Summer Fun and Making Good Choices

With summer quickly approaching and celebrations on the horizon, the Youth Council of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County offers tips for a drug- and alcohol-free summer.

As a senior in high school, life has both slowed down and sped up. I’m looking forward to the exciting things that define the quintessential senior experience: grad parties, prom, and finally, graduation. Classes are more laid back, but the days left with my friends are zooming by.

The people I’ve shared so many great memories with will soon walk across a stage to be honored for their years of hard work. Graduation is an exciting time, but I can’t wait for what comes right after: the All Night Graduation celebration.

Most schools’ parent teacher associations (PTSA or PTSO) host an all-night grad party for seniors. These parties follow graduation directly, and are a fun and safe place to spend a memorable night with your friends. I can’t wait to enjoy dancing, food, raffles, and games in a giant sleepover with the people who I have spent four years with but will see much less after the end of the school year.

All-night grad parties are tons of fun, but most importantly, they’re a way to have fun without feeling pressured to drink or do drugs at outside parties.

I want to spend this special moment with my classmates, teammates, and friends, and I want to do it sober. I want to remember dancing the cupid shuffle (which I will look ridiculous doing), the gut-wrenching laughs over bad jokes, and the reflections we share about the intersection of our shared high school life and our imminent dispersion throughout the world for college.

I am so excited for my school’s all-night grad party, and I hope other graduating seniors will choose to engage in this experience too.

Parents, please help protect your child’s bright future by providing a safe, alcohol-free season of celebrations for your son or daughter. 
Check out UPC’s tips, “Keep Teens Safe This Prom and Graduation Season.”

• Do not serve or allow alcohol at any party you are hosting; an adult who provides alcohol to a minor is breaking the law and risking that teen’s life.
• Know where your teenager is attending a party; verify there will be parental supervision, and that it will be alcohol-free.
• Make it clear to your teen(s) that you do NOT approve of their drinking alcohol.
• Report underage drinking parties by calling the Fairfax County Police Department’s non-emergency number: 703-691-2131. Your call can be anonymous and may prevent injuries or a fatal car crash.
• Educate your family on the risks associated with underage drinking and its proven harmful effects on the brain. The legal drinking age is 21, and students who wait until their early 20s to drink are 84 percent less likely to develop an addiction than those who start earlier.
• Make sure your teen has a plan for the night and that you know what it is.
• Know who is driving – if it’s a limo, check their policy on not allowing any alcohol in the vehicle and driving any teen who clearly has been drinking.
• Encourage your senior to attend their school’s All Night Graduation Celebration.

The author is a senior at Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology and is a third year member of the Youth Council of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County.

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is a nonprofit organization with more than 60 community partners working together to keep youth and young adults safe and drug-free. Visit http://www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org and http://www.facebook.com/unifiedpreventioncoalition. Follow the group on Twitter athttp://www.twitter.com/keepyouthsafe.