The County of Oswego Council on Alcoholism and Addictions, Inc. (COCOAA) recently collaborated with the Fulton School District and the Fulton Police Department in an effort to bring drug and alcohol information to High School Health Education Classes.
An educator from the Prevention Department at COCOAA and the Fulton Police Department’s School Resource Officer teamed up to teach the high school students about the basics of alcohol, how the body reacts to alcohol consumption and NYS laws regarding drinking and driving. In addition, several students in each health class were put through field sobriety tests within the classroom setting while wearing Drunk Goggles.
Health Education Teacher, Dan Stadmiller stated that it was “great to have COCOAA and the Fulton Police Department in his classroom to help kids realize the lasting consequences of the decisions they make today and every day.” Students learned about the lasting effects of drinking and driving, as well as, the costs associated with these choices. Student Laura Perwitz stated, “I liked the information about intoxication and DWI, as well as what it can do to you. I liked that Officer Burlingham used the intoxication goggles and gave us the DWI test to show how doing simple things are harder to do while using alcohol.” “It was a great learning experience and demonstrates how difficult it is to do normally easy tasks under the simulated influence of alcohol.”-Student Kim Goutermout
During the prom season and upcoming graduation season it is essential that the students realize the choices that they make about drinking and driving and drinking, in general, can affect the rest of their lives and the lives of those around them. Given basic alcohol and drug facts, with information about how a teenager’s body reacts to these substances, along with consequences for one’s behavior under the influence, the students in these health education classes learned that alcohol related motor vehicle accidents and alcohol related health issues are preventable, and all it takes is to make the appropriate choices.
COCOAA also collaborated with the Oswego City School District and the Oswego Police Department during May 2011 to provide the same information to the High School Health Education Classes.
These education sessions were made possible through a NYS grant for Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) that the Council on Alcoholism received from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).
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