April is alcohol awareness month and with that in mind, CADCOR of Rutherford County will be holding an alcohol awareness town hall meeting at Patterson Park Community Center addressing underage drinking. CADCOR stands for “Community Anti-drug Coalition of Rutherford County. The guest speaker on Thursday, April 19th will be Blake McMeans, who at a very young age was involved in a drinking and driving accident because he made the choice to drink and drive, a choice that left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The event will begin at 6 in the evening.
Underage alcohol consumption is a major problem affecting young people today. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking in America. The causes of death include about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning, according to the National Institutes of Health.