Drink responsibly; lead by example

’Tis the season.

Every year during prom and graduation season we see an uptick in arrests in our Police Beat for minors consuming alcohol.

Underage drinking is a predictable problem this time of year. But it isn’t one we can afford to ignore.

There are consequences to alcohol misuse. And for underage drinking, there are special consequences that impact a teen’s ability to get a driver’s license, there are court appearances, fines, etc.

Maybe you’d planned to get a summer job before you were arrested for MCA. Now you can’t get your license, can’t drive to work, can’t save for a car, apartment or college.

By now, all of the Mat-Su Borough’s graduation ceremonies are complete — Burchell High and Mat-Su Central wrapped up the series with Monday night ceremonies.

Graduation is a time to celebrate and it usually includes drinking at this or that spot in the woods, under a bridge or at a family cabin. Trying to separate graduation and drinking is a fool’s errand.

But this doesn’t mean parents don’t have a role to play.

We told the story of one parent whose series of bad choices ultimately ended with the death of a 15-year-old boy.

This mother who planned the party, furnished the alcohol and drank and smoked marijuana with the teens now faces 23 misdemeanor charges stemming from that Point MacKenzie party last year.

Although the evidence seems to indicate the 15-year-old unlicensed driver was not impaired at the time, it’s not a stretch to think prosecutors had this fatal accident in mind when they filed the case against the parent who planned the party.

On the restrictive end of things, we have all heard stories of what happens when a teen who is given no information on how to handle alcohol has his or her first encounter. We spend a lot of time telling teens not to drink when what we really should do is teach them to drink responsibly — if they choose to drink at all.

So what is a parent of teenage child to do?

We think the best solution is to lead by example — model responsible alcohol use.

Talk to your teen about experimenting with alcohol and listen when they talk to you about their experiences with alcohol. Offer to be available at the other end of their cellphone — no matter the day or hour — to provide a safe ride home.

Making sure they make it home alive is the most important thing.

Mostly, teens get information about alcohol use from their peers, but they really need truthful, frank information about alcohol use — and its consequences — from trusted adults.

Too much alcohol is unhealthy at any age. Too much alcohol can be deadly at any age.

Now is the time to find a few quiet minutes with your teen and open a dialogue on your expectations for responsible alcohol use. Teenagers need to be able to talk to parents about hard subjects, such as alcohol use and safe sex.

Honesty will keep the lines open, help insure they have accurate information and keep them coming back when they’re confused.

Likely, your teen will mess up. But if you are lucky, it will be your phone they call first asking for a safe ride home.

Take the call. Drive them home.

If not, the next call you get could be from Alaska State Troopers saying your child has been arrested for MCA, or worse, has died from driving drunk.