Celebrate graduation without alcohol

With graduation approaching and the weather warming up, more people are out and about, seeking fun.

High school seniors and their families are preparing for graduation. With graduation come family get-togethers to celebrate the important milestone. Underage drinking parties can be part of the experience, one we recommend against.

And not just for the health and safety problems, although those are reasons enough. It's also because parents can be held accountable for what happens at the parties.

Underage drinking can hurt parents and other homeowners too, because adults (people older than age 21) can be arrested for misdemeanors and face other legal issues for what happens inside their homes during a party, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald article.

Teens can be suspended from games if they play sports, or face other consequences at school. If convicted of underage drinking or substance use, legal costs and community service can follow. The costs are usually borne by parents, which takes resources away from the rest of the family.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers underage drinking "a major public health problem," according to the agency's website.

Young people abuse alcohol more than tobacco and drugs. In fact, alcohol is blamed for more than 4,700 youth deaths per year in the U.S.

More than 90 percent of alcohol drank by teens is done during binge drinking episodes.

The CDC also reports teens and children who began drinking before they turn 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse. This is compared to people who wait to sample an alcoholic beverage when they reach the legal drinking age of 21.

Other youth consequences include: higher school absences, poor or failing grades, fighting, hangovers, illnesses, unplanned sex, physical and sexual assault, increased risk for suicide, homicide, car wrecks, burns, falls and drowning, memory problems, abusing other drugs, changes in brain development and fatal alcohol poisoning.

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) offers tips on broaching the difficult discussion of life decisions, peer pressure and destructive behavior with your teen.

To start the conversion, SADD recommends asking your teen about his or her concerns about alcohol, drugs, drinking and driving, sharing your views on alcohol and drugs, offering a story from your youth, talking about your drinking habits (sharing as much as you feel comfortable with), and showing your teen a news story involving a destructive decision. Then follow up by asking your child his or her opinion about the article.

SADD also recommends a "Contract for Life" between a parent and teen. The teen commits to doing his or her best to remain free from alcohol or drugs, not ride with an impaired driver, always wear a seatbelt, and call his or her parent for a ride if they're in an unsafe situation.

Adults pledge to provide their teens with sober transportation home if needed, to delay talks about the situation to a later date, and not drink and drive.

Hosting and attending an underage drinking party is a bad idea all around. We encourage you and your family to encourage an alcohol-free party to reduce accidents. After a family gathering, send you teen to a substance-free party for graduates.

Some tips on holding a substance-free "All-Nighter" include developing a theme, offering fun and unique activities that everyone can enjoy, be open to different locations for the party, and showing a photo slide show of seniors to top off the event.

"All Nighter" parties work well because youth don't have to "lose face" by declining alcohol, according to SADD. The option is removed because the party is alcohol free. Removing access to alcohol is also key to keeping youth safe. We recommend you remove alcohol from your cabinets, refrigerator and garage before your child's graduation party.

Editor's note: This editorial originally ran last year in the Columbia Basin Herald around graduation time. We think the message is worth sharing again. Please share the article with friends and family.

- Editorial Board