Drugs forum for parents

An open forum for parents on the Peninsula about alcohol and other drugs will be held in the Club Umina Auditorium, Melbourne Ave, Umina on Thursday, November 23, 7pm to 9pm.

Entitled "But all the other Parents...", the forum will feature a panel of members of supporting agencies to provide parents with information and answer any questions that parents may have in relation to alcohol and other drugs.

Representatives from Area Health, Umina Police and Community Youth Club, Licensing Police, and The Web Youth Service will take part.

The chairperson of the Peninsula Community Drug Action Team, Ms Carolyn Carter said that alcohol in particular could be very dangerous because it was legal and used by 95 per cent of the adult population.

"We are so familiar with it, we sometimes forget the harm it can do," Ms Carter said.

"Alcohol is related to a very high percentage of road accidents and violent assaults. "One major concern is about the sexual assaults that happen amongst the teenage girls who have been at drinking parties on the Central Coast.

"Nothing is worse for a parent than to lose their child or to have their child's life destroyed in such tragic circumstances."

The Peninsula Community Drug Action Team is sponsoring the forum for parents to help them help their children with issues associated with alcohol and other drugs.

"It's never too young to start teaching your children about managing the risks around alcohol and other drugs, or to work together to prevent the supply of alcohol and drugs in the first place," said Ms Carter.

"One of the aims of the forum is to help parents to come up with strategies to cope positively with pressure applied by their young teenage children when they want to go out to parties where adult supervision is uncertain or non-existent."

She said Club Umina was providing the venue for free and tea and coffee would be available.

Parents who would like to raise questions relating to alcohol and other drugs in advance of the forum are invited to send these to ccar6071@bigpond.net.au or phone 4342 3799.

Press release, November 8 Carolyn Carter, Peninsula Community Drug Action Team