KSTV Underage Drinking PSA 5-14-08.mp3

By: Linda Dane, STAR Council Erath County Community Coalition, May 6, 2008

“Don’t Be a Party to Teenage Drinking”

May is a month of celebration for high school and college graduates, parents, families and those simply glad that school will soon be out for the summer.  However, it is also a month to remember that underage alcohol consumption is not acceptable.  It is illegal, unsafe, and unhealthy for anyone under the age of 21 to drink alcohol.  Alcohol is a leading cause of teenage death and has the potential to cause brain damage and to create patterns of addiction in the developing neurological system which can last a lifetime.

Underage alcohol consumption is a serious problem that too often leads to harmful consequences for youth as well as their families.  Parents and other adults can protect themselves and their teens by being informed, vigilant and by setting rules and standards for the use of alcohol.

The facts are that parents or other adults who give alcohol to their teen’s friends under any circumstances, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.  It is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $4000, confinement in jail for up to a year, or both.  The violator will also have his or her driver’s license automatically suspended for 180 days.

Adults can be sued if they provide alcohol to anyone under 21 and they in turn hurt someone, hurt themselves or damage property.  It is also illegal to knowingly allow a minor to have or bring alcohol into your home or onto your property.  This can result in prosecution and everything associated with such a violation can be confiscated, including personal property

There are many ways to host safe and alcohol free parties for graduation and summer events:

            Refuse to supply alcohol or allow drinking on your property. 

            Create an invitation list and do not e-mail invitations to avoid “open parties”.

            Be at home during the party.

            Limit access to a certain area of the house/property.

            Provide plenty of food, non-alcoholic beverages, music, games or movies.

            Secure all forms of alcohol, firearms and prescription drugs in a safe place.

            Inform attendees that if they leave, they cannot come back.

            Set a start and end time for the party.

According to a recent national survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, by age 17, nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been to parties where teens were drinking alcohol, smoking pot, or using cocaine, Ecstasy or prescription drugs while parents were present.  So, let’s take a stand by hosting safe parties and by talking with other parents about doing the same.  Our children are worth the effort and the quotation that “Parents Who Host, Lose The Most” is valid.

Underage Drinking: An Erath Issue

Linda Dane

STAR Council Erath County Community Coalition

May 19, 2008

Alcohol is still the number one substance of abuse by America’s youth.  Underage drinking in Erath County is no different and in fact alcohol may be more abused here than in many places in Texas due to the “College Effect” and the fact that we are rurally based and without enough drug and alcohol free alternative activities for our young people.

The use of alcohol begins early in Erath County, Texas and the U.S. in general.  Approximately 10% of 9 to 10 year olds have started drinking.  Nearly one third of youth begin drinking before age 13 and the peak years of alcohol initiation are the 7^th and 8^th grades.

Teens drink differently than adults.  The tendency is to drink an average of about five drinks per incident approximately six times per month.  This is called binge drinking which increases with age for girls through 18 and boys through 20.  Interestingly enough, white males and females are the heaviest abusers according to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.

Underage drinking is a risk factor for alcoholism in adult years and is associated with tobacco use, drug use, academic failure and risky sex resulting in sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancy.  It can also cause changes in the structure and functioning of the developing brain.  It is the leading cause of death for people under 21 years of age.

Drinking alcohol prior to the age of 21 is dangerous and illegal, yet 65% of teens get their alcohol from family and friends.  A culture in which youth feel that underage drinking is accepted or even expected as is often the case in the early years of college, promotes underage drinking.  As families, communities and a county, we are not powerless to change this belief.  Underage drinking is not inevitable, particularly when we as a community and social environment send the message that underage alcohol use is not condoned or permitted.

The use of tobacco and illicit drugs has declined and become unpopular because it is no longer socially and widely acceptable.  The same change process can work with underage drinking in Erath County and the U.S. in general if we enforce the message and make cultural changes that support it.  Please do not support or be a party to underage alcohol consumption.  We are all responsible to protect, nurture and educate our young people to enable them to make healthy, responsible and safe choices in life.

Linda Dane

STAR Council, Erath County Community Coalition