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Addressing substance abuse in Lynbrook

New drug coalition forms in the village

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On Monday night, more than a dozen leaders of the Lynbrook community gathered to begin a new effort to combat drug and alcohol abuse in the village.

The Lynbrook Alcohol/Drug Coalition, formed by two local parents concerned by the rising use of drugs and alcohol among younger and older residents alike, aims to better educate residents about what leads children to use alcohol and drugs and the dangers of substance abuse.

“This isn’t about patting ourselves on the back,” said Joe Lucchese, the father of two boys, ages 13 and 9, who formed the coalition with his wife, Jo. “There is no agenda, no political aspirations here. This is about doing our part to keep the community a drug- and alcohol-free community.”

The coalition comprises representatives of law enforcement, school administrations, local businesses and community organizations.

“What we really want to do is be proactive,” Lucchese said. “We want to get the word out about what’s going on before it’s an issue.”

At the group’s inaugural meeting, David Hymowitz, the director of Nassau County’s Behavioral Health Awareness Campaign, gave members advice on how to spread the message of temperance. “You have great community partners in the village,” Hymowitz said. “You have the police force, the village board, you have the schools — and all those places are great and productive partnerships and are a huge help — but the people you really need to reach out to are the parents. They play a huge role, because they’re the ones that will be with kids. They control what kids have access to in their own homes.”

For Cathy Stradowski and Lisa DeMonte, the coalition’s PTA representatives, the message was music to their ears. “There’s no doubt that getting the message out to parents in the community really is crucial,” Stradowski said. “They’re the ones that watch their children more than anyone else, and kids pick up so much from their parents without parents ever realizing. For their own sake and the sake of their kids, we really need to ensure that our parents are educated, and know the truth about things like this.”

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