WESTPORT – The Westport Prevention Coalition (WPC) is bringing back its liquor stickers parent awareness campaign with the help of Aspetuck Health District (AHD).
The liquor stickers campaign, which provides parents with information cards along with stickers to seal unfinished bottles of alcohol, includes featuring the stickers at local liquor stickers. The goal is to increase parents’ awareness that underage drinking poses real risks to youth, and that the primary location where they obtain alcohol is in their own home or a friend’s home.
In Westport, WPC’s 2024 Youth Survey found that 1 in 14 seventh graders (7%) reported using alcohol in the past month. According to Margaret Watt, prevention director at Positive Directions, who conducted the survey in collaboration with Westport Public Schools, that rate is much higher than in neighboring towns like Fairfield, Trumbull, Darien, and Norwalk. Staples High School students also drink at higher rates than in nearby towns.
The Westport Youth Survey also found that more than half (54%) of Westport students who drink reported getting their alcohol from their parents with permission. In addition, the most common places where youth use alcohol are at parties and in homes. That’s why the liquor stickers cards emphasize the role of parents and highlight Connecticut’s Social Host Law.
That law holds adults responsible for any underage alcohol or cannabis use that occurs on their property. When youth are gathering at a home, parents are responsible for providing supervision to ensure that no underage substance use is taking place. The penalty for parents is up to $2,000 per minor.
According to the National Institutes of Health, underage alcohol use interferes with brain development, is associated with injuries, risky behaviors such as fights and sexual assault, problems at school, use of other substances, and addiction.
NIH reports that 90% of people who have an addiction disorder began using substances before age 18. Research indicates that the younger a person is when they start drinking or using other substances, the more likely they are to become dependent.
The liquor stickers are available at the following package stores: 99 Bottles, BevMax, Black Bear, Castle Wine & Spirits, Dan’s Liquors, Discount Liquor, Greens Farms Spirits, Kindred Spirits & Wine, The Grapevine, and Westport Wine and Spirits.
