NewsSun.com

Published June 4, 2010

By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY

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SEBRING -- Underage drinking continues to be a major problem throughout the United States. The idea of drinking as a rite of passage is dying hard.

In 2004, 10 percent of individuals who were admitted into alcohol treatment centers in Florida were between 12 and 20 years of age.

While the majority of young people do not use alcohol, those numbers are still staggering.

Which is why the "Be The Wall" campaign was recently launched.

The goal of the program is to reduce the amount of underage drinking.

Debbie Lees is the substance abuse response guide coordinator for the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.

She said that on the one hand, parents are a problem -- 14 percent of teens get their alcohol from their own homes, sometimes with consent.

While there is a movement to better educate families about the long-term physical dangers and short-term risks to which teens are exposed, there is a campaign to educate the purveyors of alcohol as well.

The hope is that all adults will join together to became a wall, standing between adolescents and alcohol.

Wednesday, seminars for managers, clerks and servers were held at the La Quinta Inn.

A wide range of local businesses responded to the invitations Lees sent out. From Hen Scratch Farms to BP Stations, to the Highlands Ridge Golf Course, and the Elks Lodge in Sebring, restaurants, bars, package and convenience stores sent representatives.

Lees, representatives from law enforcement agencies, and trainers from three different private companies specializing in educating alcohol vendors, explained the laws, liabilities and responsibilities for establishments with liquor licenses.

Beyond the main motive of being responsible citizens, businesses face stern consequences for selling to those under age 21. The establishment can lose its license for short periods, or altogether. Stiff fines can be levied and jail time is possible for individuals, including clerks or servers. Sentences can range from two months to five years depending circumstances.

In the event of an alcohol-related traffic accident, the establishment and its employees as individuals face civil suits as well as criminal charges.

Attendees were given practical information about how to correctly interpret IDs so fake ones can be caught. They were also taught what questions to ask and what to look for when approached by a customer.

Remember, they were told more than once, you have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.

Capt. Jeff Barfield, of the sheriff's office, told the group the last thing the police wanted to do was arrest servers and managers. In order to ensure that vendors were standing between young people and alcohol, however, they would be conducting undercover operations sending adolescents into stores to make sure young people weren't being served. "We need to change the culture in the county," Barfield said.

"Well-informed employees are the first line of defense," said Rick Kenna, of Regulatory Compliance Services, one of the private training vendors.

The reason the situation is so serious, he said, is because alcohol is a depressant drug. It reduces activity in the central nervous system and can cause permanent brain damage. It also severely affects judgment.

Given that teens are hard wired to be reckless, impulsive and illogical in the first place, the effects of alcohol can lead to disaster.

Adolescents have only to drink half as much as adults to suffer the same negative consequences.

The audience was told that alcohol is not digested. It enters the body through the tissues of the mouth, stomach and intestines -- which is why people get drunk more quickly on an empty stomach. They were also told it takes an hour for the body to process one ounce of liquor, and that the full effects of alcohol peak about a half hour after the drink.

The subject of active-duty soldiers was brought up, because so many are 18 to 20 years old, and therefore under age.

Mike McClain, president of Sensible Education for Responsible Vendors & Employees told the audience to be strong in the face of requests for service by these young men and women, even if they were headed into a war zone.

One of the main dangers, he said, was the mix of alcohol and motorcycles among the men. "Motorcycles are the biggest killer of soldiers except war," he said.

For additional information, call Lees at 402-7312.

Source:  http://www.newssun.com/news/0604-ct-alcohol