Everyone wants the best for their children, but there is a point in every young adult’s life when they choose to ignore the teachings of their parents in order to fit in with those around them. Properly teaching a child how to act responsibly when they begin doing adult things at a young age is imperative to ensuring that a child grows up to be a responsible adult.
Alcohol is a constant worry for most parents due to the fact that twenty percent of eighth graders have already tried alcohol.
Teaching children how to abstain or at least behave responsibly around alcohol is imperative for a parent’s peace of mind.
If a child knows the consequences of alcohol abuse, then they are less likely to become a victim. 
Accidents
Alcohol can seriously impair a person’s judgment and ability to quickly respond to dangers. These hazards don’t just exist on highways. People have died from falling asleep in bathtubs, falling down staircases and almost any other accident that can be caused by impaired motor function. Alcohol is listed as one of the top five contributing factors to boating accidents in the United States. Alcohol use also contributes to around thirty percent of all traffic fatalities yearly. Children should know that drinking alcohol doesn’t just present a danger on the streets and waterway — impaired motor function can cause serious injury, and even death, when just drinking at home.
Legal Issues
Even if a child doesn’t grow up to hurt someone or be a victim in a drunken driving related accident, there are still serious legal implications they may face. Any Philadelphia criminal attorney can attest to the fact that driving under the influence (DUI) is an easy way to get a serious criminal record. The legal blood alcohol content (BAC) for a person to be arrested is .08 percent, but this doesn’t apply to underage drinkers. If someone under the age of twenty-one is pulled over and blows a .02 percent on a breathalyzer, they will be charged with a DUI. In certain cases this can lead to serious fines, license suspension or an interlock ignition device being installed. Being convicted of a PA DUI brings with it serious consequences.
Assaults
Alcohol can also lead to serious assaults. Even if a person’s child is normally well behaved, if they are drinking in a group they run the risk of being involved in an alcohol related assault. Parents need to be aware of what could happen with so many adolescent drinkers in a confined area. Research has shown that areas with higher liquor sales also have higher emergency room admissions of alcohol related assaults.
One thing many parents don’t consider when warning their children of alcohol is the possibility of violence and sexual assaults. Alcohol impairs the judgments of all people, including children. It tends to lower the inhibitions of the child, which opens up the possibility of unwanted sexual advances. Unfortunately, there have been far too many young adults who thought they were just having a “good time,” only to wake up regretting the details of what happened the night before.
Teen Drinking: What Parents Need to Know
This video provides an overview of important issues surrounding underage drinking, featuring Kathi Meyer who lost her daughter Taylor to a binge drinking tragedy. It is aimed more at parents, giving them an understanding of the physical consequences of alcohol on the development of the adolescent brain; the strategy of social norms as a way of educating teens that “everyone is not drinking” and an overview of social host laws and liabilities.
Alcohol is a serious problem for young adults and their parents. There are nearly five-thousand deaths yearly caused by underage drinking. It is hard for a parent to have peace of mind when their children are out with friends, simply because they do not know what their child is up to. Teaching children the dangers of alcohol is one of the easiest ways to prevent kids from underage drinking. When a parent knows that their child fears the consequences of alcohol, they are more likely to be able to sleep soundly at night.
Krista Langford is a Southern mom and a contributing writer for the law firm of Steven E. Kellis in Pennsylvania. Mr. Kellis is Nationally Certified in Field Sobriety Testing, and he specialize in all varieties of alcohol related felonies and misdemeanors. He is here to assist you in the legal process if you find your underage child in a situation where alcohol is involved.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Comment Policy:We value commenting as part of our ethical business and green living community but please be nice and genuine and add value to the post that your ethical business colleague has made. As a member your name and website will automatically be added. Why not try different keywords after your name and link to inner pages of your site and your social network profiles too? You should use your real name and may include some keywords following the @ sign.