Home for the Holidays

The holiday season is a time for gathering. Your children are on school break and college kids may be home for a month or more. This time of year is filled with wonderful family moments - welcoming kids home for the Holidays, lighting Hanukah candles, trimming the Christmas tree or ringing in the New Year. Statistics show that it is also prime time for underage drinking.

College students on holiday break often have parties with friends where alcohol is part of the celebration. Younger siblings and friends often join these celebrations, especially when the student hosting, is in their freshman year of college. Older college students who are of legal drinking age often provide alcohol for the “under 21 crowd”, a move that could have dire consequences for them and for the youth who are provided the alcohol.

Some parents think that letting their teens drink at home, and teaching them to drink “responsibly” will keep them safe. They are mistaken. So, what is the harm in letting your teen or underage college student drink during the holidays?

· A teen who starts drinking before age 15 is four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and is two and a half times more likely to become an abuser of alcohol than someone who begins drinking at or after age 21.

· You and/or your college student risk being cited for violation of the Novato Social Host Ordinance and possibly causing harm to someone else’s child by supplying alcohol at a party.

A recent NPR article on social host ordinances states, “When it comes to teenage drinking, the typical venue is a party — where some teens play drinking games and binge. It may surprise you to learn that the majority of parents are aware that alcohol is flowing at these events.” Furthermore, “A recent study conducted with 1,100 teenagers living in Northern California showed that most did not host parties with alcohol. But of the 39 percent who did, 70 percent said their parents knew kids at the party were drinking. Twenty-four percent said their parents “probably” knew, leaving just a handful of parents in the dark.”

Chief James Berg of the Novato Police Department states, “Knowingly providing alcohol to a minor, whether it is your child or not, is against the law and is not the example adults should be setting. The Novato Police Department will proactively seek prosecution through the District Attorney’s Office for violations of our Social Host Ordinance.”

Please be mindful of your responsibility as an adult in the Novato community this holiday season – Don’t provide alcohol to minors, talk to your college students about their responsibility as a community member and know where and with whom your teens will be spending time on their winter break.

Wishing you a safe holiday season from

Healthy Novato Project and Novato Blue Ribbon Coalition for Youth

Parts of this article were adapted from:

Dr. Bihari. (2014, November 6). Risky Business: Home For The Holidays, Prime Time For Underage Drinking. Retrieved December 19, 2014, from http://www.capenews.net/bourne/columns/risky-business-home-for-the-holid...