Last week a great deal of our discussion centered around teens and drinking. It should. UnderAge Drinking is a dangerous activity, particularly "Binge Drinking." It was a coincidence that my daughter Catherine received a 21st birthday card from OU Friday. It opened with "Celebrate, Sooner Style." The inside message: SOONERS Celebrate Responsibly.
In colleges all over America it is an accepted practice to celebrate "being legal" at a popular bar.
There, the birthday boy or girl orders shots, 21 of them. Each shot is drunk with enthusiastic cheering on from friends. Needless to say, the night ends messy at the least and deadly at the worst.
OU has begun a very aggressive campaign against both underage and binge drinking. It was begun in earnest in 2005, after a freshman pledge at the Sigma Chi house died from alcohol poisoning. The card my daughter received from President Boren and Dean of Students, Clarke Stroud was yet another example of how much good information is available for our kids.
Here is some of what is included in the birthday card.
Know the Signs of Alcohol Poisoning:
*Unconsciousness
*Slow Respiration (less than 8 breaths a minute)
*Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin
*Vomiting while passed out/not waking up after vomiting
*When in doubt...call 911
If You Even Think That Someone Has
Alcohol Poisoning
Call 911 Immediately!
*Do Not Leave the Person Alone
*Roll person on side to prevent choking
*Monitor the person's airway, breathing and circulation until help arrives
Make Smart Choices
*Drinking is a choice.....yours
*Look for alternatives to alcohol with creative food and drink, and activities that do not involve drinking
*Never Drink and Drive
*If you choose to drink, do not over-consume. Switch or alternate with soft-drinks or water
*Eat before and snack during the party
*Be aware: Alcohol absorption can be effected by age, weight, medical conditions, medications and other factors
*Use your own I.D. Do not let anyone else use your I.D.
*If you choose to drink, you must be 21
*Help others make smart choices
Further information is given regarding saferide in the Norman area and a number for help with alcohol issues. They also indicate the web page for OU's Alcohol Policy.
OU students are all very familiar with the policy. It is three strikes and then, you're Out. Most students feel the Campus Police are overly aggressive in citing infractions. Of course they do. Drinking is something many have been doing since they were 15. Lots of drinking.
I applaud the alcohol education MHS offered our high school kids last week. I am grateful for OU's increased emphasis on safety and drinking responsibly with their students. MADD and SADD and The Victims Panel and Police Programs and counselors and AA...the list of help and education available is impressive. The question is , is any of it reaching our kids?
7 comments:
This information should be required reading for anyone between 13 and 21. I have seen too many kids at the ER who are just lucky someone figured they weren't just passed out...they were in danger of dying.
It should be like calling if you need a ride...no reprisals...
call for help if you think someone has had a dangerous amount to drink.
Hats off To OU for seeing this as a priority. Too many colleges choose to ignore the issue.
You have focused alot on the Prom, but no one really ever mention grduation night. Is there a danger for graduating seniors?
It was pretty quiet with my 4....we had a party with families after the first graduated. Maybe plan something with friends and their parents..Second child we had pick-up food and set up tables in the back yard, , another year friends cooked hamburgers and had a DG, last year the kids went to a pool party..not exactly supervised but parents were there.
I would just want to know what and where and when if there is a party planned....as always, bad things can happen at any time and hopefully we have given our kids the tools to make the right decisions. Seniors are going to be on their own at college pretty quickly. I just keep my fingers crossed all the time!!!!Congratulations on your graduate by the way!! C
did you see that parents were arrested in Edmond for serving liquor at a high school graduation party? That ought to be warning enough about serving underage kids, even if moral and safety concerns are not an issue for a particular parent.
if people are stupid enough to serve underage kids, they should be arrested. It is infuriating.
I may be out on limb here but I really don't "know" any Muskogee parents who serve booze to under age kids. Maybe there are few but surely with all the media,liability
exposure, and just common sense issues this is rare.
Honestly, the best thing that ever happened in Muskogee was MHS toughening the penalty for being caught drinking at a school event. When kids and the parents were more aware of a near semester spent at MAPS, they also became more aware of the overall consequences of underage drinking.
But, don't be pacified into thinking that just because parents aren't supplying it, kids aren't drinking. Parents used to think they were safe if they let the kids drink at home and supplied it, like at least they knew where their kids were. So where ARE kids still getting liquor? Now they are much sneakier about it, such as the many conversations we have had here about drinking cough syrup. But they are still getting it from somewhere - the usual round of suspects: fake ID, your own liquor cabinet, have an older sibling or friends buy it...
Project Under 21 sends underaged kids into stores to purchase beer/liquor with a policeman waiting outside. It's a good way to keep tabs on stores that don't ID.
They were also checking for liquor on students' breath at the Prom. Truly, the school toughening consequences for drinking has made everyone more aware - it's the best thing that has happened in school reform. It may not feel like it while the student is there, but I would go so far as to say it may have saved some people's lives.
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