First State seniors are graduating from high school and with that comes parties - and possibly underage drinking.
Statistics show that graduation season is one of the most dangerous times for teens.
One-third of alcohol-related traffic fatalities involving that age group happens during this time period. For 2007-2011, 18 percent of all unintentional deaths in Delaware among young people age 15-24 were alcohol related.
The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services recently launched a statewide campaign for prevention of underage and binge drinking. Part of that initiative focuses on parental involvement.
Some parents feel that it's better for their teens to be exposed to alcohol in the safety of their own homes under adult supervision. But DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf says research shows drinking at an early age has dangerous consequences.
“Youth who drink alcohol before the age of 15 are five times more likely to become dependent on alcohol than those young adults who begin drinking at age 21,” she says. “The earlier a person drinks, the more exposed that they are for a dependency and an addiction.”
Even so, many teenagers will indulge in alcohol. Landgraf says teen drinking is always dangerous and potentially costly to parents.
“Misdemeanor convictions of supplying alcohol to a minor can result in fines ranging from five hundred dollars to five thousand dollars and if they are a felony conviction, that could surpass fifty thousand dollars,”she says.
You can learn more about the state’s prevention campaign at the Drinking Hurts Thinking website.
