Health & Fitness
Keep Teens Safe This Summer --- STEPS and Wheeler Clinic
Take three and a half minutes to keep your teens safe!
So hard to believe the school year has come to an end! STEPS and Wheeler Clinic have advice to offer on keeping teens safe this summer.
According to CDC, Center of Disease Control,adolescent drug and alcohol use remains a major public health problem. As a community let’s work together to eliminate risky teen behaviors.
The Southington Police Department has a medication drop box in the lobby of the Police Station on Lazy Lane. Any unused, unwanted or expired medication can be disposed of there. Proper disposal of meds helps keep them out of the hands of children, adolescents and our local water supply.
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In your home, keep alcohol and medications safely secured. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:
50% of 15 year-olds have had at least one drink
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Underage drinking can:
Lead to unintended, accidental injuries and deaths;
Impair judgment;
Increase risk of physical and sexual assault;
Lead to alcohol dependence later in life;
Southington Police Department is doing its part to curb underage drinking; parents, please do yours! Do you know that Connecticut has a Social Host Law making it illegal for anyone under 21 to consume alcohol on your premises. As hosts, you can be subject to prosecution. Consequences include fines up to $500, one year prison term, or BOTH! For information, visit: www.southingtonsteps.org.
Tips:
Be involved
Know their friends
Know where they are and who they are with
Have a ZERO tolerance for alcohol and drug use
Have Zero tolerance for drinking and driving or texting and driving
TALK to them about drugs and alcohol
Let teens know if ever in a dangerous, uncomfortable setting, they can call or text you anytime, day or night.
