Aurora warns of underage drinking
Aurora kicked off National Underage Drinking Awareness Month Wednesday night with a strong message to parents and the community. If Aurora is ever to be successful curbing its underage-drinking problem, parents need to "get their heads out of the sand" and "stop being so naive."
The message was delivered straight from city and county officials, police officers, parents and even children during a town hall-style meeting hosted by the city and several local agencies, at the Prisco Community Center, to address the city's underage-drinking phenomenon.
According to Michael Moran, director of Breaking Free, Inc., studies indicate that by the time adolescents reach eighth grade, 44 percent have consumed at least one drink and almost 20 percent report having been intoxicated.
Aurora police Commander Dan Hoffman, himself a parent of three, said the police department believes alcohol to be the drug most abused by local teens and said a majority of underage offenders picked up by the police for other crimes often have alcohol in their systems.
If more parents understood the dangers of alcohol, he said, fewer children would likely be involved in the things that got them into trouble.
"Parents are the ultimate change agent in this process so you can not stick your head in the sand and pretend like it's not your issue," Hoffman said. "Get involved in advocacy groups with other parents. I did and I could not believe how naive some of the parents out there are."
Kane County States Attorney John Barsani, however, said not all parents are naive. Some turn a blind eye while more and more parents are either purchasing alcohol for their kids or allowing them to drink with friends in the home, thinking they'll be safe if they're not driving.
"This is a disaster. It's a nightmare because what will happen to your house is they'll have a party with 300 kids drinking at your house, and this is your problem," he said. "There are crimes you can be charged with, as an adult for letting minors drink at your house with your knowledge. And listen, I've heard all of the excuses from 'I didn't know they were drinking' to 'I didn't understand they had booze there' and it's all nonsense. I know it's nonsense."
About 200 community members attended the meeting, some who weren't aware of the dangers that existed.
"It used to not be a big deal to have a drink or two in high school when I was in school so I never would have guessed this was such a big deal," said Aurora resident Sam Hedren, who no longer has teenage children. "But it doesn't sound like that's going on anymore. It sounds like a lot more abuse of alcohol in this day and age. That's scary."
For more information or for help dealing with underage drinking, contact Breaking Free at (630)897-1003 or the Aurora Youth and Sports Activities Department at (630) 264-8266.