Five Tips for a Safe Prom/Grad Season from Healthy Novato

Prom and graduation season is “prime time” for teen binge drinking and the associated risks, but well-prepared parents and other caring adults can do a lot to assure safe and healthy celebrating for teenagers during this transitional time. 

Healthy Novato offers five important tips for safe and sober youth parties. 

1. Adults and teens should agree beforehand on clear rules about no drinking.  Make a plan for contact by phone or text on party night.  Help your teen plan how to resist peer pressure to drink.
   
    
2. If you or your teen is hosting a party, keep the party small (no more than 15 teens for each adult present) and be there to actively supervise.  Set starting and ending times for the party.  No one can leave the party and then return.  Keep liquor behind locked doors, and prevent guests from bringing alcohol to the party.  Remember that adults can be liable for underage drinking, whether or not they are present.  This applies to hotel rooms too. 
    
3. If your teen is taking a bus or limo to the prom, make sure that the company strictly enforces policies against youth alcohol use.  See your teen off at the pick up and be there to pick him up at the drop off point.
    
4. Get to know your teen's friends and their parents.  If your teen is planning on going to a party, call the parents to ensure that they will be home and that they will not allow drugs or alcohol.  If this is not possible, don't let your teen go.  If your teen is staying overnight at a friend's house after the party, verify this arrangement with the friend's parents and that they will be home.
   
    
5. Make sure your teen has a way to get to and from a party. Remind your teen NEVER to ride home with a driver who has been drinking or using other drugs. Make it easy for your teen to leave a party by making it clear that he can call at any time for a ride home.  Discuss why he might need to make such a call.  (Make it clear to your teen that this does not give him or her permission to drink.). Be up to greet your teen when he or she comes home.  This can be a good way to check the time and talk about the evening. 

“Accidents or injuries to teens that are associated with alcohol during prom or graduation time are preventable,” noted Katie Keating, Healthy Novato Project Director.  “Unfortunately, it’s a time when many parents look the other way and underestimate the risks of drinking.”

“Alcohol is the number one contributing factor to death of youth in the United States,” she continued.  “It plays a major part in many car crashes, suicides, rape and other violence, as well as depression and poor performance at school. 

Sometimes parents think it is safer to let teens drink in the home to ensure their safety, but no matter where teens drink, it puts them at risk for harm to the brain and making poor decisions.  Kids could also have extra keys or wander off from the home.  Parents can face fines and even jail time by allowing teens to drink in their home and if there is an injury or death, even more serious consequences.

Keating encouraged parents and other caring adults to put the five tips into practice this prom and graduation season.  “While we need many groups, including schools, law enforcement, government officials, and youth to be a part of the solution, parents play a critical role in setting rules for families and helping kids grow up safely.”

Healthy Novato works to reduce underage drinking and its threats to the health and safety of young people in the community through programs and partnerships.  The complete list of partnering programs, information for parents, and the Count Me In!  Pledge are on the website. 

Those wanting more information should go to healthynovato.org or contact Katie Keating at (415) 493-4322 or kkeating@novatoyouthcenter.org.