Alcohol Prevention

michaelMay 23, 2019comment (0)

Celebrate Safely: 5 Reasons to Not Drink on Prom Night

The time of the year is here when thousands of teenagers are preparing to go to the biggest dance of their adolescent years – the prom. Every little thing is being taken care of – from finding the perfect tuxedo and dress to asking out your crush to the dance and deciding where to go for dinner after the event – every little detail is of great importance. So, when so much time and energy is being invested in making this special night perfect, why mar it by consuming alcohol? Here are five reasons why alcohol prevention is ideal for prom night, as it will allow you to enjoy the company of your date and your friends as well as spending the night safely.

Reasons to Not Drink on Prom Night

While Prom night is treated as a very exciting night, there are many real dangers lurking behind all the excitement and glamor. It is one night when the kids are excited and the parents are extremely concerned about their safety, and with good reason. Did you know that the 1/3rd of alcohol-related traffic accidents take place between April and June, which is the prom and graduation season?

So, take some time to read through the five reasons why you should not drink on your prom night.

1. To Remember the Special Night:

Alcohol can mess up your memory. The more you drink, the more are the chances of you forgetting how you spent your prom night. Your memories will be fuzzy and not worth anything. In case you black out, you are more likely to not remember anything from the night before except for the pre-prom picture you took with your date.

Prom night is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion and alcohol prevention will help you to enjoy it to the fullest. Do you want to spend the last chance of having pure carefree fun with your high school friends in a daze, just for alcohol – something you can drink occasionally all your adult life? By choosing to refrain from drinking alcohol, you will not only be left with unforgettable moments but will also avoid a terrible hangover that will haunt you the next morning.

2. To Avoid Drunk Driving:

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), 87 percent of teenagers stated that their friends are more likely to drive themselves home after consuming alcohol than call their parents to give them a ride. Apart from this, almost 19 percent of teenagers claimed that they have ridden a car being driven by a drunk person, rather than calling home.

As a matter of fact, 90 percent of the teenagers expect that their friends will drink and drive at prom night. Going by these statistics, it can be said that the kids drinking at their prom night will be more likely to drive themselves back than to call their parents for a ride. Drunk driving increases the risk of road fatalities significantly and will mar the most special night of your life.

3. To Have a Fun Night:

Most teenagers drink alcohol on prom night thinking that it will make their prom experience more exciting and fun. However, this notion is far from the truth. Alcohol works as a stimulant and therefore intensifies the emotions that you are feeling right now. A drunk person will quickly get very angry or sad. So, after a few drinks, you may cry your guts out in the bathroom stall over small things that happened a long time ago or you may get into a fight with your batchmates over the most trivial things. Is this how you want to spend your prom? Let’s spare ourselves that horror and enjoy a healthy prom where you are conscious of the decisions you are making and have a check on your emotions.

4. To Avoid Making a Fool of Yourself:

While you can make a fool of yourself in a number of different ways without touching alcohol, getting wasted is the worst way possible. It not only tarnishes your reputation but also wreaks havoc on your health. You will feel dizzy and extremely hungover the next morning and that too would not be an enjoyable experience. Do you want to be that girl or boy who had to be carried out from prom night? So, stay away from alcohol and enjoy the prom.

5. To Keep Your Future Safe:

Alcohol prevention on prom night will keep you from making poor decisions. While this may sound dramatic, drinking on prom night can affect your future deeply. Drunk driving can earn you a DUI charge just before you are all set to go to college, tarnishing your record. Intoxication can also impair your judgment, making you do things that you would go on to regret later. Drunk driving prevention would not only keep you safe but will also keep the roads safe from possible accidents. Moreover, you will not have to begin your adult life with a DUI charge or worse.

In Conclusion:

You may think that everyone will be drinking on the prom night, and some might indeed do so. However, it does not mean that you have to. Prom night can be enjoyed without drinking alcohol, all you need to do is to get dressed and dance like there is no tomorrow with your date or friends.

michaelApril 24, 2019comment (0)

Alcohol Prevention Among Adolescents: An Overview

The abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol among adolescents continues to be a major global problem, faced by countries all over the world including the US. It is estimated that every year, more than 2.5 million people die due to alcohol-related complications. Excessive alcohol consumption is a growing problem in many countries of the world.

