Bangor forum focuses on teen drinking

BANGOR – In a crowd of nearly 30 people, only three teenagers were present Thursday evening at the community conversation on underage drinking at the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business at Husson College.

Sarah Roper, 17, and her mother were among the first to arrive.

As a teen at a local high school, Sarah admitted that she feels the pull of peer pressure from friends to drink and party. After hearing a panel of speakers, including Maine’s Attorney General Steven Rowe and Gov. John Baldacci, she still harbored mixed feelings on the topic.

“It’s hard to hear these things,” she said. “It’s hard when friends’ parents allow it, but yours don’t. But at the same time you go home, and you know they care.”

The event, which aimed to unite the entire community of parents, law enforcement and school officials to combat teen drinking, was missing major input from its target audience – teenagers.

Despite the small turnout, panel members praised those who took the time to attend the forum. Norris Nickerson, the Bangor High School principal, said he felt bad addressing the group, since it was most likely those who did not show who needed to hear the message most.

“I think more parents need to take on the responsibility of talking to their kids,” Nickerson said. “Reinforce to your kids that you love them. But question them, question them, question them. Don’t let them off the hook.”

As a mother of a troubled teenager, author Martha Dudman said she realized how important it was to communicate with children about the dangers of substance abuse. She acknowledged that often, many teenagers do not want to listen when parents address the topic.

As a member of the panel, she discussed her memoir, “Augusta, Gone,” which chronicles the challenges she faced with her daughter’s drug addiction.

“Trust your instincts,” she said. “You might have to take drastic measures to keep kids safe. But as parents, we cannot give up on our children.”

Other members of the panel, including Rowe, echoed Dudman’s words, stating that parents should make a conscious effort to be role models for their children.

“You see beer logos on baseball caps and T-shirts,” he said. “Parents: please do not wear that. What kind of signal are you sending the kids?”

Social norms that are in place encourage youths to think that drinking is acceptable, and advertisements glamorize the activity, according to Rowe and Bangor Police Chief Don Winslow.

“One thing we can do is put pressure on our Legislature to do with the alcohol ads what has been done with the cigarette ads,” Winslow said.

All of the speakers stated that it would take a combined effort from all community members in order to produce significant results.

Roper’s mother, Amy Peterson-Roper, said that if more activities like the forum were offered, where parents and their teens could come together to discuss issues, a greater impact could be made.

“The pressures are huge,” she said. “Every parent wants to talk about it, but you have the fear that it might make you look worse.”