Solution to Teenage Alcohol Abuse: Detection or Prevention?
In Iowa, it has been reported that the number of schools that are using breath analyzers and other such tests to detect the use of alcohol and illegal substance during proms and other school events is increasing. Companies that sell these products are having a field day offering a wide selection to school officials. Schools that have no intention of owning these gadgets can count on the police to lend them these devices.
These are great devices, especially when used wisely. School officials can prevent accidents and mishaps by testing suspicious students for intoxication. However, we could not help but think — aside from these instruments, what is being done to actually prevent alcohol from being consumed before, during or after these school activities?
It may be to everyone’s great advantage if equal focus is given towards educational programs that will help lower a teenager’s urge to consume alcohol or give in to the temptation to drink. These programs may be created by the school in collaboration with parents and non-profit organizations to resolve this issue on alcohol abuse. All the breath analyzers and Intoximeters in America will not prevent teenagers from drinking.
After all, we know for a fact that underage drinking is not confined to school events. How many teenagers have gotten drunk on school premises even when there was no school dance? There would be no breath analyzers or school officials there to admonish them or stop them from getting into a car. Dances happen twice, three times, four times a year, and the rest of the time, we have teenagers holding secret drinking sessions in their bedrooms during a sleepover while their parents are asleep.
Maybe the question is not about if we are doing enough alcohol testing to identify offenders. It should be focused on what we need to do to keep them from drinking in the first place.
Tags: alcohol abuse, drunk driving, dui, Substance Abuse, teen alcohol abuse
March 23, 2009 at 5:45 pmalcoholism teenager
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Detection is for the one who are currently drinking. Prevention is for the one who don’t drink. Hmmm…I didn’t know that there are devices that can detect your breath. You’re right that you can’t prevent drinking by detecting but once you detect a person, you can tell him to prevent whatever he/she does.
-mike
May 25, 2009 at 5:32 amteenage alcoholism
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he,
Parents are the guide to the child’s future. The parents should be more cautious about their kid’s behavior, so that the symptoms of teen alcoholism could be spotted and treatment should start before it is too late.
Thanks for the informative article!
Shruti
March 10, 2012 at 10:04 amAmy Mathurin
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alcoholism can be prevented if the prices of alcohol goes up by about 20% then the children will not have enough money to buy them and they can engage themselves in ativities such as basketbal , football etc.
March 4, 2013 at 6:29 pmOlwethu Mzolisa
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lets guyz stop drinkig more aspecial during the week.