LETTER: Underage drinkers need to stay smart

This is the last in a series of short essays on Somerset County’s efforts to help residents combat underage drinking and driving, and to celebrate the holidays safely.

We have arrived at what many people consider the most festive time of the year, the five weeks that span Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. But that also means there are a lot of dangers lurking out there, especially for young adults who drink and drive.

Thankgiving weekend is an especially difficult time with so many young adults returning home from college. This may be the first time they are home since you moved them into their dorms in September. They are eager to see hometown friends, and since many of them — legally or not — have consumed alcohol while away at college, they think it’s OK to drink with friends.

National statistics show that adults 18 to 25 years old make up the largest group of consumers of alcohol in the U.S., with 11.4 percent of all alcohol consumers being under the age of 21. Particularly at risk are those who have already turned 20; they are so close to the legal drinking age — and probably out with friends who are already 21 — but still not legally old enough to drink.

Some of you may believe it is safer to serve underage drinkers a glass of wine or beer in your own home during a holiday celebration, rather than having them on the road trying to find a drink somewhere else. I am reminding parents, however, is that whether you want to be considered the “cool” parent and don’t consider serving minors in your home a terrible crime, or whether drinking is just a part of your holidays no matter what the age of your guests, you are accountable as a host of an “underage party” and for any other damages that occur in the aftermath.

So parents, remind your adult children that the rules of your house are “no drinking and driving.” Encourage them to be the “DD” among their group. Keep talking to them throughout the holiday season, even if you think they are not listening. Loss of a driver’s license, jail time, embarrassment on social media, or even worse, disability or death, cannot be erased once a hangover subsides.

At Princeton House Behavioral Health, research has shown that young adults with alcohol and drug issues fare better in treatment among their peers. So, too, are young adults more likely to indulge in safe behaviors if their friends do so. Encourage them to visit the web site of the Safe Communities Coalition of Somerset County at www.safecoalition.org or EmPoWER Somerset at www.empowersomerset.com to learn more about the HERO Campaign for designated drivers, the Ride Home2Nite taxi listing, or the Put it Down initiative to stop distracted driving.

My best wishes to you and your family for a safe holiday season.

Robyn Marks

Addiction Specialist/Community Relations Liaison

Princeton House Behavioral Health