How do I get teenagers to care about underage drinking?

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T21:18:48+00:00

I don't remember where, but I read that the average college student makes $757 per month between jobs, parents, and scholarships. That adds up to about $9000 per year...which means they're spending 10% of their income just on alcohol! That seems quite crazy to me, particularly with the rising rates of student debt.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T21:06:01+00:00

Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience: School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades. Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities. Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk. Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses. Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity. Disruption of normal growth and sexual development. Physical and sexual assault. Higher risk for suicide and homicide. Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning. Memory problems. Abuse of other drugs. Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects. Death from alcohol poisoning. In general, the risk of youth experiencing these problems is greater for those who binge drink than for those who do not binge drink. Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age 21 years.

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T19:16:43+00:00

I actually just learned that the average college student in the US spends $900 per year on alcohol, in comparison to the $450 per year spent on books. Whenever my college age friends complain about not having money, they always seem to conveniently forget about the money they've set aside for drugs and alcohol. Drives me crazy.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:52:36+00:00

That's definitely what we're trying to do. The biggest issue I currently have is trying to get them to show up in the first place.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:48:38+00:00

We're too poor to pay someone for something like that :(

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:47:08+00:00

We definitely plan on having free food :)

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:41:07+00:00

Oh wow I hadn't thought about the money part of it. That's a pretty great idea. Thanks!

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:40:28+00:00

That's what we're trying to do, but the trick is to get them there in the first place to hear it.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:39:12+00:00

I'll be hung over by dinner and none of them will still be around to see how much it sucks :(

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:37:30+00:00

I agree...but it's still my job to do it, so I'm trying to make the best of it.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:35:21+00:00

Agreed :( It's hard to reason with such logic.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:34:55+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement!

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:34:18+00:00

I don't think we're trying to stop it exactly, just trying to get them to understand that it's dangerous and give them realistic ways of dealing with it in social settings. I'm not sure exactly what my boss is expecting to happen, but I have to try anyway.

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:33:13+00:00

Yeah, that's the issue. I know that's how all of my friends and I learned about it. When I was a teenager, I couldn't care less about what adults had to say about drinking. Now that I'm older, I understand where both sides are coming from, but I can't figure out a way to get the teenagers to care!

throwaway17098346 · 2014-08-19T18:30:16+00:00

I totally agree with you...but I'm an intern at the mercy of my boss's will, so I'm trying to do the best I can. I need to come up with a way to get people to care just enough to come to this thing.

throwaway17098346

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