Welcome to GSSAC
Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council
GSSAC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to supporting the mobilization and collaboration of our community to prevent substance abuse and violence in Spokane County.
Awareness
We educate and inform about substance abuse and violence issues affecting our community.
Advocacy
We help create safe and healthy environments for communities across our region.
Action
We mobilize the community for positive social norms.
GSSAC is a member of the following organizations:
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Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media
Help your teens have a graduation to remember, not regret
OLYMPIA:
Many teens are making plans for senior week and graduation. While these
are fun and safe events for most, there is a heightened risk for underage
drinking. Parents and other adults can help keep teens safe by being
informed and prepared.
Most
students in Washington make healthy choices, but some are pressured to make
alcohol part of their celebrations. Some teens may think of graduation
night as a rite-of-passage event that should be celebrated with alcohol.
"The
good news is that two out of three high school seniors choose not to
drink alcohol (2012
Washington State Healthy Youth Survey)," said Michael Langer, Chief of
Behavioral Health and Prevention for the Department of Social and Health
Services’ Behavioral Health and Service Integration Administration. "It is
important that parents and other adults recognize teens for the healthy
choices they are making, and reinforce how good choices will help them now
and in the future."
It's
also important to make a plan with your teen for what he or she will do in
a risky situation, such as attending a party where there is alcohol. Let
your teenagers know they can call you any time for a ride home -- no
questions asked -- if they find themselves in an unsafe situation. Remind
them to never, under any circumstances, get in a car if the driver has been
drinking. Their
safety is the top priority.
"Parents
underestimate the influence they have on their kids when it comes to
drinking," said Liquor Control Board Chair Sharon Foster. "In fact, they
are the top reason their teen chooses not to drink. Now is the time
for parents to talk to their kids about drinking."
To help your teen have a safe, fun and memorable graduation night:
·
Remember that you are the
primary influence on your teen.
·
Set clear rules about not
drinking, and enforce consequences for breaking them.
·
Offer to plan, host, and
supervise a graduation party; assure parents the party will be
alcohol-free.
·
Talk to other parents about
post-event activities to make sure alcohol won’t be present.
Alcohol
has taken more young lives than tobacco and illicit drugs combined. Teens
need to know there are also other risks that go along with underage
drinking. Alcohol is especially harmful to the developing teen brain: it
can damage learning, memory, and impulse control.
Teens
won’t want to remember graduation as the night they got pregnant or
contracted a sexually transmitted disease, started a fight, or crashed
their car. Parents won’t want to remember this as the night they were
arrested for giving alcohol to teens, followed by a year in jail and a
$5,000 fine.
We all
want our teens to stay safe as they celebrate the final days of their high
school career, yet only 29 percent of 12th graders say their parents talk
to them about underage drinking. Talk
to them now - they need the facts. To
learn how, visit
www.StartTalkingNow.org.
Foster and Langer are co-chairs of the
Washington State Coalition to
Reduce Underage Drinking (RUaD).
Washington Recovery HelpLine: 1-866-789-1511
StartTalkingNow to prevent underage drinking
Prevention Works!