The Dangers of “Allowing” underage drinking, brought to you by Collegiate Sports Advocate.

As a parent of 3 Young Adults in their 20’s and an Advocate for over 245 Student Athletes, I feel some responsibility to share the RISKS of ALLOWING underage drinking! 

I’m highlighting some risks from this article.  https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
Yes, I did drink underage.  Yes, unfortunately, no matter what I told my children, they too drank underage.  We wish we had a solution. 

As parents, we did NOT allow it in our home or to attend parties and shared the dangers of engaging in ILLEGAL activity.  We did everything to avoid high school parties and events that might be at risk.

Then they go to college and all we could do was Pray that we laid a strong enough foundation.  Peer pressure, the culture around campus and the feeling of independence overcame in many cases. 
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I’m going to share some articles of the dangers of allowing or accepting that this is “ok”.  We need to continue to educate our young Student Athletes as there are even more penalties for them.

1.  Many colleges have a zero tolerance for any “illegal” underage drinking or drinking in general.  As a parent, I was thrilled to find these colleges.  One of my daughters had the privilege to coach at one that would dismiss them from the University if any illegal use was found. 
2. Drinking tears down all the good food and exercise and training that these young athletes invest in and as parents you should be very alert to the self-sabotage that this will cause.
3. Poor choices about other activities while under the influence is completely at risk when impaired.   We ALL know this at any age.
4. They risk losing their scholarships as many teams have Team Conduct Rules. 
5. Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010.2,3
6. Youth who drink alcohol 1,5,10 are more likely to experience
   1. School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades.
   2. Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities.
   3. Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk.
   4. Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses.
   5. Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity.
   6. Disruption of normal growth and sexual development.
   7. Physical and sexual assault.
   8. Higher risk for suicide and homicide.
   9. Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning.
   10. Memory problems.
   11. Abuse of other drugs.
   12. Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects.
   13. Death from alcohol poisoning.
7. Many of us have a predisposed gene that puts us at risk for Alcoholism that makes it difficult to be a social drinker  https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-use-disorders/genetics-alcohol-use-disorders

We will continue to try to educate our families on the risks of Alcohol and many of you know I’ve lost several dear friends these past few years to serious alcoholism that becomes out of their control and there are no answers that I can provide at this time but do encourage anyone that has experienced Addiction in any form to donate to a reputable company in the memory of my dear Friend, Teri Ann Hibbard. 
 
https://www.gofundme.com/memorial-fund-for-teri-hibbard