Moderation in All Things, Even Celebration

After years of hard work, most people are ready to celebrate, and few celebrations are as exciting and well-deserved for young people than those that come after graduating high school or college. With four years of hitting the books, people want to let loose for a little while and have fun, and graduation night is the perfect opportunity to burn off some of that pent up energy.

Unfortunately, we are not always at our most responsible when we are having fun, especially when alcohol is involved. Binge drinking and irresponsible behavior have become more and more common at the college level, and even at the high school level in many communities. This type of behavior is likely to result in tragedy during major celebrations like graduation nights.

As parents, there is only so much we can do to discourage this type of behavior, especially when our kids are graduating college. They are legally old enough to drink, and legally old enough to drive, though we don’t want them ever mixing those two behaviors. But even without getting in a car, an individual can get badly hurt or even killed at a party.

The most common way a young person is badly injured or killed at such an event is overdosing on alcohol. The body can only process so much at a time, not to mention that when we pass out we are at risk of choking. But there are many other hazards, especially when alcohol causes impaired judgment, balance, and reaction time.

To minimize the risks of something bad happening on graduation night, you can:

• Encourage your children only to attend parties at places they have been before and with people they (and you) trust.
• Encourage your children to have a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage, and to drink slowly and not get drunk.
• Make sure your kids know that if something goes wrong, they can call and you will come get them.
• Make sure they don’t take their own vehicle to the party, so they won’t be tempted drink and drive home.
• Educate your children on the dangers of relying on others who have been drinking.

If something goes terribly wrong and someone is injured or killed at a graduation party, it is important to ensure the proper care is received and that the location is made safe so the same thing can never happen again, especially if the person injured was underage. Just because a person was drunk does not mean that others are free from fault. If you have any questions, contact a lawyer who can help you make sure the right questions you are being asked to get the help you need and protect other young people from further injury.