Parents Advised to Keep East Hampton-Portland Teens Safe During Prom, Graduation Season

EAST LYME, CT - Parents play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. For example, a recent survey of East Lyme youth revealed two thirds of high school seniors have tried alcohol in their lifetime, and one third have used alcohol recently.

The East Lyme Youth Coalition is rolling out Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a Party to Teenage Drinking to reinforce their community message that underage drinking is unsafe, unhealthy and unacceptable.

As a parent, you cannot provide alcohol to your teen’s friends under the age of 21 under any circumstance, even in your own home, even with their parent’s permission. You also cannot knowingly permit a person under 21, other than your own child, to remain in your home or on your property while consuming or possessing alcohol.

There are legal consequences if you do. Based on Connecticut law, you can face a fine and jail time, and can be held civilly liable for the actions of those under the age of 21 who you knowingly permitted to consume alcohol in your home or on your property.

With prom and graduation season upon us, it is imperative for parents to be aware of the increased risk of teen alcohol parties occurring and the potential dangers that accompany those alcohol-fueled gatherings. Simply taking away the car keys does not solve all of the problems related to underage drinking.

It is important for parents to proactively take measures to help ensure these special times are fun, yet safe and drug-free for their teens.

Here are a few ideas for parents (and teens) planning celebratory parties:

• Create a party plan, including a guest list, with your teen
• Invite just the friends on your list and let them know in advance the party is ‘invitation only’
• Let party guests know that if they leave, they cannot come back
• Plan some activities such as music, games, movies, etc
• Make regular and unobtrusive visits to the party area with sensitivity to teens’ needs for privacy

If your teen is attending a party:

• Know where your child will be. Call the parent in charge to verify the location of the party. Ensure there will be adult supervision ant that the host will not be serving or allowing alcohol.
• Set a curfew for your teen to be home and when they arrive home, have them check in with you.
• Know how your child is getting to and from the party
• Reinforce the message to your teenager that he/she should never allow someone who has been drinking to drive them anywhere.

Image via Shutterstock.