Materials on Effects of Drinking to
Be Distributed at Senior 'Beach Week'
When: June 1 - 21, 2003
Where: Ocean City, MD
Institute: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism (NIAAA)
NIAAA will assist the "Play it Safe" Committee
of Ocean City, MD in developing alcohol information materials
to be distributed in conjunction with their annual high
school senior "beach week" activities. NIAAA will
provide research-based messages on the adolescent brain
and the effect of drinking on bodily systems, while providing
other types of technical assistance as needed. The Play
it Safe Committee will assist NIAAA in getting feedback
from the participants regarding these messages.
The Ocean City Play It Safe Committee hosts alcohol-free
events in a variety of locations during the first three
weeks of June. The committee also develops, prints, and
distributes nearly 65,000 Play It Safe booklets to high
schools across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware
just before graduation. These booklets contain coupons and
a calendar listing of all the free events, as well as information
about potential health hazards, local laws and ordinances,
and where to seek help if needed.
The goal of Play It Safe is to encourage high school graduates
to make informed, healthy choices while having responsible
fun without the use of alcohol and other drugs. This project
is a well coordinated effort of the Ocean City Drug and
Alcohol Abuse Prevention Committee, the Worcester County
Health Department and the Town of Ocean City. It is a community-wide
project that involves a partnership of health, education,
law enforcement, business, service organizations and volunteers.
The project also receives assistance through a core grant
from the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention
and donations from many local businesses and citizens.
Next steps:
For more information about the "Play it Safe in Ocean
City" program, log onto www.playitsafeoceancity.com;
or contact Fred Donodeo, NIAAA Marketing Analyst at (301)
443-6370 or fdonodeo@mail.nih.gov.
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