SADD Group to Lead Meeting on Underage Drinking

The MHS group Students Against Destructive Decisions host a student-led discussion about underage drinking tonight, with a focus on building healthy communication skills between parents and their children.

The meeting is a continuation of a that was held in early April concerning underage drinking that was sponsored by the Millburn Municipal Alliance Committee. At that meeting, the community discussed a variety of issues, including the fact that a showed that

• 22% of 9th graders and 60% of 12th graders used alcohol at least once in the prior month.
• 6% of 9th graders and 42% of 12th graders report having been drunk in the prior month.

In Millburn, the average age that kids first try alcohol is 14.3 years old and 14.8 years old is the average age that kids get drunk.  Kids report drinking not only at parties, but also at night with friends (61 percent), at school events (28 percent), and even on their way to school (10 percent). 

According to the survey, the majority of Millburn high school students say that availability of alcohol is “fairly easy” or “very easy.”

SADD members encourage parents of students in elementary, middle school and high school to attend tonight’s discussion, which will be held in the Bauer Center at Taylor Park. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.