Trumbull Public Schools

What is TPAUD?

Underage drinking poses serious risks to our kids' physical, emotional, and social well-being. Since 2006, the Trumbull Partnership Against Underage Drinking (TPAUD) has worked to help Trumbull kids live alcohol-free.

TPAUD is a community coalition whose prevention activities are funded by a Partnership for Success grant from the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). Members of TPAUD represent a variety of sectors including: school staff and administration, Trumbull Board of Education, the Trumbull Police Dept., Trumbull Library, Trumbull Rotary, PTA members, parents, the United Way, and RYASAP.

TPAUD surveys of all THS students in 2010 revealed that 39.5% of THS students reported drinking alcohol in the previous month, and 28.5% reported drinking enough to get drunk.

While many parents feel that underage drinking is inevitable or a "rite of passage", parents do have the power to influence whether their kids drink. TPAUD data reveals that kids who believe that their parents disapprove were significantly less likely to drink than their peers. Parents should talk to their kids early and often about how underage drinking is unacceptable. Parent surveys reveal that 97.5% of Trumbull parents disapprove of underage drinking but almost 40% of our students believe that their parents find it acceptable. It is never too late to start the dialog.
Underage drinking is known to increase the risk of:

• Unplanned and/or Unprotected Sex
• Fighting and/or Violence
• Poor Athletic Performance
• Poor Grades
• Sexual Assaults
• Delinquency
• Injuries  
• Alcohol Poisoning
• Addiction
• Other Drug Use

TPAUD’s efforts focus on educating teens, parents, and the community on the prevalence of underage drinking and the risks alcohol use poses to our kids. TPAUD also develops and implements strategies to reduce underage drinking in Trumbull, by limiting kids’ access to alcohol and supporting the enforcement of existing laws.