I got the following several weeks ago in an email from All Pro Dad.
Binge drinking is sobering
It’s called “the power hour,” and it’s a birthday ritual that can turn deadly. Kids turning 21 – the legal drinking age – try to have 21 drinks as quickly as possible, at midnight, on the eve of their birthday. A recent study found that more than a third of the young men, and a quarter of the young women interviewed said they took part in this dangerous ritual.
Alcoholism is on the rise with young people. Make sure you to talk to your children about the dangers of underage drinking, and when they turn 21, the dangers of binge drinking.
For some practical tips on truly empowering your children to stay sober for life, click here.
I’ve been getting these daily email for years. Sometimes they’re pointless, sometimes they’re cheesy, and once in a while they’re good. I signed up years ago when I actually believed that husbands and wives shouldn’t fight as much as my wife and I did at the time. That’s what happens when everything you know about marriage comes from prime time TV and movies. I asked a friend for advice and he sent me a link to All Pro Dad. I’ve been tempted to unsubscribe a few times but for the most part it takes little time to delete these daily emails when they’re pointless.
This one really made me almost hurt myself in amazement. I haven’t heard of this “power hour” concept until now. I know that kids drink at ever increasing younger ages, but this is a bit of what seems to be stupidity and lack of judgement that just can’t be explained by public schools and TV.
I know my way around a party, believe me. I used to be a sailor. I reported to a ship homeported in Guam on my 20th birthday. My 21st birthday coincided with a toga party at the barracks we were staying in as we decommissioned the ship, and I left the island 10 days later. I know what goes on at parties, and I sure do know how to participate in them.
This may not be the best approach to the subject, but I’ve been tempted to consider telling my kids when they’re old enough for the alcohol talk that if they seriously find themselves in a need to get drunk that bad, just tell me and we can work something out.
I honestly don’t know if kids are doing this “Power Hour” from an abundance of peer pressure, a presence of stupidity, a lack of judgement, poor influences from culture (like music and TV), an absence of parental guidance, or a combination of any two or more of those forces. I didn’t drink in high school (that came in the Navy) but even as early as the 7th grade, I understood alcohol metabolism and I know that my body could not handle “21 drinks as fast as possible.” I don’t know how kids can get to 21 without at least that basic bit of information.
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