SAFE, Glen Cove Police Department Partner to Keep Teens Safe

Glen Cove High School students attended a presentation by the Glen Cove Police Department (GCPD) regarding underage drinking on February 27th. With prom a few months away, SAFE and the Glen Cove Police Department teamed up to further the mission of SAFE, to eliminate alcohol and substance abuse in the Glen Cove community by providing alcohol and substance abuse prevention, intervention and education.

GCPD Sargeant Ryan Nardone showed a power point presentation to students that included pictures of the results of binge drinking and drunk driving. He expressed how important it is to have fun at prom but to also be safe and make good decisions.

There are increased risks and a range of negative consequences related to underage drinking. On average, alcohol plays a role in the deaths of 4,358 young people under age 21 every year and 1,580 of those fatalities are from car crashes.

Young people under age 21 who drink are more likely to carry out or be the victim of a physical or sexual assault after drinking than others their age who do not drink. Drinking can cause teens to have trouble in school or with the law. Teens who drink are more likely to use other drugs than teens who don’t.

Additionally, underage drinking can lead to developing alcohol use disorder (AUD), a medical condition that doctors diagnose when someone’s drinking causes them distress or harm. In 2017 about 443,000 people ages 12-17 had AUD. Even more important, the younger the use of alcohol the more likely one is to develop AUD later in life.

The SAFE Glen Cove Coalition is composed of 12 sectors of the community that include police, youth, youth serving organizations, business, government, media, religious and civic organizations, prevention agencies, school personnel, treatment agencies and the business community. To learn more about the Coalition please follow us on www.facebook.com/safeglencove or visit SAFE’s website at www.safeglencove.org