April 17, 2009

Dear Friends:

Many of us have teens, or friends with teens, who are about to go through a rite of passage—either prom or graduation. While parents are busy picking up corsages and making dinner reservations to celebrate these events, I encourage each of you to make time to discuss a very serious topic, underage drinking.

One of the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco's main missions is to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage youth, and this year, we've created a "Survival Guide for Prom & Graduation" Web page to provide useful tips to teens and parents.

The "Survival Guide for Prom & Graduation" includes a prom/graduation pledge not to drink underage, a way for teens to share how they say "no," helpful tips for a safe night out, a "mocktail" recipe, and a bookmark and share box for teens to share or e-mail the Web page through social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and more. By using these interactive sites, we're able to reach teens through a way they are already communicating.

Teens may be faced with the decision of whether to drink alcohol underage during prom and graduation, and we hope this tool will encourage them to say "no" and provide the resources they need to stay safe. Please do your part by talking with your teen.

Sincerely,

Charles W. Drago
Secretary

Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Customer Contact Center:
850.487.1395
www.MyFloridaLicense.com