parents and caregivers of children 2-15 years old are specifically encouraged to attend.

The meeting will provide data on the alcohol problem in Dover and share information on how to send age appropriate messages to youth. Participants will gain knowledge and skills how to talk to kids as young as two years old and continue the conversation through elementary, middle and high school.

The Town Hall meeting is intended to increase understanding of the risks associated with underage drinking, as well as to encourage the community, families and individuals to address the problem in Dover and the surrounding area.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is sponsoring this national initiative, with the goal that these meetings will generate energy and leverage action leading into the month of May, in which National Prevention Week occurs.

The Dover Coalition for Youth is a community organization tasked with improving the quality of life in Dover for youth and families by preventing the harm caused by substance abuse. The Coalition is the means by which we hope to bring all of the elements of the community together to take on underage drinking, marijuana and prescription drug abuse.