Adults: Celebrate your grads alcohol and drug free

We are in the graduation season. It’s time to celebrate the achievements of our graduates from preschool to college.

Families and friends will honor these young achievers with parties and open houses, large and small. These gatherings will overflow with plenty of food, smiles and chatter.

What should not be overflowing is the alcohol, especially at the parties where no parents, guardians or responsible adults are present.

In our county’s history and traditions, it is known that such parties are held – parties that are for the graduate and his/her friends only – and alcohol is provided by a parent, guardian or another adult. Some parents have even said that they would rather their child drink at home than somewhere else.

Remember that it is against the law for anyone younger than 21 to drink alcohol. And drug substances, like marijuana, are illegal for anyone to use recreationally in Indiana.

Also remember that every other young person attending the party at your house is away from his/her home, away from his/her own parent. If you would rather your child drink at home, why are you providing alcohol to someone else’s child who is away from his/her home? A recent parents survey conducted by CARES found that 98 percent of the parents surveyed said they do not approve of another parent hosting a party for youth with alcohol available.

In that same study, 89 percent of those surveyed believe that parents set the example for the youth with their drinking behavior. And 86 percent of the parents felt that youth alcohol use in Dubois County is a real problem.

There was a period of time when Dubois County’s graduation season each year was marked by a tragedy – a student dying or being seriously injured in an accident where substance use was involved. Most of those were alcohol-related.

Please think about all of this before you decide to host a party for young people in your home that has alcohol available to them. And be very much aware of parties and get-togethers your kids are going to. Ask if there will be alcohol at the party. Ask if the parents or the homeowners will be there. And most of all, talk to your youth about the potential dangers of alcohol use. Discourage them from partaking in such a drink at any party they attend. Most people think they can handle their liquor. Not only is being in a drunken state embarrassing, it can be dangerous.

Families can celebrate their young people’s accomplishments without breaking out the bubbly or sharing the liquor. Let’s keep the focus on the graduates, and take the focus away from alcohol.

If you would like more information on how to encourage our young people to remain alcohol and drug-free, contact Dubois County CARES at 812-827-8464 or at duboiscountycares@gmail.com.