Prom and Alcohol Awareness Month

It’s prom season – but April is also known as Alcohol Awareness Month. Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac is hoping to help students take a safe approach to the spring celebration. Melanie Foust, a clinical substance abuse counselor, says it’s important for parents to set non-negotiable rules about drinking – but also that “if the kids are in a situation where their peers are drinking and if they need a way out and not be a part of the drinking – to be open and available for the teens.” Foust adds that parents and teens should have a line of communication to get out of awkward situations without the teen feeling embarrassed in front of a group of friends. Discussions about alcohol lead children to be about 50% less likely to use – but only 31% of students report having that conversation in the past month.