[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   IN SUPPORT OF THE GLEN ROCK COMMUNITY'S EFFORTS TO CURB UNDERAGE 
                                DRINKING

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT GARRETT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 26, 2007

  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I rise to commend the 
community of Glen Rock for joining together to fight underage drinking, 
which, according to the National Institutes of Health, results in the 
deaths of approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 each year.
  Many Glen Rock high school students face a destructive rite of 
passage called the Keg Race. The Class of 2007 is expected to consume 
107 kegs of beer before graduation day in June. While no one has yet 
died as a result of this under-culture of house parties and drinking, 
the community has come together to try to put an end to this practice 
before some irreversible damage is done.
  Regrettably, this is not a problem isolated to the community of Glen 
Rock. A 2003 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and 
Alcoholism noted that by the time they have reached the eighth grade, 
nearly half of all adolescents have had at least one drink and more 
than one in five reports having been ``drunk.'' About a third of all 
high school seniors report engaging in binge drinking--that is, having 
at least five or more drinks in a single occasion--within two weeks of 
being asked as part of the report.
  Elected leaders, spiritual leaders, and parents are joining together 
to form a web of support for each other and for community young people 
to help break this cycle of underage drinking in Glen Rock. And, I 
commend their efforts and hope other communities will follow their 
lead.

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