As the school year starts, teens need to know the dangers of a D.U.I. arrest

DUI-arrest-photoNeither curiosity about drinking nor the number of students who experiment with alcohol may be much different at Corona del Sol than at other high schools around the country.

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“I would say that about six out of every 10 kids I knew during my senior year drank alcohol at least once a month,” said one 2008 Corona graduate.

Others agreed, including many who said that alcohol use went up yet further during their first year of college.

Nationwide, more than 75 percent of deaths between the ages of 10-24 can be traced to three, often preventable, causes. Statistics list unintentional injury, homicide and suicide as the leading causes of death in this age bracket.

The number one cause of death in the U.S., however—about 40 percent—is automobile accidents, in which drinking often plays a role.

Consistent with that statistic are studies showing that the most prevalent behavior putting young people at risk is alcohol abuse. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, almost 80 percent of high school students and over 90 percent of college students have tried alcohol.

Parents don’t often realize just how available alcohol is to their children. They also may not realize how young children are when they begin to experiment.

Drinking often starts at a young age. Approximately 50 percent of adolescents, according to national statistical results, have had at least one drink before high school. More than 20 percent of these say they have been “drunk” while in middle school.

Parents who discover they may be in denial over their children’s use of alcohol are not alone. It’s hard to think that something like this is really happening in their kid’s school or life.

“We used to have parties all the time when I was in the eighth grade where alcohol was available if we wanted to drink,” said one Corona student. “Heck, we often just ‘borrowed’ from the parents.”

“Several times kids would have parties at (some friends’) house when their parents were out of town,” said another Corona graduate. “It was amazing how fast a party could be organized when a house became available.”

“One time I managed to throw a kick-butt party with just an hour’s notice when I found out my parents were going to be gone for only eight hours one weekend,” recalled one Corona student.

In 2008, 64 percent of eighth graders reported that alcohol is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to get, according to the national organization Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

The rate of alcohol use increases with age. About half of the senior high school students drink alcohol monthly, with 14 percent having been intoxicated at least once in the past year. Statistically nearly 10 percent of teens who drink say they drink five or more alcoholic drinks in a row (binge drinking).

“I don’t know what the average is but I’d say that when we play beer pong (a popular drinking game), the guys drink at least five beers each,” said another Corona graduate.

According to an alcohol study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, 82 percent of college students under the age of 21 report drinking alcohol within the past year and 69 percent within the last 30 days.

Statistics also show that by the ages of 19-20, 70 percent of all drinkers engage in heavy drinking (having had five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of five or more days in the past 30 days).

These results suggest that the majority of young people are at a greater risk of making poor decisions that could have a significant long-term consequence to themselves and their families.

Someone is killed by a drunk driver about every 40 minutes in the United States which added up to almost 13,000 in 2007, according to MADD.

Of these deaths, almost 2,000 involved underage drinking. Some sort of alcohol use is involved in nearly half of all violent deaths involving teens.

Besides being involved in an automobile accident, alcohol has several other dangerous effects on young users.

Alcohol affects your brain and decreases your ability to pay attention. Thousands of first-year college students will either drop or flunk out of their first year of school. Several academic studies point to alcohol or drug abuse as one of the main reasons students leave school.

In the same Harvard School of Public Health study, almost a third of college students admitted to having to miss at least one class because of their alcohol or drug use and nearly a fourth of the students surveyed reported bombing a test or project because of the after effects of drinking.

The ability to think abstractly for up to 30 days after one night of heavy drinking can impair your concentration and thought process in and out of class. Excessive drinking can lead to memory lapses and distorted vision.

Drinking is also expensive. Each year college students as a group spend more than $6 billion on alcohol—more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee or books combined, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

Excessive alcohol consumption also can cause or mask other emotional problems like anxiety or depression. Acute alcohol use is associated with suicide and is an important risk factor for suicidal behavior. Intoxicated people are more likely to attempt suicide using more lethal methods, according to one national study.

More than three times the number of eighth-grade girls who drink heavily said they have attempted suicide compared to girls in that grade who do not drink according to NCADI, the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

Drinking can lead to unsafe activities, too. Teens and college students who drink are more likely to engage in sexual activity, have unprotected sex, or have sex with a stranger. This activity can expose them to sexually transmitted diseases or cause unwanted pregnancies.

Legal ramifications

Underage drinking is a serious predicament that can lead to heavy fines and a criminal misdemeanor conviction, which is a record that will show up on any background check and can potentially jeopardize college admission, scholarship money and future job prospects.

Longterm effects of even a minor conviction can include such problems as travel restrictions and difficulty qualifying for government jobs.

Minor consumption of alcohol (also known as MIP) is one of the most common charges heard in the Arizona juvenile courts and adult courtrooms for college-age students.

The law states that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to consume alcoholic beverages. For anyone under the age of 18, your case will usually be heard in juvenile court. Offenders over 18 are tried as adults.

Arizona imposes serious penalties if you are convicted of an MIP. Fines and court charges can escalate to a maximum of $2,500 and you could face up to six months in jail. The most serious ramification of a conviction for an underage alcohol offense, however, is that it can stay on your records for a long time.

For minors found guilty in Juvenile Court, penalties can include time in detention, probation, alcohol counseling, community service, even placement in drug-treatment programs or the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections if the case is deemed serious enough.

If you are tried as an adult you will face a two-year mandatory license suspension along with fines, possible jail and probation. You may receive a restricted driving permit that allows you to drive to and from work or school but nowhere else.

In addition to the fines and court cases, you may face inflated premiums and limited coverage on your car insurance.

Alcohol-related cases for college students present enough of a problem in Arizona that both Arizona State University and the University of Arizona offer advice through their student legal assistance program to help enrolled students deal with MIP and other types of violations.

