Students at four area schools will get a special talk about drinking and drug use. The presentation is called Walking After Midnight: The Story of Bob, and has been organized by the Grey-Bruce Health Unit and the Parent Norms Committee. Katy Hutchinson travels Ontario, providing parents and teens with tips about youth drinking and drug use. She tells the message by relaying the story of her husband, Bob, and a tragic accident that occurred after an unchaperoned party. Heather Jamieson is a Public Health Nurse, and involved with the Youth Initiatives Team. She says alcohol and drug abuse is on the rise among teens from grades 7 to 12. Jamieson says the latest stats show 61 per cent of kids in that age range have admitted to at least trying alcohol or drugs. She says in rural communities like ours, a lot of kids report a lack of things to do as a reason for experimenting. Hutchinson will visit Saugeen District Secondary, Kincardine District Secondary, John Diefenbaker Secondary and Walkerton District Secondary over the next two days. Jamieson says Hutchinson will also give evening sessions, in hopes that parents will see the presentation and then have an open discussion with their kids about drugs and alcohol use. The evening talks are scheduled at Hanover Town Hall tonight and the Bruce Power Visitor Centre in Tiverton tomorrow night. Both presentations start at 7:30 and admission is free.
