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Preventative measures for parents in addressing underage drinking

By Nisa Islam Muhammad -Staff Writer- | Last updated: Apr 28, 2017 - 12:33:55 PM

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Rhonda Miles (name changed) had talked to her daughter about everything before her prom.  At least she thought she had talked about everything.  What she left out was the talk about drinking, drugs and driving.

“I rented a limo to avoid any issues with drinking and driving.  I know how young people can be so I wanted to avoid all opportunities for them to be behind the wheel.  But what I didn’t count on was them driving after they left my house.  I had it covered from my house to the hotel and back,” she told The Final Call.

It was while her daughter Rosa was riding with her friends to the prom after party that the accident happened.  The driver was killed instantly and the rest of the passengers severely injured.

That story of loss is repeated over and over again during prom and graduation season.  In a recent study by Mothers Against Drunk Driving®  (MADD) released April 21 on Alcohol Awareness Day, parents ranked prom as the time of year they are most concerned about their teens drinking alcohol, followed by spring break, graduation, summer break, homecoming, winter break and at school sporting events.

“I know firsthand the devastation of losing a child to the preventable consequences of teen drinking,” said Colleen Sheehey-Church, MADD National President, whose son Dustin was killed at age 18 while riding in the car with a teen driver who had been drinking and using drugs during summer break.

“Before prom and throughout the year, MADD and Nationwide (Insurance) are committed to reducing teen deaths and injuries by urging parents to talk with their kids about the dangers and consequences of alcohol.”

But drinking and using drugs outside the home is not the only problem.  Many parents allow their underage teens and their friends to drink at home.

“Our studies consistently reveal that when parents permit their teens to drink under their supervision at home they drink more often and in heavier amounts outside the home. They are also four times more likely to be in the high-risk group for experiencing the most alcohol and drug related consequences,” emphasized Robert Turrisi, PhD, Penn State professor of Bio-behavioral Health and Prevention Research Center, whose research is the basis of MADD’s Power of Parents program.

“These findings hold up even when parents are excellent at other aspects of parenting, such as being good communicators and good role models. The easiest way for parents to reduce the risk of harm coming to their teens is to not allow them to drink alcohol. MADD’s Power of Parent materials are the best resource for parents to help their teens in this way.”

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010.

Although drinking by persons under the age of  21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States.  More than 90 percent of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks, according to the CDC.

“With the majority of schools celebrating prom in the next several weeks, it’s an ideal time to focus on having conversations about teen alcohol use,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide Insurance Associate Vice President of Consumer Safety.

“We want teens to celebrate this special occasion in a healthy and safe way, and we continue to urge all parents and school officials to set expectations about no alcohol use at prom.”

April 21 was MADD’s national day to talk to teens about alcohol. They offered a free 20-minute online workshop that gave parents research-based tips and tools to talk with their children about alcohol so that they really listen. 

“Casey, my oldest son, was a ‘good kid’­—on the honor roll every semester, in the marching band, in choir, and on the wrestling and football teams. I never really worried about him throughout high school,” explained MADD’s Debbie Taylor.

“I had the false sense of security that he had the maturity to drink alcohol even though he was underage, but I was wrong. Casey died from alcohol poisoning at the age of 18.  I never talked to Casey about alcohol. If I had it all to do over again? I would have been very clear that underage drinking was unacceptable.”

MADD’s recommendations include the following:  Start talking now.  Talk often. Arrange opportunities to talk specifically about alcohol, but talk about other important issues too. Set family rules about drinking and drugs.  Make sure your child knows the rules and the consequences. Enforce consequences when rules are broken. Help your child plan ahead.