Dear CATS Friend,

Spring is here and summer is around the corner. It is a time for celebrations and family gatherings. Proms, graduations, and events that mark milestones in a young person's life fill our calendars.  

Even if we do not know someone who is embarking on a new chapter in their life these events do significantly affect a community as a whole. Parties often include the addition of alcohol to the menu of celebration and refreshments. There are so many risks and consequences associated with improper use or sale of alcohol which can include hosting an underage party, over consumption that can lead to alcohol poisoning, risk taking with driving while impaired, assault, sexual violence and unfortunately many other situations that can result in injury or tragically in death. Often innocent people become victims too. Or there is property damage which causes hardship for those impacted.

We all want to celebrate accomplishment and the promise of a bright future. We want to encourage the young people in our community to find their way and become successful and thrive in the world. Let's send a message through our personal or professional networks to those we know are celebrating and ask them to please remember to celebrate safely. An injury or a fatality affects an entire community.

Congratulations to the youth and families celebrating milestones this spring and summer. Your accomplishments also affect the entire community because they foster hope.

Best regards,

Sue Centner 

"According to the most recent data available, the number of deaths in New Hampshire attributable to drug-related deaths - the majority of which are prescription drug-related - has outnumbered traffic related fatalities in four out of the last five years, and the New Hampshire rate of young adults reporting non-medical use of pain relievers in the past year is second highest among the states and territories."

Call to Action: Responding to New Hampshire's Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic 

Watch for Buckle Bear who will be visiting Wal-Mart on Manchester Rd in Derry on the afternoon of May 15th. Stop by to receive a free bag of goodies and literature on the topic.

In celebration of Buckle Up NH week youth members of CATS will be conducting several activities to raise awareness of the importance of wearing seat belts. Observational surveys will be conducted during the week and materials distributed in the community. A big thank you to Allison Kristie, activities coordinator, and the residents of Birch Heights who offered to assemble the bags of give-away safety items for us! The safety items are provided by the NH Highway Safety Agency and the Buckle Up NH Coalition.

CATS was founded after 11 teens lost their lives within a short period of time in Derry. The teens were new, inexperienced drivers and seat belts were not worn. Some may have survived the crash if they had been belted up. NH is the only state in the nation without an adult seat belt law. Currently the law is mandatory to age 18 years and is a primary law.

 What's Your Community Alcohol Personality?

Members of the CATS high school youth group convened during vacation in order to become better acquainted with their community and conduct the Take It Back-Community Alcohol Personality Survey created by FACE- The Prevention Resource Group. The survey prompts takers to identify problems related to the sale and use of alcohol in their community. Teams visited 19 retail convenience stores in and around Derry to look for placement of alcohol (whether it is located next to the milk or soda), signage indicating one must be 21 to purchase, promotional alcohol displays, alcohol related merchandise, and alcohol advertisements. The youth were also looking for products such as synthetic marijuana and bath salts since use of these substances is an emerging and dangerous trend among youth.

After comparing their results with their survey conducted last year the youth reported that several stores had improved signage and added creative "WE ID" signs that were quite obvious to the customer. Many stores still place alcohol near milk and soda and some advertisements were placed so they could be seen easily by young children. The youth will continue to analyze their findings and create strategies to address the problems identified. They were pleased to note that some stores displayed the card they received from the Derry Police thanking them for preventing an illegal sale of alcohol during the recent implementation of the Got Your ID? Program. The CAP survey was conducted as part of the April is National Alcohol Awareness month activities.