Meeting to teach how to prevent underage drinking

In observance with Alcohol Awareness Month in April, community residents are invited to attend Renz Addiction Counseling Center's Underage Drinking: Town Hall Meeting from 8:45 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 8 at South Elgin High School.

Attendees will hear representatives from the Kane County Coroner's Office, Kane County State's Attorney's Office, the Illinois Alcohol Drug Dependence Association and Renz Center on how they can prevent underage drinking and learn prevention strategies.

A question and answer forum will follow the presentations.

This free town hall meeting is sponsored by Renz Center, Illinois Alcoholism & Drug Dependence Association, Kiwanis Club of Elgin, and the Elgin Gang & Drug Task Force.

"Underage drinking is a factor in numerous personal devastation and loss of life -- not to mention the consequences to our schools, legal system, healthcare and insurance premiums," said Renz Center's Executive Director Jerry Skogmo.

"This town hall meeting aims to begin the process of preventing these tragedies."

Alcohol Awareness Month began in 1987 in an effort to inform community residents that alcoholism is a treatable disease, not a moral weakness, and that alcoholics are capable of recovery.

Warning signs of alcohol abuse include: drinking to calm nerves, forget worries or boost a sad mood; guilt about drinking; unsuccessful attempts to cut down or stop drinking; lying about or hiding drinking habits; causing harm to oneself or someone else as a result of drinking; needing to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to achieve desired effects; feeling irritable, resentful or unreasonable when not drinking; medical, social, family or financial problems caused by drinking.

Renz Addiction Counseling Center provides a variety of prevention, early intervention and treatment programs for alcohol, drug and gambling addictions and related disorders. Renz Center serves residents of central/northern Kane and western Cook Counties with offices in St. Charles, Streamwood and Elgin. Renz Center is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is funded by the federal government, the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, The United Way, Hanover Township and St. Charles 708 boards.

For more information, contact Renz Center's Marketing Director Deb Howe at (847) 742-3545, Ext. 236 or visit Web site www.renzcenter.com.