Alcohol Explained
Corrie Vandyke
April 26, 2010
Filed under News
Master Deputy Hill with some BMC students.
“In the past 26 years of my life, I have learned that you don’t really do what people tell you to do,” said Master Deputy Natalie Hill during the “Alcohol Explained” assembly for juniors and seniors on Thursday, April 15. The purpose for the presentation was to prevent unnecessary risks caused by drinking on prom night. Hill is an instructor at Alive at 25, a program provided by the police department to encourage young adults to drive safely.
Hill gave a variety of reasons why underage drinking, drinking in excess, and drinking and driving are dangerous. “She was humorous and likeable,” said Junior Nathan Adamson. Hill asked for a show of hands from students who had ever done something that was illegal after making the statement “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. About 1/3 of the student body raised their hands. “I thought it was crazy when people raised their hands! I didn’t expect people to confess that,” said Junior Jerry Taylor.
According to www.abovetheinfluence.com, “The younger you are when you start drinking, the greater your chance of becoming addicted to alcohol at some point in your life. More than 4 in 10 people who begin drinking before age 15 eventually become alcoholics. Of the 1,746 traffic fatalities among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2006, about one out of every six (17%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.” Senior Carolyn Charping said, “The statistics she gave were scary.”
“I thought it was good for students to be reminded of the danger,” said Senior Cherith Blaha. Many students said that the presentation had a positive impact on them, while others felt differently. “I’m not sure it will change people’s minds about the situation. A lot of people already know where they stand on the issue of drinking, and they will probably have to have a bad experience with it before they change their minds,” said Senior Marc Fevrin. In a survey of 45 students, 18 said that the assembly encouraged them to stay sober on prom night, while 27 of the students said that they did not have a change of heart.
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A lot less of your friends are drinking than you might think. Last year, I had to do a 10 page report on underage drinking. Young people tend to overestimate how many of their friends drink and how much they are drinking. This makes their own drinking seem less bad and gives them an “everybody’s doing it” kind of thing to argue.
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