Orange County and ADAC holding "Parents Who Host Lose The Most" Seminar

From Orange County:

Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus and the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council of Orange County are holding a “Parents Who Host Lose The Most” workshop from 7 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8.

The event is open to the public and will take place in Classroom 1 at the Orange County Emergency Services Center, located at 22 Wells Farm Road in Goshen. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, Sheriff Carl E. DuBois and Jim Conklin, Executive Director of ADAC of Orange County, are also expected to attend the seminar, which will include a question and answer session with them.

Neuhaus announced a partnership with ADAC to raise awareness about the County’s Social Host Law earlier this month.

“This program serves as an important tool to educate parents about the risks and consequences of serving alcohol to minors at parties,” Neuhaus said. “With graduation party season almost upon us, this is the perfect time to hold this seminar. We will continue to promote the social host law and provide information and awareness to the community. We are getting the message out that we will not tolerate any adults who allow underage drinking.”

ADAC provides the “Parents Who Host Lose The Most” program, which educates parents and communities about the health and safety risks of serving alcohol at teen parties. The program has been implemented throughout the country, concentrating on celebratory times for youth, such as homecoming, holidays, prom, graduation and other times when underage drinking parties can be prevalent. The program encourages parents and the community to send a unified message that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe and unacceptable.

According to a recent Orange County Youth Development survey conducted in cooperation with Orange-Ulster BOCES, 15 percent of eighth-graders, 34 percent of sophomores and 55 percent of seniors use alcohol. In addition, eight percent of eighth-graders, 20 percent of tenth-graders and 40 percent of seniors have acknowledged binging on alcohol over a two-week period. Fifty percent of students have consumed alcohol with a parent’s permission, the study concluded. Twelve Orange County schools were polled as part of the survey.

The Social Host Law is aimed at deterring minors from the consumption of alcoholic beverages by holding anyone 18 years of age or older responsible when they permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors on premises. Under the new law, it is illegal for homeowners or any host 18 years or older to knowingly allow underage drinking at their home or a party, or to not take action to stop underage drinking once they become aware of it.

“Underage drinking has become a significant problem in Orange County,” Hoovler said. “The Parents Who Host Lose the Most program, in conjunction with the County’s new Social Host Law, will hopefully provide some parents with a message they need to hear: You cannot sit idly by and tolerate underage drinking and you will be punished if you don’t put a stop to it.”

For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.