Coalition to work on Prom Promise in April

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, and the Coalition is excited to work with our high school on their annual Prom Promise event and our middle school Take Down Tobacco Day.This month the National Drug Take Back event will be held on Saturday, April 27, in which all permanent lock box locations will be open for citizens to turn in their unused, unwanted, expired medications. These locations include the Town Hall at the Erwin Police Department, Unicoi County Sheriff's Office, and the Town of Unicoi Police Department.Unicoi County students have prom this month. The coalition provides Prom Promise informational bags with a alcohol free pledge card and underage drinking awareness pamphlets for students. In a survey conducted in 2022-2023, 18% of 10th and 12th grade students got their alcohol from parents with permission. The Coalition wants parents to know that providing alcohol to youth and a place for youth to drink alcohol is illegal. Caregivers can be charged and fined under the Tennessee Social Host Law in civil court.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underage drunk driving fatalities decreased by 15% over the past decade yet 28% of Unicoi County youth rode in a car with an alcohol or drug impaired driver. The coalition's message is simple for our youth. "Arrive alive. Don't drink or drive." Prom is for making lasting memories and enjoying your special moment. If you drink, make sure you have a sober driver.Our Take Down Tobacco Day held at Unicoi County Middle School included an informational table and Kick Butt Kickball Tournament from April 9 to April 12. The youth will participate in a kickball tournament to kick tobacco down. The event was designed to educate our youth on the dangers of vaping and tobacco use and how we need our lungs to be clear of toxins that are dragging us down.While the Coalition's Drug Take Back Day is Monday, May 13, we encourage our community to drop off their unused, unwanted and expired medications and over-the-counter medications at our three locations. The permanent medication lockboxes are open Monday through Friday from 8 to 4:30 pm. If anyone needs an individual free medication lockbox, the Coalition has them at our office at 105 Rock Creek Road, Suite 4, or you can pick one up at Roller Pharmacy, Clinchfield Drug, Dry Creek Medical, Unicoi County Insurance and CVS.The Coalition starts a new program this month. Megan Edens, our SORIII grant coordinator, created a peer recovery support group that meets every Tuesday and Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. This group empowers people living with substance use disorder challenges to receive help from someone who's "been" in their shoes. Megan is currently working towards receiving her state of Tennessee Certified Peer Recovery Specialist certification. We hope that anyone in the community who needs resources and support with substance use disorder will attend these meetings. If you have any questions call Megan at (833) 803-6663, ext. 2.We look forward to having a great April month and hope everyone in Unicoi County stays healthy and safe.