In September, Mrs. Debbie Allen visited Abington High School and presented Shelby’s Rules, an alcohol poisoning awareness program. The event was sponsored by the Student Council with a grant obtained through the Abington Education Foundation.

Debbie’s daughter, Shelby Lynn Allen, was a normal 17 year-old girl from California. She did well in school and liked to hang out with her friends. One night, during Christmas break in 2008, Shelby and her friends decided to drink alcohol. Shelby consumed about eight ounces of alcohol in a less than an hour and started to get sick. Instead of taking her to get help, her friends left her propped up over a toilet in the bathroom while they went to bed.

The next morning, Shelby’s friends awoke to find that she was unresponsive. Shelby was dead, and the cause was alcohol poisoning.  In response to this tragic happening, Debbie decided to speak out and warn not only high school students, but everyone, of the dangers and signs of alcohol poisoning.

Mrs. Allen told us about the amount of “poison” in alcoholic beverages. Many students and teachers were shocked. Dr. Gonsalves and Ms. Pflaumer asked their AP English classes to blog and share their thoughts on Shelby’s Rules. Brianna Donovan commented, “I believe this presentation was so shocking because drinking is so common to teens, and we never really think that just one night of drinking can have a permanent consequence.”

The message of Shelby’s Rules seems to have left a strong impression on Abington High School.

Shelby’s Rules
Alcohol + Passed Out (unresponsive) = 911
Warning Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

Vomiting, Unresponsive, Semi-Conscious or Unconscious

If you see someone with one or more of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Don’t be afraid to call. Every second counts.