'Don't be that kid:' Westport schools battle bullying

Westport News (Westport, CT) April 5, 2011 "Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon -- a week after a Westport middle school student's YouTube video pleading for an end to bullying gained widespread attention -- outlined for the Board of Education on Monday the school district's efforts to curb bullying at every level of the school system. Beyond the schools' anti-bullying policy, adopted in 2002, he said the initiative includes a social skills curriculum in kindergarten to health classes at the high school level designed to prevent bullying and hazing. There are even workshops for parents on the subject. 'I think the parent education part is huge,' said Westport PTA Council Co-President Marianne Goodell, 'because, sadly, we often find the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'" Read More

Stamford Middle School Welcomes Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno to Learn to Say 'Yes' to a Healthy Lifestyle and 'No' to Underage Drinking

PR Newswire (Norwalk, CT) April 1, 2011 "April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Diageo, the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company, and industry leader in promoting responsible drinking, marked the occasion by congratulating Apolo Ohno, the most decorated US Winter Olympian for presenting The Century Council's interactive 'Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don't Mix' program at the Cloonan Middle school in Stamford. Guy Smith, Executive Vice President, Diageo North America, a founding member of The Century Council, said of the event, 'Diageo employees are mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers too, and we never want kids to consume our products. We know that educating them about the dangers of underage drinking can help and that is why Diageo is proud to support Apolo Ohno in his work with The Century Council and the Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don't Mix initiative.' The Century Council created an interactive, physical fitness activity that builds on the existing Ask, Listen, Learn program and encourages kids to 'say 'YES' to a healthy lifestyle and 'NO' to underage drinking.' The activity, as well as a supporting website, encourages kids to live a healthy lifestyle. The website also provides parents with information and strategies to help jumpstart the conversation about the dangers of underage drinking." Read More

No Retreat: Marijuana Is A Dangerous Drug, To Society As Well As Users

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT) April 1, 2011 "Marijuana is a harmful, federally illegal drug that does not save or improve lives. There are several bills before the General Assembly this year that would decriminalize pot. The harm to public health and safety and increased cost to law enforcement far outweigh any perceived benefit. Marijuana is a gateway drug that ruins lives. Many of my constituents suffer unbelievable hardships because of marijuana use by their children. I am reminded of the horror of a friend and constituent, Ronni McLaughlin, who found her beautiful son dead in her home after he overdosed on drugs at the age of 20. Her son Dan opened the gate to drug abuse by smoking a few joints of marijuana. His marijuana addiction created a desire for more potent substances and finally heroin, which ended his life. This story has been repeated by too many Connecticut families." Read More

Learn How to Spot Fake IDs at Fairfield U. Forum

Fairfield Patch (Fairfield, CT) April 3, 2011 "Despite a growing effort to prevent underage drinking in Fairfield County, law enforcement officials say people under the age of 21 are still trying to use fake identification cards to purchase alcohol. Taking a step towards educating businesses on the problems associated with fake ID use, the Fairfield Police Department in association with Fairfield University is sponsoring a training program for restaurants, bars and liquor stores on how to spot fake IDs. The forum is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12 at Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road. The free event will be held from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at Alumni House." Read More

Study Looks At College Kids, Binge Drinking

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT) April 3, 2011 "For all the studies on alcohol abuse in college, researchers still have questions about it: What are the long-term effects of drinking in school? How does binge drinking affect the brain? Why do some students who drink heavily in college have no drinking problems later in life, while others do? These are among the questions being explored in an ongoing study at three Connecticut colleges on binge drinking among college students. Researchers at Trinity College, Yale University and Central Connecticut State University have completed three years of the five-year study and were to present some of their findings so far at the annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting in San Francisco this past weekend. The Brain and Alcohol Research with College Students (BARCS) study, funded with a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, has more than 2,000 students as subjects from Trinity and CCSU. Students in their first years are surveyed about their drinking habits and their family's drinking habits. A saliva sample is taken to allow researchers to examine genetic material." Read More

The Partnership at Drugfree.org Responds to New Research Linking Reduced Drug Use Among Young Girls and Exposure to Drug Abuse Prevention Messages

PR Newswire (New York, NY) March 31, 2011 "An independent study published in this month's American Journal of Public Health found a link between greater exposure to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP's) 'Above the Influence' campaign and reduced drug use among females. The research found that girls 'might be especially receptive to' drug abuse prevention messages about achievement and living life above negative influences that are part of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (NYADMC). The Partnership at Drugfree.org today welcomed the new study findings that come at a time when, over the past seven years, cuts in federal funding for the campaign have drastically reduced teens' exposure to its drug abuse prevention messages by two-thirds – placing future funding and support for the NYADMC in serious doubt." Read More

"Grim Reaper Day" urges students not to drink

Greenwich Time (Greenwich, CT) March 31, 2011 "Thirty-six students walked among their classmates down the halls of Greenwich High School Thursday wearing long, white T-shirts and yellow placards around their necks describing how they 'died,' based on true events: 'Today, I was at a party. I drank too much, passed out and died from blood alcohol poisoning. I wish someone had called 911,' a placard read. 'Today, while crossing Hillside Road, a drunk driver hit me. I died after being on life support for 12 hours,' another stated. These students volunteered to participate in GHS's first 'Grim Reaper Day' to draw attention to teen alcohol-related tragedies, enacting their own 'deaths' to show their peers alcohol-related tragedies could happen to them and that they are preventable." Read more