Preparing for Safe and Sober Graduations

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce has a message and celebration tips for parents.

From the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce: Many graduation ceremonies are planned for the end of May and with that comes parties and celebrations. This exciting time in a teen’s life can lead to increased underage drinking and accidents. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation an average of 48 teens are killed and 5,202 are injured in car crashes during a typical Graduation or Spring Prom weekend. Cobb Alcohol Taskforce wants to remind parents to take the proper precautions for a safe graduation celebration. The Georgia Student Health Survey II, 2012, shows that 73% of 12th graders say it is easy to obtain alcohol and 54% use alcohol at a friend’s house. CobbAT wants to help keep our youth safe and sober during this …

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Cobb Alcohol Survey Needs Participants

To date, 375 respondents have completed the survey but thousands more are being sought to complete the survey by September 30, 2012.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is currently conducting a community survey to help identify community support for effective strategies to reduce underage and youth binge drinking. To date, 375 respondents have completed the survey but thousands more are being sought to complete the survey by September 30, 2012.   Of that 375, 48% are parents and 27% are educators, so we are looking for additional respondents from the following local community sectors: business, civic, faith, government, healthcare, justice, law enforcement, media, non-profit and youth. Citizens from Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Powder Springs and Smyrna are invited to complete the survey.   This is a short survey, where participants will be polled regarding the extent they agree…

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Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Survey Continues

Community participants are needed to assist the agency's efforts addressing underage and binge drinking.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is currently conducting a community survey to help identify community support for effective strategies to reduce underage and youth binge drinking. To date 228 respondents have completed the survey but thousands more respondents are being sought to complete the survey by Sept. 30.  Citizens from Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, Smyrna and unincorporated Cobb County are invited to complete the survey.   The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce aims to gain participation from more than 2,000 representatives of the following local community sectors: business, civic, education, faith, government, health care, justice, law enforcement, media, parent, non-profit and youth. A similar survey was previously …

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What You Didn't Know

VIDEO: Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Tackles Underage Drinking

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce teams up with civic organizations and the government to help reduce underage drinking.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is conducting a community survey to help identify effective strategies to reduce underage and youth binge drinking. More than 2,000 participants from Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, Smyrna and unincorporated Cobb County are needed by Sept. 30. A similar survey was previously conducted in 2009 as a requirement of the Sober Truth On Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Grant.  Click here to take the survey online or access it on the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce website at www.cobbat.org. Representatives of the following community sectors are encouraged to participate: business, civic, education, faith, government, healthcare, justice, law enforcement, media, parent, non-profit and youth. For more …

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Cobb Alcohol Taskforce: Advice for the Fourth

The Fourth of July is one of the deadliest for drivers, with teenagers accounting for a high number of deaths on the roads.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is gearing up for the Fourth of July holiday, a time during which the risk of driving is compounded by impaired drivers. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the Fourth of July holiday is the second-worst day of the year for drunk driving fatalities. Despite the numerous warnings issued by various law enforcement, government and social organizations, people continue to drive drunk and ruin their lives or the lives of others. The most sobering statistic regarding fatalities on this otherwise relaxing and fun holiday is that 40 percent of all fatal alcohol-induced traffic accidents involve teenagers who were driving under the influence, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is …

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Live: Cobb Fights Youth Alcohol Use

Watch tonight's Cobb Alcohol Taskforce forum and submit questions for the expert panel.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is marking National Alcohol Awareness Month tonight with a public forum on the damaging effects of underage and youth binge drinking and what we can do to solve the problem. You can join the event from 7 to 8:30 in the second-floor boardroom at the Cobb County government building at 100 Cherokee St. But if you can't make it to Marietta Square, follow the forum live here on Patch. You can discuss the forum and ideas of the expert panel in the comments below. If you have questions for the panel, email them to coordinator@cobbat.org. If something goes wrong with the live stream on Patch, you can watch the forum at this site as well, and it is on the county's cable TV station, Channel 23. Here's tonight's panel: …

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Cobb Forum to Tackle Teen Drinking

Learn about the problem and solutions Thursday night live on East Cobb Patch.

Cobb County will be talking about underage drinking Thursday night, and you can be part of the conversation. The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is marking National Alcohol Awareness Month by gathering a panel of local experts to discuss how underage and youth binge drinking affects the community and what can be done about it. You’re invited to join the audience in the Cobb Board of Commissioners boardroom at 100 Cherokee St. Or you can watch the forum live here on East Cobb Patch or through the task force’s website. Either way, you can participate by submitting questions for the panel and by using what you learn to help solve the problem of underage drinking. The 2010 Georgia Student Health Survey found that among Cobb County School District 12th-…

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'You Know the Truth' Video Contest

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is among the organizations promoting a positive message; the deadline for entries is March 30.

Cobb County students in grades 6-12 who represent a school or community group are eligible to submit student-produced video public service announcements (PSAs) for the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce-sponsored contest. PSAs must to be 30, 60, or 90 seconds and address one of two topics: Contest rules and entry forms can be found at www.cobbat.org. Deadline for submitting entries is March 30 at 5 p.m. A panel of media experts on originality, creativity, communication of message and overall appeal will judge video entries. Judges will select first, second and third place winners. There will also be a viewer’s choice award. Cash prizes will be awarded; $300 for first place, $200 for second place, $100 for third place and $300 for viewer’s choice. …

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Parental Laws for Underage Drinking

A letter to the editor from the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce explains the obligations of "social host" provisions.

We don’t really know how things went so wrong for the parents from Menlo Park, Calif., who face 44 counts of suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Bill Burnett, a Stanford University professor, was arrested the night after Thanksgiving over a basement party thrown by his son, 17, to celebrate a high school football win. The story didn’t report how the alcohol showed up, or if this was the first time police responded to a call at this location, or what precipitated the call that led police to find teenagers drinking alcohol at this home. Instead, the story attempted to examine whether holding parents legally responsible through the use of “social host” laws–laws designed to hold individuals responsible for hosting or …

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Youth Alcohol Summit in East Cobb

Today is the final day to register for Saturday's workshop at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Youth Council will hold its second annual youth summit Saturday at East Cobb's Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.  The Take It Back Movement is designed to make young people aware of the dangers of underage and binge drinking. The deadline to sign up is today, and registration can be completed online.  Middle or high school students are encouraged to apply. The requirements: Saturday's workshop lasts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

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