Sometimes it’s hard to know the difference between normal teen behavior and the warning signs of alcohol use. Many teens act out and test boundaries. It’s what they do. This video gives parents and caregivers examples of sudden changes that could be signs of underage alcohol use, and how to connect with other parents and advocates for help.
April is “Alcohol Awarness Month” – visit ParentUpVT.org for more resources to prevent underage drinking.
In Europe teens are seen as
In Europe teens are seen as young adults. They have sex, they can drink. Therefore, it is more important to educate young adult teens in how to drink responsibly and to have safe sex than it is to seek out help in preventing these young adults from engaging in these practices.
The Heavy-handed Puritanical Anti-drug Culture
Nicely and succinctly said, tirebiter.
If I may add some (not so succinct) background to this:
The women who founded and run BAPC have historical precedent in the temperance movement from the 1840’s during the Anti-Saloon movement. In fact, temperance and prohibition has been dominated by women. In those early days the women folk were riled up by the preachers, because the men folk largely ignored the preachers and the women. Naturally, the rough side of alcohol use was a manly thing where the women often took the brunt of some of the surly men, and the preachers didn’t fare much better.
The men got involved big time only after prohibition became a lucrative pastime, incorporated into things like lawmaking, profits from illegalities, etc. Once the men realized that prohibition provided a wonderful moneymaking social battleground that generated power, control, corruption, criminal king-making and a boatload of money, the men folk jumped gleefully onto the prohibition bandwagon with both feet.
Europe, not having a Puritan Plymouth Rock syndrome, like the United States acquired when the British unfortunately drove them out of their country to our shores, continued their cultural lines along their “older” civilized manner of doing things. Hence, Europe didn’t have the heavy-handed puritanical anti-drug and sex culture that the United States suffers from.
The BAPC’s wrongheaded attempt to control parents and teens isn’t really very successful, but their little nonprofit does provide a decent income for their salaries and programming through donations. One my disappointments is the number of Brattleboro businesses that support them in funding and programming. But, I suppose we all have our bandwagons to jump on.
As you say: “it is more important to educate young adult teens in how to drink responsibly and to have safe sex than it is to seek out help in preventing these young adults from engaging in these practices.”
Unfortunately, for our businesses that support BAPC, they are afraid to support a rational program along the lines you’re suggesting, even if there was one in play; more the pity that the women-folk at BAPC dominate the playing field when it comes to VT drug-policies. We really miss out on a rational approach to human drug and sex realities.