Blogpost #6: Being sober during prom is important.

Car accident and a really big amount of bills in the hospital, stay overnight in jail and got yourself beat up, not able to remember what happened during your prom because you're too busy getting drunk, be suspended or expelled from your school. These are the things that might happen when you spend your night being drunk. Clearly you do not want this to happen right?

I found an article entitled "Temptation high for drunk driving in prom, grad reason" by Jessica Bliss from www.usatoday.com.

According to the article, There are good news and bad news about teens when it comes to drunk driving. The good news is, that drunk driving is down 54% since 1991. And the bad news is, car crashes are leading the cause of death. That's why you can't blame parents to worry too much when it comes to drunk-driving. The author shared some stories about car crash survivors and one of them is, Phaedra Marriott Olsen. She stop by a pizza place and stayed for a while, and when she was heading home she said that she did not drink any alcohol and did not take any drugs. But she did not know that the driver had. So at 22 years old, she was paralyzed. Nearly 40 she spent almost half her life in a wheelchair. She share her stories over 5,000 students reminding and telling them the dangers of drunk driving and taking drugs. And the importance of seat belt. Every time she shares her story she cry, cause when she asked who has driven drunk and almost all the student raised their hand. She want to motivate and encourage the students to make the right decisions. So they gave tips on how parents can talk to their children about this situation. Explain that drinking is illegal for underage teens, talk about on how alcohol can affect the brain, explain your position on being a worried sick parent knowing that your child is drinking, explain that sometimes achieving goals can be used as a motivation for teens to drink, discuss the consequences, warn them about peer pressure.

"Not every child makes it home safe. And only some live to tell about it," says Jessica.

To be home safe is a really big thing for me. Specially when you travel really far from home everyday for school. My parent are really worried every time I got home really late like, 11 pm. I can say that they can't remove their part as a worried parent because it is a mad world out their and we don't know what can happen to us while were outside and far from home. Even though I'm not drunk or I did not take drugs, I should be worried on how can I go home safe.

I found an article entitled "Keeping Prom Night Safe and Alcohol-Free" by Caroline Briggs from carbreathalyzerhelp.com.

According to the article, prom is supposed to be a night full of memories and fun, but those happy thoughts can be ruined just because you made a wrong decision like drinking. Drinking and social pressures can be the cause of alcohol poisoning, violence, assault, misjudgments, and unwanted pregnancies. And the worst, car crash. Schools and other organization should teach teens more about this kind of situation. Also, parents should help by talking their children about drinking and the consequences.

"Having regular, honest conversations that clearly convey the dangers of underage drinking and driving under the influence can be more powerful than you think," says Caroline.

Nothing beats a really serious and sincere talk with someone older than you. Because for sure, they know things better than you do. Last Christmas, a family friend's daughter forced me to drink them. I was shocked because first of all, I don't drink and I don't like the taste of the drink. I have no choice but to say yes. At the end of the night I had rashes all over my body. I didn't know that, that can happen to me that time. So my dad said, "never drink when you're not sure if you really want to." Second, "you should not be drinking because you are underage." I know I'm not driving or something and it's somewhat far from my topic. But the point is, my dad is right. And next time that someone ask me to drink, I know how to say no. And maybe I'll share the things that my dad taught me to others. Drinking is not bad. Actually, it helps us to relax. But what teens are doing is, they abuse alcohol and it leads to bad effect.