Thanks to the Journal Sentinel series Wasted in Wisconsin, I think a lot of necessary attention is being turned to drunk driving.
I’m highly aware of alcohol issues because I work for IMPACT. We assess convicted drunk drivers to determine if they have major alcohol problems; and if they do, we connect them with treatment. If they don’t – which surprisingly, is about 50% of the people convicted of DUI – we connect them to education with the hopes of preventing future offenses. We do similar assessments and referrals that are free for people who think they might have a problem, or know someone who has a problem with drinking or drugs. We also run a substance abuse prevention program for elementary through high school kids.
All that to say, that in the nine years I've been working for IMPACT, my awareness about drinking has grown by leaps and bounds; and it really should have, since I write grant requests for a lot of what we do.
Leave it to GG to show me how little I know: 60 Minutes aired a story about a movement to bring the drinking age BACK DOWN TO 18. Hmmmm. They highlighted the sad story of a college student who, along with his fraternity brothers were binge drinking. He passed out and his friends couldn’t wake him up, so they moved him to the library steps where he was found unresponsive. He was never revived. It was heartbreaking -- and it is heartbreaking, because stories like this are all too common.
I didn’t know that GG was paying any attention because all the while she was drawing on her doodle board; but a few minutes into the story, she showed me a picture that she had drawn about the student, saying that he shouldn’t have had “all those cups of beer.” I knew this was a “teachable moment,” but I wasn’t sure what to say. I mean, really, her dad and I have a beer or glass or wine here and there, so I didn’t tell her that drinking is altogether wrong; instead we talked about choices…and how having too much of anything is never healthy or safe. Then I told her to think about the choices that the student and his friends should have made, and to draw a picture about those choices. She didn’t let me down: one scene was of the boy smiling with his friends because they called 9-1-1 to help him, and another scene was about him at the party having fun because he didn't drink “too many cups of beer.”
Like I told GG, it’s all about the choices we make, and her job right now is to practice making smart little choices, so when she’s gets bigger, she’ll be able to make smart big choices. And even though I personally feel our community has a lot to learn about safe drinking, I don’t think it’s too late for us to begin making smart choices too.
TALK BACK: Do you talk to your kids about alcohol and/or drugs? What are some of the things that you tell them? Do you think the drinking age should be rolled back to 18?
Handy Resources: If you or someone you care about has an alcohol or drug problem, call IMPACT for a free confidential assessment at 414-256-4808. You can also take a quiz to see if you have a problem. Just click here.
Got kids and wondering how to talk to them about alcohol & other drugs? Here are some tips from IMPACT’s Prepared Parent booklet. The tips below are for the “Beginning School Years,” but if you’d like a free copy that includes every grade through high school, shoot me an email or call IMPACT at 414-256-4808.
For Grades K - 3
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Teach what “good” and “bad” things are for the body (healthy foods, harmful household poisons)
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Teach them to only to take medicines that are prescribed specifically for them
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Give them opportunities to practice making decisions by choosing clothes, foods, and games to play
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Establish and reinforce limits. They learn behaviors you expect from them
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Turn frustration that occurs while playing with a friend into an opportunity to problem solve
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Introduce concepts of legality and danger: People can go to jail for using drugs, get injured and die
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Explain that the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs can be difficult to stop
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Encourage and praise good decisions (i.e. wearing helmet, healthy snacks, thinking safety first)
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Establish family ground rules, “It is never OK for you to use drugs, tobacco or alcohol”
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BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL. Don’t make drinking a focus of social gatherings when kids are present
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Help your child explore ways to express their feelings (communicate through drawing, writing)
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Give your kids the power to escape from situations that make them feel uncomfortable or upset
