TEEN ALCOHOL ABUSE, PENNSYLVANIA - REAL STORIES OF TEENS LIKE YOU

Pennsylvania Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse Facts

Real Life Problems and Solutions for Teens Abusing Alcohol in Pennsylvania
The following press accounts tell not only what happens when adults serve alcohol to teens, but also how some communities are responding to illegal drinking among teens.

Real Consequences for Adults Providing Teens Alcohol in Pennsylvania

Warning: Adults, Don’t Serve Drinks to Teens

Parents contemplating the best way to ensure a safe prom season should not allow young people to drink in their homes, prosecutors and advocates said Wednesday. That's the message they conveyed after yet another adult pleaded guilty to criminal charges for hosting a party with underage drinkers. A Monroeville, PA man was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $7,420 to cover the funeral costs for an 18 year-old who died last July after a party at the man’s house. The man had told his teen guests not to leave the house if they had been drinking, but the victim got into an argument, left the house with a blood alcohol level of 0.23, and crashed into a tractor-trailer. "I spent 18 years raising my child. What gives another adult the right to give him alcohol?" said K.S., the victim’s mother.
………………………………………………………………………………………………Tribune-Review, May 1, 2008

Woman Gets Jail Time in Party Death

An Arnold, Pennsylvania woman will spend up to 23 months in jail for hosting an underage drinking party that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old girl. The teen drank large amounts of vodka, rum, and beer, reaching a blood-alcohol level of 0.44 percent – over five times the level at which an adult motorist is considered to be intoxicated in the state of Pennsylvania. Although the woman had not provided the alcohol for the party, she was at home when it occurred. “Adults have the responsibility to supervise and oversee to make sure minors aren’t consuming alcohol, because it can have dire consequences, like it did in this case,” said Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck.

……………………………………………………………………………………………Tribune-Review, April 18, 2008

Above entries are courtesy of: http://www.dontserveteens.gov

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