Expert Available to Discuss Alcohol Issues as Alcohol Awareness Month Begins
Contact: Lauri Sidelko, 581-1423; George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — In recognition of April being national Alcohol Awareness Month, Lauri Sidelko, director of the University of Maine’s Alcohol and Drug Education Programs, is available to discuss with news reporters steps the university takes to reduce incidents of underage drinking and alcohol abuse.
UMaine offers programs on prevention, education, enforcement and knowledge of alcohol and other drug policies, and has a zero-tolerance policy on transgressions. While abstention from alcohol is strongly advised for underage students, Sidelko recommends that people of any age who consume alcohol take personal responsibility for their habits.
“We really have focused a lot on friends helping friends, and helping them realize when to step in and take alcohol out of friends’ hands,” she says. “Typically, people will focus on ‘what are we doing to enforce laws on underage drinking?’ We have a ‘harm-reduction’ approach. In addition to notifying students about policies and enforcing them, we encourage people to be responsible and not put themselves in harm’s way.”
People furnishing alcohol to minors and providing a place for them to drink is a big part of a problem that can lead to binge-drinking, alcohol poisoning and the often irreversible consequences of alcohol abuse, Sidelko says.
Among UMaine’s efforts to curb alcohol abuse is the “Wake, Turn, Call, Stay” campaign, which encourages young people to watch one another’s backs when alcohol consumption becomes more than a legal issue, and one of safety.
“We have programs, trainings, interventions, treatment and counseling services, policies, enforcement, resources, brochures, posters, meetings and coalitions — and still students make choices with alcohol that impact their safety and their futures,” Sidelko says.
Sidelko says that, nationally, as many as 1,700 college-age students die every year from alcohol-related incidents, and “it is our job to teach them how to be safe,” she says.
“What would reduce these alcohol-related problems? I think about this question a lot,” Sidelko says, “partly because it is my job, but also because I care about the students I work with on this campus. The answer? Having everyone who lives, works and plays at UMaine be part of the solution to help tackle the dangers of alcohol abuse.”
Sidelko can be reached at 581-1423 for more information or interviews on the subject.