East Baton Rouge Parish students take a stand against underage drinking

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — As spring break approaches, several East Baton Rouge Parish students are taking a stand to prevent underage drinking.

One of those students, Carmello Daigre, a junior at Istrouma High School, believes underage drinking is an issue that needs to be addressed.

“Underage kids are drinking, partying and thinking that is okay and cool, but that’s not something that we should be doing,” he said. “It can mess with our brain, our body and our mind.”

Daigre, along with other students who serve as leaders, participated in an awareness call to action at the Rouses Market on Florida Boulevard on Tuesday. They placed stickers on alcohol aisles as part of the Project Sticker Shock program. The initiative serves as a reminder to adults that purchasing alcohol for minors is not only illegal but shouldn’t be done.

“No adult should be handing kids drinks telling them they should drink it,” he said.

Dawn Chanet Collins, prevention coordinator at Capital Area Human Services, explained that Baton Rouge students are not the only ones who take part in this prevention program, but also students in other surrounding parishes. She hopes the initiative will encourage teens to make responsible decisions, especially concerning alcohol and addiction.

“It’s harder for those who have an addiction in their youth to overcome that addiction,” she said.
“They don’t need to cheat themselves and set themselves up for a harder life experience by starting early.”

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