Youth Action Team Tackles Underage Drinking with Local Partners

In late May, the North Reading Community Impact Team’s Youth Action Team completed its second Sticker Shock, a program designed to curb underage drinking. Drug-Free Communities Grant Director Amy Luckiewicz explained, “This is just one of our multi-tiered strategies to change attitudes and the practice of underage drinking.” She continued, “This program happens across the country in many communities to let people know about the legal consequences to adults who purchase alcohol for youth.”

Each year, the Community Impact Team collects core measurement data in partnership with their Drug Free Communities Grant. In 2021, data showed that 11.56% of North Reading High School Sophomores and 26.3% of North Reading High School Seniors used alcohol in the past 30 days. Luckiewicz noted, “Both of these age groups are significantly down since 2019 and we can’t take our foot off the pedal of prevention.” She added, “It’s important to note that most students don’t drink, but we definitely see a predictable increase as students get older.” In addition, the data reported that the number one source of alcohol for youth is from an older person.

The Sticker Shock Program is a volunteer program. Each alcohol retailer in North Reading was invited to participate in advance. During the event, the four-student Sticker Shock Team, accompanied by Luckiewicz and Youth Services Director Jen Ford, entered the store and placed brightly colored stickers with a warning message about the penalties of purchasing alcohol for minors on cases of alcohol which are most attractive to youth. Ford commented, “The students were completely organized and it was great to see the partnerships with shop owners and managers.” In total, approximately 250 stickers were placed on items across six retailers. Luckiewicz noted, “Of course, these stickers are one-time use and meant to go home with the customer, but the stickers get attention.”

The Youth Action Team would like to thank Ryers, Convenience Plus, Eastgate Liquors, One Stop Liquors, New England Beverage and Lucky Mart for voluntarily participating in the program. The North Reading Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition would like to congratulate Betsy Lydotes, Erica Sorrienti, Gia Norton, and Maddie Koenig for making this program such a success. To learn more about the Community Impact Team’s strategies to curb underage drinking, contact coalition@northreadingma.gov or to view additional photos from the project, visit facebook.com/NRCommunity.