War on Teen Alcohol Use
Everyone has heard the stories or been affected by them at one time or another. A group of teens get into a car after drinking alcohol and get into an accident…sometimes with fatal results. Members of the local high school sports team are caught drinking at a party. So-and-so’s parents are not home this weekend so that is were the party is going to be held. All of these things are heard at some point in any area of the United States on any given day. The problem is when it is heard in this community.
Each of these things have been heard numerous times and usually the question that is asked is this "WHY" would something like this happen? The question that should be asked is "WHAT" can the community do about this? And contrary to some thoughts, the war against underage drinking is both worthwhile and winnable. Here are some thoughts. When a teenager is asked why their peers (or themselves) use alcohol, there is a resounding series of answers that go in two directions. One is to fit in with their peers. But perhaps overwhelmingly, the second is that there is nothing else to do. These are by far the most popular answers to this question.
Fitting in has always been a problem. Finding a set of friends that will offer support and be there for you is paramount in the teenage years. Teens base most if not all of their self-esteem on what others think about them. And in most cases that is their friends. These are the same people that could very well be pressuring them to use alcohol. There are ways to fit in that do not involve using alcohol and kids do find them. There are more opportunities in the schools and community than ever before: sports, extracurricular activities, organizations, etc. The hard part is guiding kids in that direction.
Most kids, when asked, will tell about the lack of activities in Effingham County. The truth is this…there are many activities for teens in Effingham County. The problem is that teens tend to hold the belief that these activities should be gift wrapped and handed to them. And if it doesn’t involve light shows and major performing then it is "boring." Any activity is what you make of it not what it makes for you. Ask any parent what a two year old plays with first at Christmas: the toy or the wrapping paper/box and most times the wrapping paper or box is the answer. There are many resources out there waiting to be used by teens and most of them are assessable for little or no money.