Local Police Departments Support Campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking

Blog post contributed by Mia Petrini, Community Health Coordinator

Summer in Maine means fun in the sun, on the water, on the trails, or at the beach.  Families head up to camp or out on vacation getaways and young people attend summer camps and other activities. For parents and caregivers, it’s also a time to ensure that our teens spend time together in ways that are safe and substance-free. 

We're thrilled to announce that Bucksport Police Department and Southwest Harbor Police Department have agreed to partner with Healthy Acadia to help prevent underage drinking for a second consecutive year.  The local police agencies will again display “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most,” fact cards for community members to take during the summer months.

Parents Who Host, Lose the Most, a public health media campaign designed by Prevention Action Alliance, provides information for parents and communities about the health and safety risks of providing alcohol to individuals under age 21 and can help increase awareness of and compliance with underage drinking laws. The Parents Who Host campaign includes materials to help participating partners educate their patrons and community about the health and safety effects of underage drinking.

Parents Who Host Lose The Most empowers parents, businesses, and communities to take action to prevent underage drinking. It reinforces everyone’s responsibility to promote healthy choices in your community. Its key message reminds parents that it is unsafe, unhealthy, and unacceptable—and, in many communities, illegal—to provide alcohol to underage youth. It decreases young people’s access to alcohol by reducing the number of parents willing to provide alcohol for young people. Over time, it reduces the likelihood that teens will drink alcohol and suffer the health effects that come from underage drinking. 

Healthy Acadia invites and encourages area businesses and organizations to help us share this key message in our communities.

For more information about Parents Who Host, or to get your business involved in the effort to prevent underage drinking, contact Mia Petrini at (207) 667-7171 or mia@healthyacadia.org or Katie Sell at (207) 255-3741 or katie.sell@healthyacadia.org.