Sun Street Centers’ Parents Creating Solutions is an organization with a simple message: Don't supply teens with alcohol. According to a June 5 article by David Nordstrand of The Californian, the organization was started by a group of parents who realized that adult-provided alcohol at teen parties was a problem:

"A lot of adults think it's OK to provide alcohol at teen parties," said Anna Foglia, executive director of Sun Street Centers in Salinas, which offers drug and alcohol-abuse programs.

Adults often do provide alcohol in the well-intentioned, but mistaken, hope that they'll be better able to control things by having a party at home. It's called "social hosting."

"It's dangerous, and it's illegal," Foglia said. "All those adults are really doing is sending a message that it's OK to drink."

Experts estimate that underage drinking is responsible for about 5,000 deaths in the United States every year.

Labels: parental_involvement, prevention, teenage_drinking