Websites for both schools discuss diversion programs that have been set up to help young people caught with alcohol to lessen fines and often clear records of defendants who complete diversion sessions.

For instance, the U of A site at http://legal.asua.arizona.edu/misdemeanor.html tells students exactly what they should do and how to apply for a diversion program. Even the tone of the website makes it sound like getting a MIP is a common occurrence.

On July 1, Phoenix instigated an Underage Drinking and Alcohol Possession Diversion Program by which the city agrees to drop fines and clear records of defendants who complete the program. You need to plead guilty to your alcohol-related charges and enroll within five days of signing a plea agreement.

The process can take up to six months, involve 16 hours of classes, an exit interview and attendance at an impact panel, but offers defendants the chance to put their lives back on track and become law-abiding citizens. The fee is $225 but the city figures it will save taxpayer dollars avoiding timely and expensive trials.

Other municipalities are keeping an eye on the Phoenix program to see how well it works. As of July 1, more than 150 defendants already had enrolled, with an expected increase to 500 a year.

One common misconception about underage drinking is that you need to be at a party to be arrested. Police can approach you, ask for your identification and test you for alcohol consumption in any public place.

Among the most popular places for police to target are after-hours eating establishments, like 24-hour Mexican food take-outs.

“I was going home one early Saturday morning, about 2 a.m., thinking about getting some rolled tacos at Armando’s,” said one ASU student.

“I was just about to pull in when I found six Tempe police cars blocking all parking entrances. I later found out that police arresting underage drinkers trying to get late-night food is a common occurrence.”

What’s a parent to do?

What can you do to help prevent this detrimental behavior and its consequences, even if you don’t suspect your middle- or high-school student is drinking alcohol?

Get educated. Gather as much information as you can about alcohol use by teenagers. There is an abundance of information on the Internet but you can also call NCADI for free pamphlets and fact sheets at 800-788-2800.

Take action now. Be aware that your child is going to have the opportunity to drink alcohol at some point, whether it’s in middle school, high school or college and try to open up the dialogue about teenage drinking before it happens.

Use the knowledge you gained to introduce the subject without lecturing or arguing, and try not to make the discussion an inquisition. Use it as an opportunity to connect with your teen.

Get in the habit of monitoring your child’s activities and friends starting at an early age. Always ask Who? What? Where? When? Just because your adolescents are too old for daycare does not mean they always make good choices. Make it your job to be aware of what your child is doing and who he/she is hanging out with. Remember that the hours after school and before parents get off work are often the time when teenagers get involved in risky activities.

“Almost once a month we would go hang out at this one kid’s house after school when his parents were at work,” said one Corona graduate. “We played poker and drank beer. His parents never found out, that I know of anyway.”

How can you tell if your child is already abusing alcohol? Watch for teenagers to lie, make excuses, break curfew, stay in their room, become verbally or physically abusive, smell of alcohol, have mood swings, start stealing, or change friends. Also keep an eye out for alcohol-related items in their possession.

If you already have a suspicion that your teen is experimenting with alcohol, have a discussion and get more information. You need to let your son or daughter know that you’re aware of the drinking.

Be prepared and practice what you will say. Wait until you are calm and have plenty of time to talk with your teen. Don’t expect them to admit to having a problem but anticipate that there’s a likelihood they’ll get angry and try to change the subject.

Be specific about what you have observed and why it is causing you concern. Tell your child what you see and how you feel about it. Be explicit about the things you have observed that are causing you concern. Explain exactly how his/her behavior or appearance has changed and why it worries you.

Keep in mind that you are the parent exercising your rights but at the same time let your child know that you care and that you are there to listen to him/her. Let him/her know you are worried and concerned but you want them to help and to be part of the solution.

Gather information about your teenager’s drinking experience. Without pointing fingers, try to find out how your child got started drinking alcohol. Did friends offer him/her drinks at a party or school. Did they try it out of curiosity or for some other reason? Reflect with your child on why he/she is drinking alcohol and try to understand the reasons so that you can help solve the problem.

Develop an action plan once you get a better idea of the situation. It may involve setting new rules and consequences that are reasonable and enforceable such as a new curfew, no cell phone or computer privileges for a period of time or less time hanging out with friends.

You may want to get your teenager involved in some pro-social activities or think of other ways to keep him/her busy and help them meet new friends.

Keep the lines of communication open. Let your child know that you will be having this discussion in the future, and make sure you follow through. Talking to your teenager about alcohol abuse is not a one-time event.

For teens: how to tell if you have a drinking problem

If you are a teenager or young adult who regularly drinks, how can you tell if you have a problem with alcohol abuse?

Here are a few warning signs that you or someone you know may have an alcohol abuse problem.

Relying on alcohol to have fun, forget problems or relax.

Performing differently in school (such as grades dropping and missing classes).

Losing interest in activities that used to be important.

Withdrawing or keeping secrets from family or friends.

Building an increased tolerance to alcohol—gradually needing more and more of the substance to get the same feeling.

Lying, stealing or selling stuff to get money for alcohol.

Building an increased tolerance to alcohol where you gradually need more and more to get the same feeling.

Having blackouts where you don’t remember what happened when you were drinking.

Drinking while you are alone.

Most of the time young people may not even recognize that they have a problem so it’s often up to friends and family to step in and help.

If you find yourself in this situation realize most people find it hard to quite drinking without help. Find someone, preferably an adult, that you trust who can support and help you deal with your problem.

There are lots of resources available for teenagers who have alcohol abuse problems, including Alcoholics Anonymous, which offers information and recovery programs for teens.

Many young people and their parents often think that social drinking is nothing to worry about, but with Arizona’s current legal environment, underage drinking and drinking while driving whether you are underage or not, can have dire consequences.

The issue of DUI’s will be covered in a future article.

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