The Times Record wrote two stories highlighting underage drinking activities within three months of each other (”Boy, 14, injured at underage drinking party,” Oct. 23; and “19 teens charged after cops bust underage drinking party in Georgetown,” July 27). While these stories may be difficult for parents to read, we commend your reporting staff for deeming these stories worthy of frontpage news, front and center and in the forefront of everyone’s minds.

The two parties were almost exactly the same size, with approximately 20 underage youth at each, but with a different purpose. The one from the summer featured young adults celebrating before heading off to their post-secondary school futures, while the most recent party featured kids as young as 13.

It is an interesting juxtaposition, the older youth who might view drinking alcohol as a rite of passage and the much younger middle-school aged children for whom the perception of harm from alcohol is far too low, according to a Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey of Maine middle school students from 2011.

There is another important difference to note between these two parties. At the Georgetown party, an anonymous tip was used to bust the party before there was injury (all the individuals cited were of driving age).

One can only think that if such a tip had been used at the Bath party last weekend, a 14- year-old boy would not have incurred such serious injuries.

It is important for readers to know about the anonymous tip service in Sagadahoc County and Brunswick that kids can use to report trouble without getting themselves in trouble. Anonymity is guaranteed, as tips sent from phones or computers are encrypted before they even reach Sagadahoc dispatch.

Anyone can use this service to tip even the slightest suspicion of underage drinking parties. It’s easy, just text “eTip” and then your tip to 274637 or submit a tip online at ww.midcoastcasa.org.

Another community issue of concern at both parties is the families who were apparently duped by their kids into thinking they were going where they said they would be going, doing what they said they’d be doing.

It’s time for parents to put any qualms of how other parents might react if they call to check on plans aside, and have those difficult conversations to make sure the truth is being told, and that alcohol is not included in weekend plans for their kids.

As a community, it’s time for community members to become thoroughly engaged in where these young people are getting their alcohol. Perhaps it is from unsecured liquor cabinets, from older siblings or friends who are buying it for them, or from retail outlets that are selling to underage youth.

One thing is for sure, we need to take steps to change the culture around the perception of harm with regards to alcohol and other drugs.

Think of a 14-year-old boy who came close to losing his life last weekend, and join Communities Against Substance Abuse for a discussion of underage drinking in our community.

And to those who don’t want to come to talk about underage drinking but want to celebrate the positive things kids are doing in Bath — playing their hearts out in sporting events, Morse High School’s newest debate team coming in second in a state competition, and so much more — we need your voice in this discussion.

A perfect outcome from a meeting like this is finding a way to raise up the kids who stay “above the influence” so that becomes the social norm that our beautiful city is known for, and headlines about underage drinking can be a thing of the past.

The meeting will take place today at 7 p.m. in the Bath Middle School cafeteria.

HEIDI TUCKER is Mid Coast Hospital coordinator for Communities Against Substance Abuse; MICHAEL FIELD is Bath police chief and a CASA member; JOEL MERRY is Sagadahoc County sheriff and a CASA member; JANET CROWE is a health teacher at Morse High School and a CASA member; and KAREN CURLEY is a Bath Middle School social worker.