Today we kicked off Alcohol Awareness Month right in Norwalk, Connecticut with one of our favorite Ask, Listen, Learn partners—Congressman Himes! Ask, Listen, Learn at West Rocks Middle School today was our first event of the month and set the tone for an awesome April! The kids loved meeting the Congressman and hearing about his own personal reasons to avoid the dangers of underage drinking.

We were all impressed to hear Congressman Himes was a certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) by the age of 16. Apart from loving to help people Congressman Himes was grateful to have served as an EMT since it showed him firsthand the dangers of underage drinking.  After responding to numerous medical emergencies involving underage drinking Congressman Himes was more convinced than ever that drinking underage was extremely dangerous and not worth the risk.

For Congressman Himes, having someone to talk to about the pressures of underage drinking is just as important as actually saying NO! Everyone will at some point be faced with peer pressure and staying strong and making smart choices is much easier when you have someone you trust and feel comfortable talking to about the pressures you face in middle school and high school.

So this April, in honor of Alcohol Awareness Month be sure to #JointheConvo. You can #JoinTheConvo on Twitter, Facebook, by taking the Ask, Listen, Learn pledge, and by finding someone you trust to talk to about peer pressure and the ways you can say NO to underage drinking and YES to a healthy lifestyle.