Teens Take Risks: Ideas for Keeping Kids Safe

NPR had an excellent story this week on the teenage tendency to take risks. As they point out, teens “engage in risk-taking behaviors to find out who they are, not to rebel or get back at the parent.”

Given this reality, a parent’s job is to help teens take “safe” risks so that they’re not tempted to engage in unhealthy behavior that can have lifelong consequences—like drinking, drugs, or unsafe sexual activity. From the piece:

What are some examples of healthy risk-taking activities?
Sports and developing artistic and creative abilities -- be it through art or theater -- are all activities that involve healthy levels of risk-taking. Teens can engage in volunteer activities, and even Internet activities. It can be as simple -- and as scary -- as getting up on stage, or asking somebody out, says Steinberg. All these behaviors may satisfy a teen's need to push boundaries, but are usually in an environment where there's very little harm that could result.

The article also recognizes that parents—often unintentionally—role model behavior for their kids.

Adults have patterns of risk-taking, too -- think about what they are, and model good behavior. …Steinberg agrees. "Teens who drink a lot often come from households where their parents drink a lot. Teens model their parents. Even though parents think their teens ignore them, they watch them."

What are some other kinds of healthy risk-taking behaviors that we can encourage in teens? What are some ways that you have changed your behavior to model healthy actions for a young person in your life? Share your ideas in the comments section.

What's a binge?

Binge drinking is the consumption of four or five alcoholic drinks per occasion (depending on the drinker’s gender). The CDC just released a video about binge drinking that describes some myths and realities, and gives community prevention strategies.

In addition to the excellent information shown in the video, I would like to add that excessive consumption sets a bad example for youth and young adults, who are looking to adults to set the standards for behavior.

Alcohol for a cause

Last week’s Portland Phoenix has an article about “drinks for a cause” (Fine Wine, Fine Cause by Leischen Stelter, March 31, 2010)—a way to raise money that has been gaining popularity in recent years. Alcohol and fundraising can seem to go inevitably together.

21 Reasons staffer Jen Hodsdon worked in the development field for many years, and responds to the Phoenix article:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard development people say that they need event attendees to get a few drinks in them before they’ll start bidding in fundraising auctions or donating money. I think it comes from a larger cultural situation in which adults feel like they need to drink to get together. However, I’d like to encourage non-profit organizations, especially ones that serve youth, to consider reducing or eliminating alcohol-based fundraisers.

It’s true that fundraising events can feel awkward, because the people there are getting together for a cause rather than because they necessarily like each other—and alcohol is a shortcut to relaxation.

But youth watch what adults do, and tend to mimic the behavior and beliefs of adults that they admire. They observe how we calm our anxieties and relax, and drinking to do this can send the message that alcohol is a necessary tool for relieving stress—and can encourage teens to self-medicate with alcohol to relieve their own stressors and anxieties.

To avoid sending this message, adults can demonstrate and discuss other ways to get over the anxiety of getting together with strangers, like using icebreaker games or practicing conversation topics before the event.

Event planners might also believe that everybody is serving alcohol at their events—and they fear that people won’t attend if there’s no alcohol or if it’s restricted. However, I did a survey last year of 185 Portland non-profits, and about half of the respondents said that they didn’t hold any events that served alcohol!

And, it turns out, most adults don’t mind: a national survey showed that 80% of adults support restricting alcohol sales at events. In addition, alcohol-free fundraisers would be more appealing to people who prefer events that are free from alcohol-related problems.

21 Reasons has released a guide for non-profits on serving alcohol at community events. It give tips for managing risk if you do decide to serve alcohol, and some things to consider if you’re thinking about going alcohol-free. The guide is available digitally or in hard copy by emailing Jen.

Superbowl XLIV

Well, Superbowl 44—along with all of its hype and overconsumption—is finally over. What do the numbers bring us on this Tuesday after the Big Game?

325,500,000: Gallons of beer drank by Americans on Superbowl Sunday (source).

100,000,000: The number of estimated viewers of Super Bowl XLIV (source).

80: The percentage of the general public that believes that alcohol advertising influences youth to drink alcoholic beverages (Source: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Executive Summary of Findings of Research Study of the Public Opinion Concerning Warning Labels on Containers of Alcoholic Beverages (Washington, DC: BATF, 1988))

60: The percentage of US households that tuned into the game (source).

43: The percentage of 18-24 year olds who watch the Super Bowl (source)

10: The number of times an alcohol ad has won the USA Today Superbowl Ad Meter contest. For the past two years, however, the winners have been snack foods instead of alcohol!

10: The number of alcohol commercials that aired during the game (source: staff count)

3: The age of a local dj’s child who announced, after watching a commercial, “I love beer!” (source: 2/8/10 WJBQ97.9 morning show)

2: The number of winners of the 2nd Annual Free the Bowl Contest. See winners here.

1: Anheuser Busch InBev was once again the biggest advertiser during this year’s Superbowl. They purchased five minutes of advertising time (source), at an estimated cost of $27 million (source).

For more information about alcohol marketing and youth, check out CAMY and the Marin Institute.

In the News

There are two local news items we’d like to bring to your attention today.

The first is this week’s sentencing of former Deering High School coach Frank Watson and his wife Kimberly. The two were convicted on Monday of furnishing a place for minors to consume liquor, and Watson was additionally charged with furnishing liquor to minors. The sentences include jail time for Mr. Watson, community service for Mrs. Watson, and fines for them both.

This story has helped to highlight the important part that adults play in preventing underage drinking--particularly adults who serve as role models to youth. The story has also highlighted some deeply entrenched cultural values that are harming today’s youth—for example, that teen drinking is a harmless and inevitable “rite of passage.”

Thankfully, we know today that early drinking can have long term effects on youths’ brains, as well as increase the risk of alcohol dependency later in life). We also know that underage drinking is completely preventable.

Adult role modeling is an important part of the community prevention effort, and we encourage all adults to think about the effect that their implied consent can have on young people.


The second item was covered by WCSH6 yesterday: a new bill introduced to Congress to support the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age.

The Support 21 Act of 2009 (HR 1028) authorizes a new highly visible media campaign to educate the public about underage drinking laws and build support for their enforcement. It asks the National Academy of Sciences to provide a report to Congress about the influence of drinking alcohol on the development of the adolescent brain.

This seems especially timely in light of the recent news piece on 60 Minutes about the MLDA. You can track the status of the bill here or check back with us, as we’ll keep you posted on its status and let you know when offering support to your representative will be most helpful.