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It is an ongoing teen movie plot: teens drinking and doing other inappropriate activities around prom and graduation time. According to www.aamva.org, "nearly half of all 15- to 20-year-olds killed in car crashes during prom season 2004 involved alcohol".
As students celebrate their end of the year with parties and alcohol, this can lead to a tragic end of some students' lives. There are several results that may happen if they continue to take risks. As students move from seniors in high school to college, many students want to attend a fantastic gathering with their friends; however, it can involve unsafe behavior at their celebration. Various situations can lead to underage drinking, drug usage, unprotected sex, and drunk driving.
The biggest problem associated with prom night is underage drinking. Alcohol can damage brain cells, impair judgment, and create a loss of control and temper problem. Binge drinking, having five or more drinks in a row, is a huge problem for students at prom. One way parents try to avoid their child's drinking and driving is to hire a limo for the night. M.G., a high school graduate, remembers a time that she was "going to the prom for the first time. [Her] parents always told [her] to make good choices. It was annoying hearing it many times, but [her parents] wanted to be sure [she] got the message."
Erin Atkinson said when she was in school she didn't drink on a normal weekend, so didn’t have pressure to drink on prom night. Although, she said "teenagers in general are more tempted to consume alcohol when in a party environment such as graduation and prom." Her advice on drinking is to not do it because "it will not make things anymore fun and it will make you fat." She hasn't seen any problems with Sig students and drinking and feels the "after prom has opportunities for students to stay together in a safe environment." She finished by saying, "if kids stay away from it on a day to day basis they aren’t going to around prom."
Statistics from Prnewswire.com say, "Traffic deaths among teens during typical prom weekends are higher than any other time of year."
On prom night, be aware of peer pressure to do thing you normally would not. Use your best judgment and know what's best for you. As you go out with friends think about the various risks and try to avoid taking these risks. Remember you don’t need drugs and alcohol to have fun! Be Yourself!
Sources:
http://life.familyeducation.com/teen/prom/36338.html
http://www.aamva.org/Publications/TWiR/2006/Month04/Day24/MADDUnderageDrinkingSurvey.htm
http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/seasonal/promandbeachweek/
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/madd/26893/
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