Staff Writer
PICKENS COUNTY - Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County and local law enforcement continue to work together to keep alcohol out of underage hands - Prom Night and every night.
To that end, BHS is sponsoring a Town Hall Meeting 6-8 p.m. Monday March 31 at East End Elementary School, said Cathy Breazeale, BHS director of prevention.
During the meeting, the BHS Youth Board will perform several skits designed to educate the audience about the dangers of underage drinking.
A special video about underage drinking will also be shown during the meeting, Breazeale said.
Kimberly Parrish will be the guest speaker during the Town Hall meeting.
Parrish will share the story of her younger brother Griffen, who died after being abandoned by his friends after a night of binge drinking, Breazeale said.
Since her brother's death, Parrish has become an advocate, warning of the dangers of binge drinking and the need for tighter restrictions against underage drinking in the state.
"She says talking about her brother is really helpful to her," Breazeale said.
Organizers hope for a large crowd at the meeting.
"I'm hoping for 200 people," Breazeale said. "Youth, parents, law enforcement, legislators, local officials."
Refreshments will be served at the meeting, Breazeale said.
Ongoing compliance checks are having a definite effect on underage drinking, she said.
Members of the Tobacco and Alcohol Coalition met at BHS Thursday afternoon to discuss those checks and new threats to youth.
"We're trying to make youth access to alcohol come down," said Matt Smith, Alcohol Enforcement Team coordinator for Area 13.
An AET grant enables local law enforcement agencies to make additional compliance checks, Smith said.
"With the grant, we're trying to get everybody to do four checks a month," he said. "We try to fund that."
Since November 2007, Pickens County has done more compliance checks than any other county submitting data to the AET, Smith said.
"Our non-compliance rate is very competitive," he said. "It's doing very well."
Only about 18 percent of stores checked in Pickens County are not complying with identification checks for alcohol purchases, Smith said.
"You guys are doing a great job," Smith told coalition members.
Agencies are gearing up for local prom season and the underage drinking that often goes along with proms.
Smith encouraged law enforcement agents to be on the lookout for "alco-pops, " such as Sparxx, Rock Star 21 and others.
"Energy drinks mixed with alcohol," Smith said. "A lot of times clerks aren't aware of what's in their stores. All of a sudden, you've got a clerk who's just sold an alcoholic drink to a minor and not even realized it. They're packaged so similarly to soft drinks and regular energy drinks."
One clue to look out for is alco-pops generally have no nutritional labels, Smith said.
"If you see these drinks and there's no nutritional label on them, there's a good chance they have alcohol in them," he said.
Many agencies are participating in training that allows for more effective party dispersal, Smith said.
"It's hard to disperse a party effectively" he said. "A lot of times... kids scatter. We're trying to change our attitudes about controlled disperals... get in there, call their parents, make appropriate charges and get them home safely."
For more information on the meeting, call Breazeale at 898-5800.
For more information on Kimberly Parrish, visit www.griffensgift.com
Reach Jason Evans at jevans@theeasleyprogress.com or 855-0355.
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