Problems Caused by Alcohol Abuse

The number of people who die because of alcohol abuse is several times more than the number of people killed by the consumption of cocaine, heroin, and other class A drugs. Apart from causing death, alcohol abuse can also have several long-term consequences for the addict as well as for their family and friends. This is because alcohol addiction can lead to violence, criminal behavior, accidents, and many more personal and societal issues.

Alcohol addiction is also hard to treat and quite expensive, which creates a financial burden on society. Due to the cost, a relatively small minority of addicts ever receive treatment for their condition, which further exacerbates the problem.

According to various studies, a high correlation exists between adolescent alcohol abuse and long term addiction and alcoholism during adulthood. This points to the fact that many adult alcoholics started quite early on the path of substance abuse. Adolescent alcohol abuse may also lead to academic under-achievement, teenage pregnancy, depression, and delinquency.

The Need for Prevention and Intervention

Mentioned above are some of the major risk factors associated with adolescent alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is also a leading cause of suicide in teenagers and young adults. Therefore, alcohol prevention programs that minimize the risk factors leading to addiction, through school, family, and community intervention, are the need of the hour. Such school-based prevention programs can play an instrumental role in saving future generations from the ruinous clutches of alcoholism.

Identifying Risk Factors

The first step towards preventing teenage alcoholism is identifying the factors that usually push youngsters towards substance abuse. Many of these factors are modifiable or entirely preventable. Some risk factors associated with adolescent alcohol usage are:

Early exposure to alcohol and other addictive substances.
Poor parenting or proximity with alcoholic family members.
Influence of friends and peer groups.
Socioeconomic status of the family and the community as a whole.
Biological or genetic predisposition towards addiction.
Mental illness among family members or guardians.

Knowing about these risk factors and being aware of their effects on an adolescent is essential for effective alcohol prevention. Schools, community workers, family members, and healthcare professionals can then work together to identify and help at-risk youth as well as trying to minimize the risk factors in their environment. It has also been found that adverse childhood experiences such as abuse and neglect can significantly enhance the risk of teenage alcohol abuse.

Alcohol Prevention Programs

Drug and alcohol prevention programs in schools are extremely essential in the modern world. However, there are certain key factors that need to be present in order for these programs to be effective. Some of the factors that can enhance the effectiveness of an alcohol prevention program have been mentioned below:

Program coordinators must proactively identify and address risk factors. Students who are thought to be at risk of alcohol abuse or addiction should be counseled and their situation assessed on a one-on-one basis. Then, personalized help and guidance should be provided to these individuals to help them overcome the lure or substance abuse.
Program coordinators must also provide accurate and developmentally appropriate information to the adolescents, in accordance with their age and maturity levels. No alcohol prevention program can be successful without transparency and the dissemination of accurate and relevant information, as there would be a lack of trust between the teenagers and their mentors.
Moreover, young adults must be made aware of the various pressures that they might face when it comes to alcohol and drug consumption. Therefore, the alcohol prevention program must help teenagers recognize and resist peer pressure promoting substance abuse. They must be taught how to effectively handle potentially risky situations without succumbing to peer pressure.
Another important factor when it comes to alcohol prevention is personal and social skill development. Teenagers must be taught how to handle their own negative emotions, such as fear, insecurity, loneliness, anxiety, and depression, without resorting to alcoholism. Moreover, they must be taught effective social skills that will help them avoid alcohol consumption and seek help for any problems that they might be having.

In Conclusion

A successful alcohol prevention program must incorporate all or most of the above-mentioned characteristics. Such a program might be delivered to adolescents through schools, community centers, healthcare facilities, etc. According to a 2010 study, both family and community intervention can play a pivotal role in minimizing the risk of adolescent drug and alcohol abuse.

An effective school or community-based alcohol prevention program can change the destiny of individuals and communities as a whole, which makes such programs a very valuable investment in the future of the country and the world.