millerboycott.com

During this time of year, many Homestead residents are getting invitations to work holiday parties as well as holiday get-togethers from friends and family. While it’s exciting to get invitations and to schedule them into your planner, this is also a good opportunity to make sure that you plan ahead for safety.

Holiday parties are a cause of concern for local law enforcement, since alcohol served at holiday parties can lead some motorists to make poor decisions, leading to Homestead drunk driving accidents. Homestead car accidents involving alcohol do typically increase during the holiday season in many years, according to authorities. Sometimes, drivers simply make poor decisions after drinking at a holiday party and the consequences can be tragic. Each year, people sustain serious Homestead head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and even fatalities due to drunk driving.

You can help prevent these types of tragedies by planning well in advance. When you get an invitation for a holiday party, don’t just consider whether you can attend or whether the party fits into your schedule. Also plan ahead to determine how you can get home safely. For example, one of the things you want to consider is whether the party will be alcohol free or whether alcohol will be served. If alcohol will be served, consider how you will get home safely.

To do this, consider where the party is held. If the party is held at your workplace, find out whether your employer will be providing a way to get home safely. Consider public transportation as a way to get home safely, but also consider when the party will be ending. The party may and well after public transportation is no longer available. If this is the case, you will need a list of local cab companies as well as cash on hand so that you can call for a taxicab after the party.

Be especially alert for parties that can end late and for parties that are in remote locations. Often, these are the most challenging if you will be drinking. Taxicabs from remote locations may be more expensive and public transportation may not be available late at night or in remote areas. Hotel rooms and motel rooms may also not be available in these areas. Therefore, you will need to plan ahead and arrange for a friend or family member to pick you up. You may also want to have a list of cab companies on hand as well as extra money to get home safely. Or, you can make arrangements with your host in order to stay at their home after drinking. Planning ahead can reduce the risk that you will be involved in a Homestead traffic accident simply because you didn’t plan ahead and ran out of options when it was late and you found yourself far away from an easy way to get home.

Keep in mind that after a party where you have been drinking you may feel tired and anxious to get home. This makes it easier for you to make a bad decision. To avoid being in a Homestead traffic accident caused by drunk driving, make it easy for yourself to do the right thing. Plan ahead and have more than one way to get home safe. Better yet, consider leaving your car at home and take a cab to the party so that you are not tempted to drive home after you have been drinking.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Parents want to keep their children safe. To ward off diseases, parents have their infants immunized. To give them skills in order to protect themselves as they become more independent, the subject of “stranger danger” is discussed. Parents set curfews and emphasize safe driving habits when teens obtain a driver’s license. Conversations also take place about the dangers of illicit drug use.

However, underage drinking may be the most difficult issue for parents to discuss. Teen drinking is often thought of as a rite of passage, glamorized and romanticized by the media. Battling these outside influences, however, can lead to feelings of hypocrisy if the parents drank before the age of 21. As a result, they may decide not to have a conversation with their teen and deny the problem exists because they feel discouraged and powerless especially when they hear, “But everyone’s doing it!”. The boundaries parents set to keep their adolescents safe provides their teens with a sense of security and develops a level of trust when it comes to important, life-saving issues like avoiding underage drinking.

There is no simple, guaranteed solution to ensure teenagers will wait until their 21st birthday to make a decision about drinking. Addressing this issue depends on the adolescent and the situation. It is important for parents to understand why their teen may be considering starting drinking or already doing so. For example, teens report drinking because they are bored, pressured, trying to escape from challenges, or believe is a way to celebrate or blow off steam.

In order to tailor the conversation to their adolescent before parents initiate the discussion, set boundaries or dole out consequences, it is important to ask themselves what their teen would hate to give up when rules weren’t followed. The realities and consequences of underage drinking must have a personal connection to things and people they care about. Is it losing their place on an athletic team or in the drama club; spending time with friends; driving the family car; forfeiting a scholarship; being injured and/or hurting someone else and having to live with that burden; spending time in jail, losing driving privileges or one’s driving license? Just as important as the consequences of underage drinking is to acknowledge adolescents when they observe the rules.

Deciding whether they are going to drink alcohol is not a one time choice for teenagers. It is something they may be faced with every week, on multiple occasions so continue to have conversations with them. According to adolescents, alcohol is almost always available and there are ample opportunities to make mistakes. Their decision is ongoing.

Talking about alcohol-related problems in the life of a family member, friend or acquaintance may help make the issue more real. Every family has someone they know and maybe love who has dealt with difficulties caused by alcohol. Whether the problem is alcoholism and its dramatic consequences or the devastating impact of impaired driving, talk openly about the impact of alcohol on their lives. This might provide some motivation for teens to wait until the age of 21 to make their decision about drinking.

However difficult it may be, have a conversation with your adolescents instead of lecturing them. It is important to be aware of tone of voice, facial expressions and body language. While eye-rolling and sighing may be initial responses, it’s important to create a comfortable environment in which teens feel validated in expressing their thoughts and opinions.

Underage drinking is a serious societal problem. Parents can help shape the behavior and attitude of their adolescents in regards to alcohol. You can help to protect teens from the dangers of underage drinking. The best way to influence them not to drink before age 21 is to have a strong, trusting relationship with them. Research shows that children, ages 10 and 11, whose parents fostered communication, were highly involved and set clear expectations were more likely to see underage drinking as harmful and were less likely to initiate early alcohol use. When these pre-teens turned 17 and 18, they were also less likely to use alcohol. You can make a difference. Start the conversation today.
For more information, please visit http://www.madd.org/ or http://www.why21.org/

MADD Oregon News