Teach Your Teen to Think, Not Drink

Get the point across by sharing facts about alcohol’s effects on the body

It’s the season for proms and graduations, and alcohol is a frequent guest at the party. In the excitement of the moment, teens easily can ignore the dangers of drunk driving, so it pays to talk to your children about this vital topic ahead of time. “Nearly one-quarter of all 16- to 20-year-old drivers killed in car crashes had been drinking, and motor vehicle accidents are the number-one cause of teen deaths in this country,” says Diana Heckman, executive director of ALERT Partnership.*

How do you get through to your teen? Pull out the facts about alcohol’s effects on the body. (ALERT and others provide this information on wallet-sized cards; see Want to Know More? at right.) Many people—and not just teens—underestimate how little it takes for impairment. For example, just two drinks can cause impaired balance, blurred vision and reduced judgment in a 115-pound adolescent girl.

The effect of blood-alcohol content varies by weight, gender and the individual person, says Karen Forbes, director of counseling services at Lafayette College. “Even if your blood-alcohol content is under the legal limit,” she says, “remember that it is NEVER safe to drink and drive.”

Heckman agrees: “Drinking and driving is foolishly risky. If you’re the parent of a teen-ager, getting this point across can mean the difference between life and death.”

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