Betty Banks is not an alarmist, but she believes there is cause for alarm in the incident of alcohol use among Wisconsin teens.
"We need to get the word out as far and wide as we can," said Banks, the executive director of the local advocacy group Today Not Tomorrow, at a forum Thursday night at St. Marks Lutheran Church. "We want our young people to be safe, and we want our community to be safe."
The forum brought about two dozen young people to hear messages from area experts on the negative consequences of underage drinking. It came on the cusp of April's Alcohol Abuse Awareness Month activities hosted by the Erickson said young males are more likely to drink for the thrill of risk taking and their peer reputation, while females are more likely to abuse alcohol due to low self-esteem. She also said athletes are more likely to drink since they have higher expectations of how their body can perform. Lt. Wayne Strong of the Madison Police Department was on hand to provide legal information to the group. His main message was simple: any amount of alcohol consumption is illegal for people under the legal limit. "If you're under 21, you can get hit with a fine from $100 to $400 for possession each time," Strong said. "You also must appear in court, and the judge has the opportunity to affect your drivers license." In addition to license issues, Larry Sain from State Farm Insurance explained the consequences that underage drinking can have on the availability and cost of insurance. He said many states, including Wisconsin, require youths busted for underage drinking to file a form with the state. That is often a red flag for insurers, and could lead to higher premiums for young drivers. "Some companies won't even entertain clients with them, and they could double or triple your rate," Sain said. Today Not Tomorrow will host a similar forum on Thursday, May 13, at the Urban League Center of Economic Development at 2222 S. Park St., beginning at 6:30 p.m. The focus of that forum will be prescription drugs, like those that have led to the recent death of a 13-year-old area boy. A 14-year-old girl was sentenced last week to three years in juvenile detention followed by two years of probation for providing the drugs.
