With spring break underway, and proms and graduation parties just around the corner, teenagers might be more tempted than usual to consume alcohol. As YNN's Antoinette Bryant reports, a new initiative for Alcohol Awareness Month is outlining the dangers of underage drinking.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The message from Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard is loud and clear, "Take warning please parents and anyone else that would supply alcohol to underage drinkers, if you do this, if you party with the kids, you're going to pay the price."
"Party with Kids...Pay the Price," is part of a new initiative by Erie County officials, to educate teens and their parents about the consequences of underage drinking.
"The underage use of alcohol kills more people than all illegal drugs do combined," said Howard.
April is Alcohol Awareness month, a nationwide campaign reminding adults and parents that it is illegal to allow minors to drink alcohol in their home. A local doctor says underage drinking can lead to violence, suicide and car crashes.
"The number 1 drug problem in the United States continues to be alcohol and especially for our younger people," says Dr. Bill Wieczorek, a professor at Buffalo State College.
Officials say they're cracking down on incidents of drinking underage. Last year, the Erie County Sheriff's Office made nearly 300 arrests. A sheriff says the best way to keep your teen from getting into trouble with drinking is to ask questions.
"Be involved in your children's lives. Know what's going on,” says Chief Scott Joslyn, of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. “Know where they're going, know who they're hanging with and ask that question."
Officials say over the next couple months, 32 larger than life billboards will be placed all over Erie County to help spread the message.