Underage Drinking Focus of Sticker Shock Campaign
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Getting an older sibling, friend or complete stranger to pick up a six-pack for group of high schoolers is a teen movie cliche. But a comic moment on-screen is an illegal activity in Massachusetts and many parts of the country.
One way to remind people of underage drinking is through the "Sticker Shock" campaign, in which volunteers at participating package stores place stickers on beverages like wine and beer that are popular with young adults. The stickers are provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving to raise public awareness of the dangers of underage drinking.
On Sunday, members of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts basketball team and the Hoosac Valley High School strategy team for Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol were at stores in Adams and North Adams with adult chaperones to tag packs.
Local CMCA coordinator Jenna Cece, of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, was in the big cooler at the Spirit Shoppe in Williamstown with Mount Greylock Regional High School senior Bree Morrison.
Dressed in winter coats and scarfs, the two women were busy sticking the bright "Hey You!" labels onto a multitude of cases.
"Locally, we have a problem with adults providing alcohol to minors," she said. "I think that by protecting them from a drivng situation, [parents] think they are helping their children out. We're reminding them that the legal age is 21."
In fact, last year's Prevention Needs Assessment Survey found that 46 percent of seniors had been given alcohol by adult family members or friends; nearly a quarter of eighth- and 10th-graders reported the same.
Morrison, a member of the Mount Greylock peer team was one of 19 high school students who have gone through training with CMCA but was the only one able to go out on Sunday.
"It seemed like really a fun thing to do," she said. "First of all, I'm under 21 and I don't drink. I don't think people should be drinking under 21. ... [This] is helping people by reminding them to make good choices."
