Wilton High School seniors Josh Grossman and Kamil Gosiewski, both 17, downed cans of diet soda while hanging out near the school Thursday afternoon.
As the teens quenched their thirst with diet Sprite, they predicted cans of beer, not soda, will be flowing after Friday night's junior prom at The Waters Edge at Giovanni's in Darien, and following their senior prom Saturday, June 4, at the Stamford Hilton.
Both proms take place from 7-11 p.m.
"Here we are drinking cans of soda after school, but next week after the [senior] prom we'll be drinking cans of something a lot stronger," Grossman said, laughing.
The teens said despite Wilton's long-standing policy of administering breathalyzer tests to students entering proms and dances, there will be a lot of "serious drinking" afterward.
"Sure, the breathalyzer makes everything nice and orderly during the prom," Grossman said. "But everybody can't wait to get out of there and get to the after-parties. That's where the real drinking begins."
Kamil added, "It's kind of a joke. They use the breathalyzer, but kids always find a way to sneak stuff in, and then get blasted away from the proms."
They said not much has changed since a 1999 study by the University of Connecticut Health Center found Wilton has one of the highest rates of teenage drinking and alcohol abuse in the state.
"We do still have a big problem with teenage drinking in Wilton," said Kelsey Brown, 17, co-chairman of the Wilton Task Force to Reduce Underage Drinking and Substance Abuse Among Youth.
"The breathalyzers help at the events, but what kids do afterward is up to them," she said.
Nearly a decade ago Wilton was among the first school districts in Connecticut to use breathalyzer tests at dances and proms.
"During one dance several students were suspected of being under the influence of alcohol," said Wilton High School Principal Tim Canty. "We decided the school district was out of the dance business."
But Canty said that "students came up with the idea of a contract to include language pledging not to drink, and with the breathalyzer we have been able to eliminate drinking at these events."
Canty said while educators hope students make "healthy choices afterward," the responsibility "shifts to themselves and their parents."
Do you think the use of breathalyzers at student proms and dances keeps teens from drinking? Leave a comment below.
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