REVIEW: In our last health column on the danger of alcohol use, we focused on the successful marketing of alcohol that is made available in the form of fruit juices. These coolers come in a rainbow of colors. They taste sweet and fizzy, where the alcohol taste is disguised. And they are most attractive to younger people. And yet, these drinks contain more alcohol than a beer or a glass of wine.
Protect our Young People
The challenge to stay drug-and-alcohol-free is greater now than ever for America’s teenagers. It is during their early teen years that most will face the critical decision of how they will personally respond to these issues. Each day billboards, magazines, and television, as well as many movies, tell our kids that drinking alcohol is synonymous with being accepted and having a good time. And peer pressure is enormous.
Yet today’s youth can be very discerning. Most hold strong ideals about what is right and fair, yet they need guidance in making right choices.
• Their immediate need is for education—an honest, reliable, credible source of information. To be effective, this education must start early. It needs to start during the elementary years.
• Youth need support and encouragement—from grandparents, teachers, churches, mentors, and positive role models. This support must include the availability of positive activities to fill their free time, such as part-time jobs, sports, hobbies, crafts, library use, clubs such as Boy and Girl Scouts, and opportunities to work as community service volunteers.
• But most important of all is a good parental example. Nothing is more powerful than this! And the statistics show it. Young people who grow up in nonalcoholic homes are much less inclined to have problems with alcohol when they reach adulthood.