Holiday
Cheer
Underage Drinking: Reality, Responsibility, and Accountability
by
Stephen Wallace
November 9, 2004
The
alcohol-imbued antics of some Danvers, Massachusetts, High School cheerleaders
at a recent playoff football game (not to mention the subsequent arrest of
the co-captains for a stunning barrage of obscenity-laced recriminations directed
at those in charge) provide important insights into the not-so-secret world
of too many of today’s teens. But not all is lost. The spectacle of intoxicated
seventeen-year-olds astride the gridiron offers important lessons about reality,
responsibility, and accountability. And with the holiday season upon us, there’s
no better time for a crash course in keeping kids safe and alive.
What have we to learn?
Lesson One - Reality: New Teens Today research from SADD and
Liberty Mutual Group makes clear just how big a battle looms for those intent
on putting a dent in underage drinking. Almost three-quarters of high school
students and almost one-half of middle school students report having drunk
alcohol. These findings correspond with Monitoring The Future’s 2003
report, which noted that nearly four out of five students reported having
consumed alcohol by the end of high school and nearly 48 percent of seniors
reported having drunk alcohol in the prior 30 days. Remarkably, many parents
remain unaware of the degree to which their children drink.
Lesson Two - Responsibility: Responsibility for underage drinking lies
not just with teens, but also with the adults who guide them. Influential
adults who model inappropriate alcohol-related behavior set a compelling,
and easily replicable, example for teens to follow. And, as the National Research
Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies point out, adults
often provide the alcohol teens are drinking. Parents who host – even
allow – alcohol-included events in their homes undermine important education,
prevention, and enforcement efforts by concerned parents, students, teachers,
and police officers and reinforce the message that underage drinking is not
only tolerated, but also accepted and enabled.
Lesson Three - Accountability: A startling number of adults demonstrate
disinterest in holding teens accountable for personal behavior, perhaps fearing
angry children or the lasting effects of a suspension, expulsion, or arrest.
Others figure drinking is just part of growing up. Not making teens responsible
for their violations of rules – and laws – perpetuates the perception
that adult America is not really all that serious about underage drinking
and does little to prepare teens for the far less forgiving world that lies
ahead.
Sadly, the Danvers High melee signals a more widespread encroachment of adult-inspired
indiscretion on adolescent behavior.
Recent high-profile incidents of alcohol-fueled sports imbroglios (hello,
Detroit?) detail a clear, and disturbing, roadmap for young people. Live television,
for example, captured the long-awaited championship celebration of the Boston
Red Sox, complete with the chugging, crumpling, and throwing of beer cans
… then recoiled in horror at similar behavior taking place by teens just
on the other side of (or, in some cases, on top of) Fenway Park’s fabled
Green Monster. The Sox first baseman’s subsequent assertion that the
champs were downing shots of Jack Daniel’s in preparation for the historic
games only added to destructive lessons shared with youth already confronting
difficult decisions about drinking.
The truth is that alcohol is used more frequently, and more heavily, by teens
than are all other drugs combined. And alcohol use by teens is inextricably
linked with falling grades, failing relationships, automobile crashes, sexual
assaults, and suicide. Young people do not benefit from adult inattention
and indifference. Rather, they benefit from parents and mentors who help them
to understand, and fully appreciate, the physical, social, emotional, and
legal risks that come with underage drinking.
So, where’s the good news in all of this? It’s on the flip side
of the inevitability coin. After all, if 62 percent of middle and high school
students say they have consumed alcohol (Teens Today 2004), that means
that 38 percent haven’t. And many of the students who haven’t are
those who have taken positive risks in their lives, their schools, and their
communities. Indeed, as this new study reveals, teens who challenge themselves
through athletics, academics, or community service (to give just a few examples)
are 20 percent more likely than other teens to avoid alcohol and drugs. Not
surprisingly, they are also more likely to describe themselves as responsible,
confident, successful, happy, and optimistic and less likely to say they are
bored or depressed – factors that often point to alcohol use in the first
place.
And there’s more good news in the fact that teens themselves list parents
and friends as their most important influencers when it comes to taking positive
risks. Here’s how they can help
- Support club membership and/or athletic participation;
- Encourage focus on academics and consideration of higher level courses; and
- Involve family and friends in community-service project(s).
With less structure and fewer rules, the holidays are among the most dangerous times of year for young people. ‘Tis the season for teens themselves, aided and abetted by caring adults, to change that reality. Let’s be sure we cheer them on.
Stephen Wallace, national chairman and chief executive officer of SADD, Inc., has broad experience as a school psychologist and adolescent counselor. SADD sponsors education and prevention programs nationwide, including the Think About It … campaigns funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information about SADD or the SADD/Liberty Mutual Teens Today research, visit www.sadd.org or www.libertymutualinsurance.com.
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