“Social Host Laws & Pizza Box Sticker Campaign”: Using Everyday Touchpoints to Promote Prevention and Safer Choices
Hosted by: Association for the Community Parent Center Inc. (North Merrick, NY)
The Association for the Community Parent Center Inc. implemented its “Social Host Laws & Pizza Box Sticker Campaign” in 2025 — as a Communities Talk activity designed to educate youth, parents, and the community about underage drinking, other drug use, and Nassau County’s revised social host law.
The initiative combines youth leadership, school-based programming, and high visibility community outreach to reinforce prevention messages during key moments when families and teens are making decisions together.
By placing prevention messages in everyday settings—schools, community events, and pizza boxes delivered to people’s homes—the campaign aims to make information (about safety, responsibility, and legal consequences) more visible.
The Campaign’s “Recipe”
The “Social Host Laws & Pizza Box Sticker Campaign” is a year-round, multi layered prevention effort. Middle and high school students who are members of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) write letters to local pizza restaurants inviting them to participate.
Restaurants place campaign stickers on pizza boxes throughout April, enabling prevention messages (about underage drinking, other drug use, and the social host law) to reach families directly in their homes. Stickers and posters were also displayed on-site at local businesses.
The campaign extends into schools and community spaces. Tip cards (to support informed conversations between adults and youth) were distributed to parents and community members at after school and evening events (including concerts, sports, and other programs).
The campaign includes Pre-Prom Programs for 11th and 12th graders and their parents, with practical tips and strategies to help keep teens safe during prom season and beyond: discussions of pre- and post-prom activities; education about the social host law; guidance on recognizing the signs of alcohol or drug overdose and what to do in an emergency; and critical information for the first year of college (social media use, hazing, sexual assault prevention, the Clery Act, and Title IX).
Sustaining Visibility
A key challenge in prevention work is maintaining visibility and relevance beyond a single event.
The “Social Host Laws & Pizza Box Sticker Campaign” addressed this challenge by reinforcing consistent prevention messaging across schools, community events, local businesses, and homes. Through repeated exposure and varied settings, the initiative supported efforts to change attitudes related to underage drinking, substance use, and other health decisions.
Why Prevention Remains Critical in Nassau County
Youth substance use in Nassau County reflects both meaningful progress and ongoing risk. Long term data show sustained declines in alcohol use among adolescents: past 12 month alcohol use among 12th graders decreased (from 75 percent in 1997 to 42 percent in 2024), and binge drinking reached historic lows in 2024 (2 percent among 8th graders and 9 percent among 12th graders).
Despite these positive trends, fentanyl remains a critical public health concern in Nassau County. This highly potent synthetic opioid—often unknowingly mixed into other illicit substances—was linked to 190 deaths in 2021 and 80 fentanyl related overdose deaths in 2024. Additional emerging risks include continued use of nicotine e cigarettes among high school students (7.8 percent in 2024); record levels of daily energy drink consumption among 12th graders (23 percent); THC use (reported by 11 percent of 12th graders); and gambling related risk (with about 25 percent of youth identified as problem gamblers also reporting co occurring substance use).
The county’s network of community coalitions and prevention organizations continues to make use of education, early intervention, and youth engagement to strengthen protective factors and support healthy decision making.
Looking Ahead
The Association for the Community Parent Center Inc. will continue hosting activities throughout the year, building on this Communities Talk activity. By sustaining prevention and adapting to emerging trends and risks, the Center remains committed to preventing underage drinking and other drug use—while supporting youth and families in making safer, healthier choices.