Sobering Advice for Teens and Parents

Few parents today would call the experience of raising teenagers an easy one. For most, in fact, it’s never been more challenging. And like teen stress and bullying, underage drinking has become a more difficult aspect of modern-day parenting of teens than in previous generations, when the thought that “it’s part of growing up” allowed parents to cast a blind eye at what they regarded as a rite of passage.

Teen drinking and social host liability--the legal term for the criminal and civic responsibility of a person who furnishes alcohol to a guest--were the topics of a recent forum at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, which included panelists Brandon Arber, an attorney; Acton police detective Keith Campbell; A-B counseling department chair Stephen Hitzrot; and two ABRHS students, Oliver Davis and Peter Connell.

Held at the school’s auditorium to an audience of some 250-300 parents and teens, the forum “was definitely timed to coincide with the prom, spring and summer,” said Christine Renzi, co-chair of the ABRPTSO, which sponsored the event. “It seems that when the weather starts warming up and ‘senioritis’ really sets in, more underage drinking occurs.”

Arber began the evening by recounting some high-profile cases where teenage binge drinking led to dire consequences, primarily in Massachusetts and in the presence of adults, some of whom intended to provide a “safe house” for partying, and some of whom were not aware the drinking was occurring—but all of whom, he said, violated the social host liability law.

The cases ranged from those told to reinforce the extreme danger of teenage drinking, such as that of a young teenager in Massachusetts who shared a bottle of vodka with a friend and later drowned in the shower, to those that outlined the criminality involved with furnishing alcohol to minors.

According to the website of Arber’s firm, Massachusetts-based Campbell, Campbell, Edwards & Conroy, social host liability “expands the legal responsibility for the consumption of alcohol beyond the person who consumes it to those who furnish it. The intoxicated guest remains liable to persons injured as a result of his actions, but now shares that liability with the host.”

In other words, said Arber, “Under the law, there’s no gray area. (The legal drinking age of) 21 is 21.”

And while convictions under the social host law typically carry a penalty of a fine of up to $2000 and one year’s jail time, the consequences can be much more serious depending on the circumstances and results—such as in the case of a 19-year-old who was convicted of manslaughter after providing alcohol to a friend who later drove while intoxicated, leading to an accident that killed one person and left another brain injured.

“It was enough that (the 19-year-old) furnished the alcohol,” said Arber, adding that the defendant’s young age wasn’t an influence in terms of his conviction. “Whoever (is subject to the law) means whoever, regardless of age.”

Communication, school/community activities crucial to curbing teen drinking, say panelists

Though exact statistics aren’t available, many in the community believe underage drinking represents a significant issue. But unlike social host liability, the subject of teen drinking itself presented plenty of gray area to panelists and parents--all of whom ultimately agreed that open dialogue between parents and children is crucial to ensuring teen health and safety.

ABRHS Principal Dr. Alixe Callen told parents that “like with stress, we all own (teen drinking). It’s important to take collective responsibility—students, parents and the community.”

Hitzrot suggested that parents sit with their kids to create an agreement so kids will “know what to expect if they slip up,” but stressed the importance of effecting a zero-tolerance stance about drinking.

“I cringe when I hear parents say ‘I drank when I was younger, it’s no big deal, it’s a rite of passage,’” said Hitzrot. “That message intones that it’s OK and that parents are condoning (drinking) in some sense.”

As his department’s youth officer, Campbell said he works closely with both schools and adolescents to stress such communication and at one point asked the teens present to raise their hand if they “felt comfortable asking their parents for help” if they’re in situations where they’ve been drinking.

“For those sitting next to a kid with their hand still down—it might be a good time to start having conversations on the way home,” said Campbell, adding that suggested approaches to teen drinking include “creating partnerships with others in the community—and if that fails, come to the police.”

As with Hitzrot, Callen and Campbell acknowledged the difficulty of balancing a zero-tolerance drinking rule with teens and assuring them they should feel safe to call home if they’re in trouble—but it’s that balance that the teen panelists said was crucial to allowing them to recover from their mistakes.

Senior Oliver Davis, who said he thinks there’s “a lot of underage drinking in the community,” told his peers in the audience that in circumstances where they’ve been drinking, “honesty is the best approach … no matter what, you need to let your parents know ASAP. Your safety is (their) first priority.”

Davis reiterated his honesty-is-best stance for parents as well, when during a period of audience questions later in the evening, he responded to a query about where teens likely hide alcohol by saying, “You really have to know your kid. Talk to your kid.”

In his remarks, junior Peter Connell questioned the effectiveness of the school’s zero-tolerance policy, suggesting that it could make some kids become “spiteful,” and said “the only way to deter (teen drinking) is to avoid that first incident altogether” in part by offering more school- and community-sanctioned activities.

“As a community, we must provide alternative activities,” said Connell. “The less time a kid is sitting around, the less time there is to experiment.”

And with many feeling that underage drinking is starting younger and becoming more widespread, Callen said she “absolutely agrees” that “we as a community need to do more to provide safe activities for our teens on the weekend.”

“Student safety is the issue, and none of us want to have a tragedy (here) like the ones we just heard about,” she said.