Prom and Graduation: No Excuse to Drink
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This time of year is home to two teenage milestones -- the prom and graduation. Proms give teenagers a chance to dress up and dance the night away with friends. Graduation marks the ending of a chapter in a teen's life and the beginning of another. Of course, it's acceptable to let loose at these memorable events. But they shouldn't be used as an excuse to drink.
Unfortunately, the number of teens who drink is startling. You'll be stunned by these alcohol-related statistics, courtesy of alcohol organization MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Did you know that ...
* 65 percent of underage youth who drink obtain alcohol from family and friends
* 77 percent of 12th graders have tried alcohol
* 94 percent of 12th graders say that alcohol is "very easy" or "fairly easy" to get
* 29 percent of 12th graders drank more than five drinks in one sitting in the two weeks preceding a national alcohol survey
* 12.1 percent of students have ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol
* 12.9 percent of Caucasian students have driven after drinking alcohol
* 22.9 percent of people aged 12
or older participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days before an alcohol-use survey
* 25 percent of 15- to 20-year old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking
* 54 percent of teenage motor vehicle deaths in 2000 occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
With numbers like these, it's better to be safe than sorry. If you don't want to be another statistic, don't drink and drive no matter what the occasion.