As the school year continues to dwindle down, a busy time approaches for local youth. Spring break, prom and graduation parties mark the end of school and the beginning of summer, and they also tend to be a time where teen drinking becomes more prevalent.
In combined efforts between Lake Orion Community Schools, Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Lake Orion Police and Judge Lisa Asadoorian of 52-3 District Court, alcohol awareness efforts, for both parents and teens, are increasing.
‘Most of our prevention is education about drug and alcohol awareness,? said substance abuse prevention advisor Michele Novak. ‘We do it throughout the year, but one major reason that we might step it up a little more is because of graduation parties, prom and spring break, which are three high-targeted, popular times to drink.?
Next week marks spring break for Lake Orion Community Schools and for some students, it also means supervised and unsupervised trips out of the state or country. Popular destination spots include Florida, Texas and Cancun.
Some of these places are chosen for their more ‘relaxed? drinking laws, but Novak cautions students that the United States drinking age is 21 for a reason.
‘First and foremost, the reason why we have a drinking age of 21 is because you’re biological, chemical development is not developed yet,? she said. ‘The younger you drink, the more chance of becoming chemically dependent you become. At 14 years old, drinking one beer is very serious, it’s like a 30-year-old consuming a case of beer a day.?
‘When you are that young, your body becomes chemically dependent quicker, so when you’re 15, 16, 18-years-old, drinking one beer, two beers, you have a chance of becoming addicted so much more quicker than someone over the age of 21.?
Novak said that statistics and research show that the younger you are trying these substances, the quicker you’re going to get onto something ‘bigger and better.?
‘It generally starts with tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, from there on,? she added.
According to information released by the Oakland Country Health Division ? Office of Substance abuse, spring break is not only a time when drinking occurs, but more seriously, when binge drinking occurs.
Binge drinking is described as having five or more drinks for a male, and four or more drinks for a female, in one sitting. A 2006 survey from the American Medical Association found that 83 percent of survey participants ‘agreed that spring break trips involve more or greater drinking than what already occurs on college campuses.? Simply put, binge drinking affects high school and college students alike.
‘Underage alcohol use is a risky behavior ? whether a student goes on spring break or not, we know that an underage person drinking anywhere can result in devastating consequences,? said Lisa McKay Chiasson, Chief of Oakland County Health Division ? Office of Substance Abuse Services.
Alcohol use aside, Novak wants students to remember that if you are going out of the country on spring break, you aren’t a citizen there and you don’t have any rights.
‘After spring break, you can open up any newspaper in the country and be able to read about people not coming back because the police down there have their own rules and their own laws, and they will do whatever they want to do to you,? she said. ‘So if you go down there, there might be a stipulation in their rules or their ordinances about not jaywalking and you cross the street the wrong way, you could end up in jail.?
‘Remember when you go there, you are giving up all rights. I hope that the tools you have been given, and the discipline that you have earned, will help you make positive decisions. I hope you’re safe, I hope you come back safe.?
Check out next week’s issue of The Lake Orion Review for the next part in this three part series. Next week: The consequences of underage drinking for children and for the parents that allow it.