My name is Emily. I am an alcoholic/addict in recovery. Having some experience working in the field I have learned that most alcoholics began drinking in their teens. Statistics show that underage drinkers have an 80% higher chance of becoming alcoholics than those who take their first drink at age 21. It is up to me and other alcoholics/addicts in recovery to educate our parents and children about the risks involved in underage drinking.
Surely most of us who began drinking in our teens remember those “cool” parents who bought us booze. If we were lucky they smoked us out too. I remember believing that my friend had it made. His mom smoked us out on a daily basis and regularly supplied us with a fridge full of beer, granted we paid for it. I respected her for being so nice to all of us. She provided us with a place to go any hour of the day. She became “mom” to me and 9 other kids in the neighborhood who basically lived at her place whenever they could break away from their parents.
We smoked pot, got drunk, did acid, shroomed and spent the night partying from age 13 until most of us had dropped out, became pregnant, got messed up on drugs or married at 18. Fortunately for us, we were lucky no one died while in her care. However, I can’t count how many times I or someone else blacked out or got sick from alcohol poisoning and excessive drug use. Her son, now 31, still lives at home with her and is an alcoholic and cocaine addict. All 9 of us who regularly partied in her home became alcoholics and 7 out of 9 of us became drug addicts. Not until I became sober did I realize she was not as “cool” as I’d once thought. I realized, sadly, how much she’d contributed to the chaos alcohol and drugs have created in my life.
I believe she had a responsibility to her son that she failed to meet. As a parent, that responsibility is now my own. It is up to me to provide a home environment that does not lead my child down a path of self-destruction, misery and pain. For those of us who are alcoholics and addicts in recovery, or those of us who are adult children of alcoholics, it is up to us to set up new expectations of ourselves.
Members of twelve step groups around the nation are working together to educate pre-teens and their parents of how “uncool” it is to drink or do drugs with adults. Flyers are being printed and distributed and assemblies are being held to discuss this subject. Alcoholics are sharing their stories about where they started and where they ended up, in part, due to the negative influence they had in childhood.
Our hope is that teens will consider, even if briefly, the many risks involved in underage drinking. We want them to recognize that adults who provide or allow their use do not have their best interests in mind. In fact, oftentimes, their motives are quite selfish and can lead to severe consequences such as abuse, victimization and rape. Of course there are severe consequences for adults who allow underage drinking such as legal problems and being responsible for over-doses.
The costs of educating parents and teens are minimal. AA, CA and NA are non-profit organizations that provide us with numerous volunteers who are willing to share their stories. Also, treatment centers across the nation have employees and counselors who volunteer their time. The major expenses involved are the flyers, brochures and employees who coordinate the assemblies. Approximately $250,000 per year is spent on these costs. These expenses are largely funded by donations given during assemblies. The costs are minimal and the rewards immeasurable.
