By Michael
Gimbel
Michael
Gimbel is the Director of Substance Abuse Education for
the Sheppard Pratt Health System.
Underage drinking
within the Independent Schools in Baltimore remains the
single greatest threat to the safety and well being of
our children.
Our teenagers
are thrust into countless arenas where they are challenged
to consume alcohol; be it prom time, senior week, Hunt
Cup, or just at weekend parties. They believe that drinking is part
of having fun and a rite of passage. They also assume
that “everyone is doing it.”
Moreover, teens
are regularly receiving mixed messages from parents. In
our effort to keep them safe, we have been telling them
not to drink and drive. Incredibly,
we have forgotten to tell them not to drink!! Underage
drinking can have catastrophic effects on a teen’s
life and not just by driving drunk. Alcohol is the basis
of many accidents, injuries, sexual assaults, and deaths
among our teens. Thus, the consequences continue
to escalate.
There are an estimated 18 million alcoholics
in the United States -- and one out of every 4 is a teenager.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that alcohol is
very often involved in the top four leading causes of death
for those under the age of 20: car crashes, homicide, suicide
and drowning. One study found that 58% of girls and 75%
of boys involved in date rape had been drinking. Even when
sex is consensual, teens who drink are more likely to have
multiple partners and are much less likely to practice
safe sex, thereby exposing themselves to unwanted pregnancies
and the rising level of sterilizing and fatal sexually
transmitted diseases. Alcohol poisoning sends hundreds
of underage teens to the hospital emergency rooms each
year. Teens tend to drink large amounts of alcohol in a
short period of time, thus elevating the blood alcohol
concentration so fast it may result in a coma or death.
Parents may not
realize it, but they do have a strong influence over
their children’s
decision to consume alcohol. Studies have shown that
parents are the primary influence on their child’s
decision-making. When it comes to underage drinking, parents
need to establish their rules and expectations candidly,
and clearly assert that underage drinking is simply against
the law. Teens should know the consequences
of breaking the rules, and parents need to consistently
enforce them. Teens should know that they can call
their parents if they end up at a party where alcohol is
available. Remember, a teen who is not drinking can
still get into trouble for just being at a party where
alcohol is being served if the police show up.
Moreover, remember
that our children are watching as we model for them!
Parents who want to discourage underage drinking need to
demonstrate responsibility and accountability. This means
drinking responsibly, not letting your teen see you drunk
and never allowing another adult to get behind the wheel
of a car when intoxicated. Teens sometimes have
rough days at school and when they come home we offer
them a glass of milk. As parents, when have rough days
at work, instead of coming home and self medicating with
your drink of choice, maybe we need to show our children
we can cope by enjoying a glass of milk.
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