April 21st or any 21st!

We had a great kick off to our first annual PowerTalk 21 day last Thursday! But if you missed that day, I want you to know that any day--the 21st of May for instance--is a great day to start the conversation with your teen.

Research shows that the earlier one starts drinking alcohol, the more likely they are to become alcohol dependent and drive drunk. That alone should be reason enough to make sure we do our best to keep our teens alcohol free.

So, if you missed PowerTalk 21 don't worry. Go to www.madd.org/powerofparents and request your free Parent Handbook or better yet, find a FREE 30 minute workshop in your area and check it out in person. You'll get a great overview of the research that went into this program as well as a walk through of the Parent Handbook.

A big shout out to Nationwide Insurance, our Presenting Sponsor, who really is "on our side"! We couldn't do these free programs without their support.

It's time for Legislatures to act

It's "Public Policy season" across the country as most legislatures are in session. We've had some limited success this "season" and as a result, lives will be saved, injuries prevented and many will have to "blow before they go"!

Tomorrow, the Oklahoma House Appropriations & Budget Committee will hold a hearing at 4:00 PM on The Erin Swezey Act. If you live in Oklahoma, please call or email your elected officials and ask them to support this bill to require ignition interlocks on all convicted offenders cars. The bill also has a provision for an endorsement on the driver's license that would indicate they are convicted DUI offenders.

Erin Elizabeth Swezey was killed by a drunk driver on April 4, 2009. Just two short years ago (which probably feels like an eternity to her family and friends), Erin was living a great, full life. Two weeks before her death she penned these words in her journal:

My Message to the World
Sharing my Peace,
my Creator,
my Sustainer,
my Protector,
so that everyone may know the
happiness that comes from a
life lived under Christ

A beautiful young woman taken from her family way too young.

I hope that the Oklahoma legislature will pass this bill in honor of Erin's life. Though I never had the chance to meet her, she obviously was special. Her parents have given their all to get this bill passed. Please help spread the word.

Teen Sensation Raises Valid Points

According to this online report, Miley Cyrus is concerned about increasing underage drinking. The 16-year-old Disney star tells Glamour magazine, "At one of my very first awards shows I ever did, there was a bottle of vodka in my gift bag." She goes on recalling, "No one cared that they were giving this to a 12-year-old."

Some young girls, as young as five, follow Cyrus' every move, memorizing lyrics to her songs and hanging posters in their rooms. She has a huge following of young girls and it is good to see she has concerns about the nation's number one youth drug problem--underage drinking.

The earlier youth drink, the more likely they will become dependent and drive drunk later in life according to research. Interestingly, women are catching up to men in drunk driving and New Mexico's Department of Transportation has a new ad campaign reminding women, that they too, need to never drive drunk. Check out this website.

New Mexico takes the issue of drunk driving very serious being the poster-state for anti-drunk driving efforts nationwide and leading the charge with interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. New Mexico's alcohol-involved crash deaths decreased 19 percent from 2007-2008; and 35 percent from 2004-2008 because of its commitment to eliminate drunk driving.

If more young women and men stood up against underage drinking, and their parents too, the whole nation would see less deaths and injuries on and off the roadways. And, all of those 16 year olds would become more responsible adult drivers and be able to live a long, full life filled with graduations, new jobs, new marriages, and new babies. Now, that is the best of both worlds, as Miley says in her hit song.

Stay tuned to 2009 summer launch of MADD's parents' initiative aimed at preventing underage drinking by creating a clearinghouse of knowledge and a contract for parents and their teens to sign.