Drug Use
This Month We're Focusing on Underage Drinking
Underage drinking is not inevitable. Statistics show that year over year, a smaller percentage of students participate in it. And according to the Ridge High School results of the 2019 PRIDE survey (a survey about drug and alcohol use from grades 6-12) 77% of sophomores and 70% of seniors see underage drinking as at least a moderate risk. Education on the risks of alcohol use, in our town, seems to have been successful. However, from the 77% statistic, that means one in five kids that you ask would see almost no risk with underage drinking. With the information we have, they need to know.
Parents who Host Lose the Most has great information on why hosting parties with alcohol for teens as an adult is unacceptable. The Ber nards Township Municipal Alliance has great information on why, the drinking age is, 21, for a reason. Therefore we will likely cite these sources in our articles, and most of our information comes from organizations such as these. Parents who host parties with alcohol for underage teens are perhaps the most at fault - they can easily buy alcohol and use that to circumvent laws most of our society respects.
In REACH, we are committed to promoting a healthy, drug free lifestyle among the town's youth - and that is because of the many negative side affects drugs can have on the development of young people. According to the Bernards Township Municipal Alliance presentation "it's 21 for a Reason", if you have your first drink at 14, as compared to having your first drink at 21 - which is admittedly an extreme example - you are 400% more likely, or have a 50% compared to a 10% chance to have problems from alcohol in the future, immediate dangers academic failure, or long term dangers such as liver and brain damage. That is more than a coin flip chance. That is why it is important for everyone, not just the majority of kids to be informed about the dangers of underage drinking, the most pressing drug issue in our community. Smoking once held a large amount of status, and information about the negative side effects was not well known. Now 90% of students are quite well informed about the dangers. Underage drinking, which often receives less attention then smoking (Your editor is 17, and cannot remember ever receiving an ad condemning underage drinking) can reach this 90% as well.