Behind every party there’s a Problem

A typical high school party is in full swing as a varsity football player collects money to make a run to the liquor store using his home-made fake I.D. Teens move around, shouting over the pounding beat of music and various conversations. In the corner of the room there is a beautiful sixteen year old girl chatting with her friends about the latest high school buzz and about every fifteen minutes she takes a shot of whatever hard alcohol she can find. Three hours later the same girl is lying on a gurney at the local hospital as she fights for her life. Her sixteen year old body has been consumed with a poison and her blood alcohol content is more than two times the legal limit. The shots went from her lips and mouth, to her stomach, spleen and liver. She has alcohol poisoning and if she lives, her body will be recovering for the next six weeks. This is an unfortunate, but all too familiar situation that teenagers these days find themselves in after a night of partying. Teenagers “party” with alcohol and other drugs in all kinds of settings. They gather outdoors, on beaches, in parks, in family homes, in vehicles, and many other places. For the most part, these parties are unsupervised. Generally no one among the teenage partygoers takes responsibility for what goes on at the parties, and parental or other adult supervision is also absent. At these parties, too often adolescents engage in behaviors that are dangerous for themselves and others. Teen partying has become a growing problem in the United States, along with the growing numbers of underage drinking, illegal drug use, and increased sexual activity at a young age. Stronger action should be taken by law, by parents, communities, and school districts to prevent this crucial problem and control its’ already detrimental effects on health, our society, education, economy, and in the homes of America’s families.